The ground is thawing and summer is finally coming. For Australian music industry, that only means one thing: festival lineups and summer tours are being announced by the bucketload. We’re especially excited to see a small but exciting list of hip-hop artists coming down under for festival appearances and headline tours, and to make life easier for you, we’ve placed them all in one big convenient list.
We’ll update this as the announcements keep rolling out. For now, here are our picks for a summer of hip-hop via festivals and live music.
Falls Festival
Our picks: Run The Jewels, D.R.A.M., Vince Staples
Run The Jewels haven’t visited Australia since Falls Festival 2014-2015, and though Vince Staples visited twice last year, he’s since released a whole new album, Big Fish Theory. D.R.A.M., meanwhile, cancelled his Groovin The Moo appearance earlier this year, so we’re hoping he makes his debut Australian appearance for New Years Eve.
Dates
28 Dec – 31 Dec: Lorne, VIC
29 Dec – 31 Dec: Marion Bay, TAS (All Ages)
31 Dec – Jan 2: Byron Bay, NSW
6 Jan – 7 Jan, Fremantle, WA
Beyond The Valley
Our picks: ScHoolboy Q, Stormzy, Sampa The Great
One of Victoria’s favourite newer festivals has had a hip-hop-loving presence across each of its three years so far, and this year is no different. Both ScHoolboy Q and Stormzy just chewed up and spat out Splendour in the Grass, and will be visiting again in just a few months’ time. ScHoolboy’s last album, Blank Face, was one of our favourite records of 2016, while Stormzy claimed the grime throne with this year’s Gang Signs & Prayer. Joining these will be our favourite local artist Sampa The Great, who always delivers one hell of a show.
Dates
Dec 28 – Jan 1: Lardner Park, Vic
Meredith Music Festival
Our picks: Noname
The eclectic Meredith Music Festival lineup isn’t particularly hip-hop heavy, but it does include the incredibly talented, soulful artist Noname, who will be visiting Australia for the very first time. Originally emerging as Noname Gypsy, the Chicago singer was largely noted for her association with Chance the Rapper, namely for her guest verse on the Acid Rap track Lost.
Since then she’s well and truly made a name for herself, releasing one of last year’s best albums, Telefone, and establishing herself as a beacon of honey in a world
Dates
Dec 8 – 10: Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre, VIC
Laneway Festival
Our picks: Anderson Paak
The Laneway lineup hasn’t even been fully announced yet (we’ll update this when it is), but it’s already whet our whistles with the news that the amazing Anderson Paak will be on our shores once more in January and February 2018. The Malibu artist last toured for Listen Out 2016.
The Laneway lineup does traditionally feature a slew of great hip-hop acts, and we’re expecting a few more to join in – my guesses include Tyler, The Creator, if he’s actually allowed into the country this time, The Internet, Aminé (that’s just wishful thinking) and Frank Ocean (okay now I’m just fantasising, this guess has literally zero basis in fact).
Dates
Mon 29 Jan: Auckland
Fri 2 Feb: Adelaide
Sat 3 Feb: Melbourne
Sun 4 Feb: Sydney
Sat 10 Feb: Brisbane
Sun 11 Feb: Fremantle
Migos
6lack
LVRN upcomer 6lack (pronounced “black” ) will be supporting Migos at their shows, but he’s also making his debut headline appearances, and well worth a mention on his own. His debut album Free 6lack was a dark, smooth display of things to come, spawning huge singles Ex Calling and PRBLMS. There’s something about 6lack that really sets him apart from many of his contemporaries, and we have high hopes for his headline sets.
Dates
Wed 11 Oct: Metro Theatre, Sydney
Mon 16 Oct: 170 Russell, Melbourne
Khalid
Crooning R&B upstart Khalid has already had a killer 2017, delivering one of the year’s smoothest debuts with the amazingly earwormy American Teen. Following sellout tours in the USA and Europe, he’s just announced his debut shows in Australia, and it looks like fans can’t get enough – he’s already upgraded and sold out almost every show, so get in quick if you’re planning to catch the magic in action.
Dates
Tues Nov 7: Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (Sold out)
Wed Nov 8: Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Thurs Nov 9: Festival Hall, Melbourne
Fri Nov 10: Eatons Hill Outdoor Stage, Brisbane
The Weeknd
Abel Tesfaye himself is finally, finally bringing his mammoth tour down under for the very first time. The ludicrously successful Canadian singer, who tiptoes the line between pop and R&B with more Max Martin-produced finesse than a Cirque du Soleil performer, is coming in hot with a full round of arena shows this November.
