1. The Kid LAROI
The Kid Laroi (born 17 August 2003) is a well-known Australian rapper, singer, and songwriter from Waterloo, New South Wales. In 2018, limelight fell on him when he became a finalist in the Triple J Unearthed competition. In 2019, Laroi got a contract with Columbia Records and Grade A Productions and later that year his single “Let Her Go” became a hit when it was uploaded on Lyrical Lemonade YouTube channel. The hip-hop podcast No Jumper also filmed a documentary of Laroi and his friends in the streets of Redfern as they described the area as a ghetto. He attained further popularity with his song “Go” featuring Juice Wrld, which peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100. He got a major boost when he was supported by Juice Wrld when he toured Australia. He’s also popular for his hit single “Diva” featuring Lil Tecca, which was released in 2020. Laroi’s songs “Without You“, its remix with Miley Cyrus, and “Stay” (with Justin Bieber) reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, with “Stay” peaking at number one. In 2021, he won the ”Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year” and received three nominations for his Album at ARIA Music Awards.
2. Masked Wolf
Masked Wolf (born 1992) is a Greek-Australian rapper from Sydney, New South Wales. Wolf began writing at the age of 13 and is a huge fan of American hip hop. In an interview in 2019, he said, “I’ve always been interested in music and as a young kid, my musical outlet was actually playing instruments like the piano, keyboard, guitar, and drums.” He signed to Teamwrk Records and released his debut single ”Speed Racer” in December of 2018. All of his subsequent releases were on the label until 2021, when “Astronaut in the Ocean” was re-released. It became a “sleeper hit” in 2021, peaking at number 4 on the Australian ARIA Charts and number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100, having been initially released in June 2019. On 28 January 2021, Masked Wolf signed to US-based label Elektra Records, owned by Warner Music Group, in a multi-album deal. Elektra represent Michael’s music in all regions except Australia and New Zealand, where he continues to be represented by Teamwrk Records. In an interview with Tone Deaf, he tells where his name came from. He says, “I called Masked Wolf because I felt that outside of music I was just like a normal guy, you wouldn’t even think that I am a rapper if you looked at me. But when I get into the studio it is all work and no play, the wolf/beast comes out, hence why I called myself the Masked Wolf. ”
3. Hilltop Hoods
Hilltop Hoods are an Australian hip hop group that formed in 1996 in Blackwood, Adelaide, South Australia. Their name refers to Hilltop Road In Blackwood, an Adelaide suburb in which they lived as children, and a part of Adelaide known by all the local B-Boys as The Hilltop. The group consists of Matt “Suffa” Lambert, Daniel “Pressure” Smith & Barry “DJ Debris” Francis who continue to push the hip-hop culture, one show at a time. They were inspired by American hip hop artists such as KRS-One, Gang Starr and Pete Rock, who encouraged them to spread this style of music in Australia. This effort eventually led to multiple No.1 albums, and they still remain one of Australian rap’s must-see acts, a group who consistently sell out shows across the country and internationally.
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4. Iggy Azalea
Iggy Azalea (born 7 June 1990) is an Australian rapper, singer-songwriter, and model. She grew up in a small but picturesque town of Mullumbimby, the population of which does not exceed 4,000 people. After a trip to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, life in her native provincial town no longer seemed attractive to her. After moving to the US, she released her first mixtape called ″Ignorant Art″, striking with its impudent and deliberately gross sound. The mixtape was preceded by a clip for the song “Pussy“. In 2012, Iggy was included in the list of The XXL 2012 Freshman Class hip-hop edition. Her long-awaited debut album ″The New Classic″ was released in April 2014 and immediately became a sensation, promoting Iggy to the rank of rap idols. She broke into the Hot 100 with a trio of hits — “Fancy,” “Problem” and “Black Widow“. The Australian girl repeated a record set by the legendary The Beatles and managed to simultaneously occupy the first two spots of the Billboard Hot 100 on her first entry to the chart. Forbes also included her name in the list of the most influential musicians. She then went to release two albums “In My Defense” and “The End of an Era“.
5. ONEFOUR
ONEFOUR are Australia’s first drill rappers, a style born out of Chicago (Chief Keef, Lil Durk, King Louie & Chiraq Drill rappers) and the UK (Harlam Spartans, Loski, RV and more). They originate from the Western Sydney suburb of Mount Druitt. They are regarded by many as the pioneers of drill-rap in Australia. The group consists of five core members, Spenny, YP, Lekks, Jemz and possibly Celly. In 2019, their singles “The Message” and “Spot the Difference” caught the attention of rap fans internationally, particularly in the UK. The group’s debut album Against All Odds, released November 2020 peaked at #7 on the ARIA Charts (Australia) and #8 in New Zealand. However, both Celly14 and YP are currently serving jail terms after bashing three men in a pokie room with a hammer and a chair leg. OneFour, like other drill acts to come before them, do not sugar coat their reality. Instead, they depict what they have seen and lived through in all its shocking brutality. The group was set to open for critically acclaimed UK artist Dave back in July 2019 before police allegedly forced the venue to pull them from the gig. When they were set to open for another UK act Octavian the following month, the same thing happened.
