Hip Hop Finale | Adelaide Fringe 2021 review
The inherently militant nature of hip hop makes it a powerful medium that’s quite properly represented in our festivals.
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Hip Hop Finale
Contemporary Music / AUS
Rating:
Adelaide Festival Summerhouse
March 14
The first appearance of hip hop in the Adelaide Festival was nothing short of a triumph.
Not only was it an affirmation of this important popular music, it was a strong show of respect and admiration for four outstanding Indigenous performers in the persons of J-MILLA, Jimblah, Ziggy Ramo and JK-47.
With a line-up like that – and a promised running time just shy of three hours – it was little wonder that a whole new audience attended an Adelaide Festival gig for the first time.
They were not disappointed.
House music producer DJ Prospect was spinning tunes for Mak Mak Marranungu man J-MILLA, who had the Summerhouse audience screaming with new pieces alongside his debut classic Unlock the System, an uncompromising political track that’s doing some heavy lifting in raising awareness of ongoing Indigenous disadvantage.
New tunes like Thang 4 Me were interleaved with last year’s NAIDOC week hit 60K+ and the clubby Route 66. If the crowd couldn’t dance, they could stand and make some noise.
Larrakia man Jimblah is something of a veteran rapper with a 15-year history of music making combined with fearless activism.
His music is more lyrical than a lot of hip hop, while his new takes on established tunes – a great mash-up of Christine Anu songs for instance – give his music an even wider appeal. But thy lyrics cut to the quick – as do those of the other acts on the bill.
Australian artists were fairly late off the mark in embracing hip hop, but they’re making up for lost time.
The inherently militant nature of the lyrics – and, increasingly, the visuals – makes it a powerful medium, and one that’s quite properly represented in our international festivals.
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