Joining Tesfaye will be French Montana and Nav, whose recent album with Metro Boomin was one of the shittiest records of 2017 so far, but hey, maybe his live show will be more fun. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Dates
Wed Nov 29: Spark Arena, Auckland
Sat Dec 2: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
Sun Dec 3: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
Wed Dec 6: Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
Fri Dec 8: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Sat Dec 9: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Mon Dec 11: Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
Thurs Dec 14: Perth Arena, Perth
GZA
Wu-Tang Clan’s brilliant GZA is returning to Australia once more for a solo tour, having last visited with (most of) the full Clan in 2016. His last solo tour was way back in 2012 (I was there and can personally guarantee this is not a show you’ll wanna miss), so this is set to be pretty damn exciting, especially given how small the venues are. It’s not often you get to see a living legend in such intimate settings.
Dates
Sat 11 Nov: The Studio, Auckland
Sun 12 Nov: San Fran, Wellington
Wed 15 Nov: Fowlers Live, Adelaide
Thurs 16 Nov: Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane
Fri 17 Nov: Manning Bar, Syd
Sat 18 Nov: Max Watt’s, Melbourne
Sat Nov 19: Rosemount Hotel, Perth
Migos have just announced their first ever Australian and New Zealand tour dates. The trap trio of Quavo, Offset and Takeoff will touch down in Auckland on October 10, before venturing on through Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.
Finding early fame with Versace in 2013, they spent a few years building themselves up, eventually earning a no. 1 hit with viral single Bad and Boujee, followed by their second album Culture, released in January this year. They’d also been gifted a cameo spot in Donald Glover’s Atlanta, which earned them a lauded shout-out at the Golden Globe Awards back in January.
The trio have worked extremely hard and extremely fast to build a massive name for themselves in hip-hop, trap and beyond. If feels like they’re absolutely everywhere, featuring on tracks by Travis Scott, Gucci Mane, Calvin Harris, Katy Perry, Lil Yachty, Post Malone, DJ Khaled, A$AP Ferg and even Fall Out Boy, to name a few.
Dates can be found below. Tickets go on sale on Monday June 10 at 11am local time for Australia and 1pm for NZ. Frontier is offering members a pre-sale this Friday, June 16 – details here.
Migos Australia & New Zealand Tour Dates 2017
Tues October 10: Spark Arena, Auckland NZ (all ages)
Fri October 13: Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (all ages)
Sat October 14: Riverstage, Brisbane (all ages)
Sun October 15: Hisense Arena, Melbourne (all ages)
Tues October 17: Metro City, Perth (18+)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-sJp1FfG7Q
Image: Supplied
Calvin Harris has been teasing a new song featuring Frank Ocean and Migos for a few weeks now via Snapchat, and the song, called Slide, is finally upon us in all its glory.
The song begins with (what we assume to be) Frank Ocean singing in a really high pitched voice, reminiscent of Nikes and several other tracks off his groundbreaking 2016 record Blonde. The beat is relaxing and laid back compared to the intense beats you might usually expect from Calvin Harris – perhaps an indication of a more subdued, easygoing sound for the Scottish producer. Ocean’s melody is simple, rich and warm, while Offset of Migos’ auto-tuned contribution adds another unique layer to the breezy tune.
It’s not the most exciting track in the world, and certainly doesn’t match up to Ocean’s recent work, but that’s not to say it isn’t melodically lovely. Considering the pedigree of each artist, we have no doubt that it’ll be on heavy rotation on every radio station and nightclub for the foreseeable future.
The track is expected to feature on Harris’ as-yet-unannounced fifth album, which will reportedly feature many collaborations “with the greatest artists of our generation.”
Grandmaster Flash‘s The Message was the first mainstream hip-hop song ever. It marked the genesis of hip-hop’s global domination. It also spoke of a mentally ill, homeless woman who “used to be a fag hag,” and described a victim of prison rape as an “undercover fag.”
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince went triple platinum with the lyrics, “All the filthy, stinky, nasty people be quiet, all the homeboys that got AIDS be quiet, all the girls out there that don’t like guys be quiet.” Hall of Famer Ice Cube spat the line, “Dumb-ass hooker ain’t nothin’ but a dyke,” in N.W.A‘s Gangsta Gangsta.