6. Kerser
Kerser (born 21 August 1987) was born and raised in Campbelltown in New South, Wales. He made his name as a battle rapper, and was undefeated between 2010 and 2012. His second album No Rest for the Sickest was released on 2 November 2012. It reached No. 15 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and No. 1 on the ARIA Urban Albums Chart. His third album S.C.O.T. was released on 25 October 2013. The album features Nebs, Jay (Uf), and Jace Excel. It debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Urban Albums Chart and No. 1 on the iTunes Chart, knocking off Linkin Park, David Dallas and Katy Perry in the charts. Additionally, the Australian rapper is best known for his single “Bad Habits” from the album Tradition and “Next Step” from the album of the same name. Next Step, his fifth studio album, was released in 2015. Other albums released include Engraved in the Game, Lifestyle and Roll in the Dice.
7. Hooligan Hefs
Hooligan Hefs (born 31 July 1997) is an Australian hip-hop and EDM musician from Doonside, New South Wales. He’s best known for songs such as “Tell Em I’m Doing Eetswa” and “No Effect.” Hefs himself was released from a six-month prison sentence, and has treated the experience as a stern life lesson. Then came his debut project Living in Sin, the 6-track EP includes bangers like ‘Party Szn’. In an interview with GQ, Hooligan says “That is my whole story…It describes my whole life in one. That’s why I had to get it all out; I couldn’t skip some parts. I’m just like everyone else, ya know, there’s always a downside to life. But it’s how you bounce back and what you make of yourself.”
8. ChillinIT
ChillinIT (born 1996) is a rapper from Sydney, New South Wales. He released his debut studio album Women Weed & Wordplay in October 2018 to critical acclaim. His second studio album The Octagon was released on 31 January 2020. The album was proceeded by the single “Freedom“, which became his first charting single. His second studio album The Octagon peaked at number 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart. The album’s lead single, “Laying Low“, peaked at number 72 on the ARIA Singles Chart. ChillinIT also had a brief stint in rehab. In an interview with Acclaim Mag, ChillinIT says, “Having a little brother that wasn’t into the same shit that I was into kinda made me feel like an idiot for it. Nearly overdosing just before rehab was also life-changing for me. I was living in a house where drugs were being sold out of. My mum had to come get me from the hospital. I still remember sitting in the waiting room with a little tin foil blanket around me, this little 17 year old .”
9. HP Boyz
HP Boyz are an Australian hip hop and drill group formed in 2019 in Hampton Park, Melbourne. The group is composed of “YJ” , “MWAYS”, “Onit”. In an interview with CoolAccidents, Onit talks about Hampton Park, “That’s what we represent, what we’ve got in our names. It’s the name of the group. Everything about us goes back to HP. Even the generations before us, looking at all our family who are older than us, this has always been the area we’ve came from since we came here.” On Friday 8th May 2020, they released their debut project 6 TO THE WORLD shooting straight to the top of trending charts on several platforms. On of their most streamed songs are “Engineers” and “Loyalty” which have accumulated more than 35 million streams on Spotify.
10. 360
360 (born 12 July 1986) is a rapper from Melbourne, Australia. He has released a couple of successful studio albums: Falling & Flying (2011), which peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified platinum; Utopia (2014), and Vintage Modern (2017). 360’s second album provided four charting singles, including “Boys like You“, which peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified 4× platinum. The rapper also opened up about his battle with depression and addiction. “When I got off all the drugs and shit like that, I was just kind of quiet about it,” he tells PrhymeTime. “No one really knew what happened when I had that little overdose and my tour got cancelled and stuff like that. No one knew why and no one knew what happened, and I wasn’t comfortable to talk about it.
11. Bliss N Eso
Bliss n Eso are an ARIA award winning Australian hip hop group based in Sydney, Australia and were originally known as Bliss n’ Esoterikizm. Formed in 2000, they primarily built their fan base from their compelling and energetic live performances. An exhilarating blend of fluid rhymes and banging beats teamed with beat boxing, impromptu freestyling and seamless turntablism make their live shows a brand in their own right, and has seen the group hailed as one of the best live acts in the country. Bliss n Eso have released a couple of studio albums which include three number 1 debuts on the ARIA Charts. They have also won two ARIA Awards for Best Urban Release for their 2008 album Flying Colours and for Best Music Video for their 2017 single “Moments”. On 16 June 2021, Bliss N Eso announced the release of their seventh studio album, The Sun. The album was proceeded by the singles “Lighthouse”, “So Happy”/”Send It”, “Good People” and “OG’s”.
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