1. Sampa the Great
Sampa the Great (born 1993) is a Zambian-born Australia-based rapper and songwriter. She’s also a poet and visual artist whose introspective, socially conscious music strives to uplift, empower, and inspire positive change. Her debut solo album, The Return, peaked at No. 12 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, she won Best Hip Hop Release for her second single, “Final Form”. In March 2020 Sampa became the first artist to win the Australian Music Prize twice: for Birds and the BEE9 and The Return. When interviewed by NPR about Birds and the BEE9, Sampa says, “BB9 was the way for me to say this is how I sound like as an artist, this is who I am musically. From this, I will grow. I can express myself through singing, rap, poetry … I can express myself as a full human being on this project… so BB9 was me expressing myself, how I found being a black artist in Australia is and how I had to navigate it, and how I choose to express that.”
2. Manu Crooks
Manu Crooks (born 22 May 1993) is a Ghanaian-Australian musician based in Sydney, Australia. Manu Crooks is a rapper and producer whose output is comparable to contemporary rap out of the Southern U.S. more than that of his native Australia. After the release of his debut body of work Mood Forever in 2017 – it saw him garner a cult following, with fans including Zane Lowe and A$AP Ferg. Crooks’ incongruous sound and original flow is helping the up-and-coming artist to break through, alongside other fresh-faced acts bubbling away in Sydney’s west, like B-Wise, Tapz and L-FRESH THE LION.
3. Youngn Lipz
Youngn Lipz is an Australian hip-hop musician from Cabramatta, New South Wales. This ground breaking artist is bringing a new sound to aussie hip-hop. Youngn made his debut in the music industry with the single “Misunderstood.” In July 2021, Youngn Lipz announced the release of his debut album Area Baby. The album was released on 6 August 2021. On his motivation to start music, Youngn Lipz mentions to VICE, “…one of Lowkee’s boys reached out to me. I had heard of him. He let me know what the go was from the start. He said “the music option is there if you want it, but if you want that street lifestyle you have that too. So make your choice.” At the time, I was around people my age that didn’t want to do too much good. I was around people that weren’t doing too well… Now it’s pretty weird, I’ll just be in the areas trying to eat or I’ll be on the phone and someone will just start talking to me or ask for a photo.”
4. Lisi (4300)
Lisi is an Australian rapper from Goodna, Queensland. He reps his hometown with pride – the 4300 you’ll see in his Instagram handle or YouTube channel is the district’s postcode. His first single “Say Less” quickly went viral. Now, he has become one of the most omnipresent local forces in aussie hip-hop, accumulating over 30 million streams and 10 million Youtube views. According to AUD’$ the say, “Lisi prides himself on continuing to use his platform to motivate and inspire youth – warning against the perils of gang violence and the use of weapons often referenced by other emerging rappers from the AU.” In 2020, Lisi released his EP Average Man, which showcased his take on classic hip-hop sounds, as well as his spin on modern hip-hop trends emerging out of Australia and beyond.
5. That Kid Kearve
That Kid Kearve is a Australian based rapper from Cranebrook, New South Wales. His lyrical journey first began at the age of 15 after he began posting webcam freestyles to his Youtube Channel. Many of the clips had thousands of views, with supprot from around the globe dropping praise. He then released his debut solo album Growing up in the West which put him on the map. In an past interview with LWA he mentioned how rappers from West Sydney have an incredible work ethic. He says “Man, I just love making music. I have a lot of music that’s not even out. One of the tracks on the album, ‘Killer Poetry’, I recorded that in 2017. That felt right on this album but I’ve got lots [of music] that’s sitting around still that doesn’t even get out. I’m always writing. Even if I wasn’t making money from it or anything, I’d still be rapping at the end of the day.” Now with the release of his new album Paid to Speak That Kid Kearve is becoming one of the popular artists in Australian rap.
6. Illy
Illy (born 6 September 1986) is an Australian rapper from Ormond, Victoria. Some of his hit singles include “Papercuts”, “Youngbloods” and “Tightrope” featuring Scarlett Stevens, the singer and drummer for the indie rock band San Cisco. Illy first emerged onto the hip hop scene in 2009 and has released five studio albums and has won multiple ARIA Music Awards. Illy has performed at many Australian music festivals including headline spots at Groovin the Moo, Splendour in the Grass, Spilt Milk and Yours and Owls. On his rise to fame he was previously a member of the band Crooked Eye. He talks about his influences on Acclaim and says, “…I love old school rap and I love Southern rap from the mid-2000s. I grew up listening to gangsta rap then Southern rap, and I got into Aussie hip-hop in around 2002 – and I’ve never really stopped loving it.” Now his released a new album The Space Between.
7. Seth Sentry
Seth Sentry (born 4 January 1983) is an Australian hip hop recording artist. Sentry is one of Australia’s favourite rappers. A masterful wordsmith, playful, dexterous and clever with his rhymes, rhythms and influences, he brings a kind of energy and originality to the genre that’s been incredibly influential in terms of lyrics, beats, and sheer audience numbers. He has released one extended play and three studio albums, the latest one being Super Cool Tree House which was released during lockdown. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2015 he won the ARIA Award for Best Urban Album for his album, Strange New Past.
8. Pistol Pete & Enzo
Pistol Pete & Enzo are Australian brothers from South-West Sydney. The duo delivered their first EP, FINALS which was released on May 13, 2021. The release follows a stream of one-off singles the duo dropped throughout the past year, including ‘Out The Vault’, ‘Doin Der’ and ‘The Top’. When asked about their craft in an interview with AMNPLIFY, they said “Our sound is original and there’s no one on the scene who can create what we do. We bring all the elements of rap in our craft and that’s what makes us different and unique from the whole aussie scene.”
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