Compared to its alumni, 2017’s class of hip-hop is unrecognisably diverse and accepting. Not only are gay slurs increasingly rare in lyrics, but you’ve got openly gay and bisexual rappers and hip-hop affiliates like Syd, Frank Ocean, Angel Haze, Mykki Blanco, Taylor Bennett (Chance the Rapper‘s brother) and Kaytranada. You’ve got Tyler, The Creator – once a pig rolling in the mud of homophobic, violent, pro-rape lyrics – re-appropriating Nazi symbols for anti-homophobia merchandise. You’ve got Aesop Rock donating profits from his North Carolina concert to an LGBT support group. Last year, Vic Mensa released pro-same-sex marriage track Free Love featuring bisexual singer Halsey and gay rapper Le1f. Trap king Young Thug himself is proudly gender fluid, his frilly, powder blue dress making for perhaps the most talked-about album cover of 2016.
On January 20 this year, Drake-affiliated Atlanta rapper ILoveMakonnen came out. The announcement was warmly welcomed with praise and love from hip-hop artists and most of his fans. This came as no surprise. Tolerance is, for the most part, the norm today.
https://twitter.com/iLoveMakonnen5D/status/822353737146470400
So when rappers-of-the-moment Migos made homophobic comments against ILoveMakonnen in their new Rolling Stone interview, it actually came as a surprise. Not only did they call him “wack”, they appeared baffled by the support he’d received.
Citing Quavo’s love of diversity in Atlanta, including Young Thug and Lil Yachty, the paragraph from Rolling Stone reads: “And so I’m surprised by Migos’ reaction when I mention iLoveMakonnen, the local MC who just came out as gay on Twitter. “Damn, Makonnen!” Quavo bellows after an awkward interlude. I mention support I saw online for Makonnen’s decision. “They supported him?” Quavo asks, raising an eyebrow. “That’s because the world is fucked up,” says Offset. “This world is not right,” Takeoff says. “We ain’t saying it’s nothing wrong with the gays,” says Quavo. But he suggests that Makonnen’s sexuality undermines his credibility, given the fact that “he first came out talking about trapping and selling Molly, doing all that.” He frowns. “That’s wack, bro.””
Frankly, their argument makes such little sense it’s comical: why would being gay, making trap, and selling Molly be necessarily opposing? For starters, the gay community embraced MDMA decades before it was popularised in hip-hop.
Sure, many have been quick to note that Migos aren’t exactly champions of conscious, thoughtful, socially aware music – and they’d be right. More still noted their devotion to Christianity – also true.
But how is that relevant?
Plenty of their ATL contemporaries, like Thugga and Makonnen himself, are just as, if not more lyrically vapid and trap-centric than Migos. Many of their peers are openly religious too, like Chance the Rapper and Kendrick Lamar. Yet they are not homophobic.
Even reddit’s volatile hip-hop community were quick to note how stupid that comment was with some class satire – and that’s saying something:
It’s unfortunate that Migos are making these comments now, given how brightly the spotlight is shining on them in the wake of Bad and Boujee and new album Culture, which debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard charts. It’s unfortunate that they’re spreading a message of intolerance, but more than that, it’s unfortunate for their career – and this fact alone shows how far hip-hop has come.
That they’ve been slammed for these comments demonstrates an seismic shift toward tolerance and against ignorance. Ten, fifteen years ago, those comments would have been overlooked. (Well, ten years ago they wouldn’t have made those comments, because Makonnen wouldn’t have come out in the first place.)
In full damage control mode, the trio have now denounced their comments, but it’s too late, and their reply doesn’t really address the quote anyway. There’s no reading between the lines of “the world is not right.” The damage is done. When Rich Homie Quan said he “don’t fuck with no fucking faggots,” Young Thug’s response was to simply joke that his career was now over.
There’s only been a handful of instances lately where hip-hop has been this ignorant. Each time has been received with immense backlash, like when Snoop Dogg and Chris Brown ridiculed Caitlyn Jenner, or when Azealia Banks, herself a bisexual rapper, was repeatedly caught out for aggressive homophobia. So while each of these comments are individual disappointments, their consistent damnation signifies huge, positive change.
Obviously this won’t be the end of Migos’ career, but it’ll be very, very surprising – and damaging – if they make homophobic comments again. Hopefully this will encourage them to rethink their values, ingrained as they are, and to make a positive change in their lives.
Hip-hop still has a long way to go, but incidents like these remind us that we’re getting there.
