Some of Australia’s best hip-hop artists have teamed up with NITV and Start VR for a powerful new track, Change The Date. With January 26 right around the corner, the conversation about changing the date of Australia Day could not be more relevant nor important. The track, which is not only powerful, but really great on a musical level, is bound to make people think twice before throwing “another genocide on the BBQ,” as Birdz spits.
The track and its accompanying video features some of Australia’s best talent with rhymes including Urthboy and Ozi Batla from The Herd, Thundamentals’ Tuka and Jeswon, L-Fresh the Lion, Nooky, Birdz (Nathan Bird), Kaylah Truth, Tasman Keith, both Erica and Sally of Coda Conduct, and Hau. The video is an impressive 360-degree affair put together by Sydney-based virtual reality studio Start VR in partnership with National Indigenous Television (NITV) and SBS.
Hip-hop has given a formidable voice to Indigenous MCs who are using their platform to spread the message and open our eyes to the life of their people. Last year in particular saw hip-hop jump leaps and bounds ahead in terms of really taking a stance, spearheaded by powerhouse duo A.B. Original and their phenomenal protest track January 26.
Change The Date is another big step towards educating the community to acknowledge that Aboriginal people consider January 26 to be a day of mourning for many obvious reasons. Each artist delivers a powerful verse, with no holding back or sugarcoating the message.
The video was released in conjunction with NITV’s Always Will Be Festival leading up to January 26th. Check out the video below, be sure to drag the video around the cypher to heck out everything going on. The lyrics to the track are also available on the SBS website.
On the creation of the video, Start VR Managing Director Angus Stevens said, “when NITV reached out to us we immediately said yes. It’s exciting to be a part of something that you believe in and to be able to join the conversation by using our VR and 360 video experience to explore the debate to change the date has been fantastic.
“VR allows the viewer to really feel like they’re in the room with the artists, and this project encapsulates that sense of immediacy and intimacy,” Stevens added “It’s been a great experience to work with NITV and we can’t wait for everyone to check it out.”
Image: SBS