Image: Theo Wenner
Less than one week away from his somewhat mysterious fourth studio album I Decided, G.O.O.D. Music’s Big Sean has finally dropped the tracklist and it already looks to include some of his most illustrious collaborations to date. 14 tracks deep he’s linking up with the likes of Eminem, Jeremih, Migos, The-Dream, Twenty88 (himself and Jhené Aiko), and Starrah (she’s got writing credits on Drake’s Fake Love and Rihanna’s Needed Me), some of the biggest artists in recent times.
Eminem is a huge inspiration of Sean’s, and talking to Beats 1‘s Zane Lowe he explained how refreshing it was to work with his idol on his album, “Eminem, he was the only person I heard that could be on that song, to keep it honest. It kinda reminded me of why I am such an Eminem fan, and why I fell in love with Eminem’s work. The way he’s unique, he’s special. When he did this verse it brought that feeling right back to me. Like, this is like a brand new energy.”
The entire production credits on I Decided still remain uncertain, but already the man of the year Metro Boomin has an extremely prominent role with five of the fourteen tracks being Metro productions, including Sacrifices ft. Migos, Bigger Than Me ft. Starrah, the now certified gold Bounce Back and even No Favors with Eminem. I don’t know about you, but we can’t wait to hear Slim over a Young Metro production.
There’s no doubt this is proving to be one of Big Sean’s biggest (pardon the pun) releases ever. He’s taking a conceptual stance on this project, explaining to Jimmy Fallon that “the album is basically a chance, of having that wisdom of an old man when you’re young, and going through life and figuring it out.” In the lead up to its release he has also had listening sessions with the legendary Rick Rubin and Jay Z to ensure their blessing.
Other details regarding the project are limited, so make sure to keep your eyes and ears open for I Decided out this Friday. In the meantime, check out the track list below and keep Sean on your airwaves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phr1pOFK1V8
Image: Billboard
During his first of two acceptance speeches at the Golden Globe Awards yesterday, Donald Glover thanked Migos, who guest starred on the award-winning Atlanta, for writing “the best song ever” – their current single Bad and Boujee, which features Lil Uzi Vert.
It seems like the endorsement has allowed the song to receive far wider interest than they could have imagined.
According to lyrics website Genius, Bad and Boujee jumped in Spotify streams by 243% in the USA, within just a two hour window. On Genius itself, the song’s lyrics page has been the most viewed page of the past 30 days, shooting up by 80% from 2500 to 4500 views per hour. It’s also racing up global iTunes charts as we speak, and is now sitting at no. 4 on the US charts for both iTunes and Apple Music.
More than that, it’s even extended to Google Trends, with the search for “Migos” jumping from 26% to 100%, and “Bad And Boujee” racing from 23% to 100%.
It’s not like the song was previously unknown – that very day it had already hit no. 1 on the Billboard charts before Glover’s endorsement, but this has pushed it to a whole new level.
The video is also racing very quickly quickly toward one hundred million views on Youtube, which is about ninety million more than any other video they have ever released.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-sJp1FfG7Q
Migos featured in the third episode of Atlanta as a group of drug dealers whom main character Paper Boi, played by Brian Tyree Henry, has to reckon with.
Backstage after his speech, Glover, who in 2015 tweeted about a possible collab with the trio, detailed his affection for the song. “Honestly, that song is just fly. There’s no better song to have sex to… I think that they’re The Beatles of this generation and they don’t get a lot of respect, I think, outside of Atlanta. Not that they don’t get respect, but there’s a generation, sort of like the YouTube generation that I kind of came up with. There’s a generation of kids that are growing up on something that’s completely separate from a whole group of people. And honestly, that song is just fly.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=167&v=-PxkbXeMe50
Migos have also responded to Glover’s endorsement in an official statement, during which they also plugged their upcoming album: “It was an honor to have been on ATLANTA as guests and to have our friend Donald Glover thank us in his Golden Globes acceptance speech is real recognizing real. We put our city on our backs and we want to thank him and the whole world for making “Bad and Boujee” as successful as it is. C U L T U R E album coming 1/27.”
This isn’t the first time that Migos have received high praise from a fellow artist recently. Earlier this week, Chance the Rapper hailed their new video for T-shirt as #OscarWorthy during a long series of tweets praising the video, and asked director and one third of Migos, Qoavo, to direct a video for him in future.
Image: FX
Big K.R.I.T. – 12 For 12
It’s been a career defining week for Southern mainstay Big K.R.I.T. The 2011 XXL Magazine Freshman took to Twitter to reveal he was leaving Def Jam after six years. The announcement coincided with the release of his 12 For 12 mixtape. The project features K.R.I.T. freestyling over a number of well-known beats, with each song released hourly over the course of 12 hours before being collected as an entire mixtape you can download here.
K.R.I.T. kicks things off with the beat for Schoolboy Q‘s THat Part before flexing his lyrical chops over the likes of Drake‘s Hype and 4PM In Calabasas, Byrson Tiller‘s Rambo, Future‘s Wicked and Pusha T and Jay Z’s Drug Dealers Anonymous. While the majority of beats are well known, K.R.I.T. makes them his own, adapting to the original flows while giving each track his own unique take. K.R.I.T. hasn’t gone on to the commercial success many thought he would since dropping his criminally underrated debut, Live From The Underground, but 12 For 12 is the perfect introduction to new fans and will have old fans hoping his time is just around the corner.
Verdict: Great project from a Southern favourite.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4KtIGQDzM0]
Migos – 3 Way
True to their word, Migos dropped their new EP, 3 Way, just hours after announcing it via Twitter. While only five tracks long, this is classic Migos, with the Georgia trio of Quavo, Takeoff and Offset riffing of each other with their unique style and flow over club ready beats.
Longterm collaborator Zaytovern is tapped for production on 3 Way (Intro) and the street banger Coppers And Robbers, while Cassius Jay, Dun Deal, and Rick Rack$ provide beats for the remaining three tracks. Savages Only starts with the words, “This goes out to all my cops killing innocent victims,” but strangely gives no more social commentary on the recent cop killings engulfing America. Can’t Go Out Sad is typical trap fare and final track Slide On Em contains the only feature from Blac Youngsta.
Verdict: Exactly what you’d expect from Migos, so fans will be happy.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecB7DpGIv8c]
Juicy J – Lit In Ceylon
Juicy J follows his Wiz Khalifa-collaborative mixtape, Rude Awakening, with his first solo release of the year, Lit In Ceylon. Teaming with DJ Blak, the 16 track mixtape is feature-free and includes production from Juicy regulars TM88, Tarentino, Southside, Zaytoven, Crazy Mike and Juicy himself.
Similar to Migos’ new EP, you know what you’re going to get with a Juicy release. One of the founding members of Three 6 Mafia, he has a penchant for rapping about women, drugs and his luxurious lifestyle over trap heavy beats, and Lit In Ceylon is full of these types of tracks. Juicy raps about his wealth and the lifestyle it affords him on tracks such as Blue Bently, Act and Enjoy, but also shows his personal side on this tape.
Opening track, Where The Justice At – a last minute addition to the tape – is a reaction to the boiling tensions between the police and black American’s. The song addresses the racism directed towards the black community and why the police aren’t held accountable for their actions that have caused the deaths of hundreds of black Americans this past year. Tarentino’s 808s banging Pressure deals with fake friends and being careful who you trust and the snare snapping Mansion finds Juicy getting reflective as he reminisces about growing up poor and now being a millionaire.
It’s a nice change to hear Juicy rapping about world events and put his personal life out in the open, but for those wanting the old Juicy, there’s enough here to keep you content.
Verdict: If you like trap beats and Southern flows this one’s for you.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQJlQ-et0vg]
Image: RapRadar
Young Thug has been all over the news of late. From calling Rich Homie Quan out over homophobic comments, to demanding custody of his, erm, 11 children, to beefs with Lil Wayne and beyond, it often feels like the talented artist is keeping himself in the news for any damn reason, musical or not. But considering he’s on one of our favourite albums and singles of the year, we’re particularly excited about the news that he’s just announced a series of collaborative mixtapes.
Sure, we haven’t actually received a full debut album from Young Thug just yet, but that’s not to say we haven’t received a huge amount of Thugger music in 2015, including massive leaks, Barter 6, and plenty of collaborations. In a new interview with French publication Mon Entourage, Thug has now announced three exciting upcoming collaborative mixtapes – that will hopefully see the light of day in 2016, with Post Malone, Fetty Wap and Migos. The direct quote, is, “I’m bringing out a mixtape with The Migos, I’m bringing out a mixtape with Fetty Wap, and I’m bringing out a mixtape with Post Malone. All of them are done, it’s probably just like four songs left on one of them. But all of them are done. So there’s like 50 more songs.”
The 22-minute interview sheds light on a side to Thug that we don’t usually see, as he’s notoriously quite closed off on interviews. Speaking about his troubled upbringing and the music he grew up on, and the journey to where he is now.