BROTHERMAN

By Jimblah

"It creates a safe place for the listener to take on board a deeper understanding." Jimblah, on ‘Brotherman’.

"Some problems are simply due to misunderstanding. We have so many (people) talking on the reality of what First Nations people face yet have no clue as what that is, they are simply mirroring what they have been taught in school and what they see in the media and political circles. Once you gain a deeper understanding to our reality there is only room in your heart left for love and compassion, not hate nor ignorance." -Jimblah (James Alberts).

Brotherman’s melancholy instrumentation and sombre chorus might make it seem that this track off Jimblah’s 2013 album ‘Pheonix’ has no positive meaning behind it; however, this could not be further from the truth. Brotherman is an effort by Larrakia man Jimblah to educate and make a point to listeners both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, without it being too confronting or guilt-inducing. The track features the multitalented Jimblah both singing and rapping, speaking on cultural, social, and health issues that Aboriginal Australians struggle with, in a way that is earnest and candid enough that it differentiates itself from the issues that the vast majority knows from school and the media.

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The song empowers Aboriginality through the connection it draws between embracing culture by first understanding the issues that Indigenous peoples face, and combats racism by shutting down stereotypes and speaking on social concerns.

Survivors

By Beni Bjah

"Genocide, it was genocide

See the pain in my people’s eyes?

Deny my culture, steal my pride,

But we survived better recognise"

- Lyrics from Survivors

‘Survivors’, the first single by Beni Bjah (Benjamin Hasler) released to the public, is a confronting, angry, and brazenly prideful message to Indigenous and non-Indigenous listeners alike. Attributed to rapper Hasler’s growing and life-long frustrations at the systemic and institutionalised racism of Australia, ‘Survivors’ paints an image of Aboriginal peoples’ lasting strength and endurance for centuries against ethnic and culture-threatening impacts, touching on provocative and honest topics such as the Stolen Generation and genocide. While the subject matter is dark, the overall meaning of the song is one of pride in culture, and recognition of the unjust treatment and disenfranchisement of Indigenous Australians by non-Indigenous colonisers (i.e. ‘White Australia’) over more than two centuries. This song receives its place on this Top 10 for its purpose of instilling pride in Indigenous listeners, and its unapologetic naming and shaming of issues caused by White Australia.

Are We There Yet?

by The Last Kinection Feat Simone Stacey

"Are we there yet as a country?

Are we there as Aboriginal race - treated equal?

There are endless questions"

- Nay Wenitong, on Are We There Yet? sourced from ‘Real Talk’ (see reference page).

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Indigenous hip-hop group ‘The Last Kinection’ ask two simple questions with this catchy track off their 2011 album ‘Next of Kin’. Australian soul and R’nB singer Simone Stacey provides the vehicle for these questions, singing beautifully ‘Are We There Yet?’ (and ‘When are we gonna get there?’) throughout the song’s memorable chorus. Rappers and siblings Joel and Naomi Wenitong answer these questions the best they can, explaining why contemporary Australian society is not yet ‘there’. Naomi raps: ‘They probably don’t wanna know how long / It’s gonna take to bring them home/ Or close the gap, or react / To the fact that I put this in a song / Statistics say, that I won’t make / The predicted day of life expectancy / Compared to the average Aussie that grew up next door to me.’

Themes of Indigenous health, over-representation in the justice system, and white Australian oppression run strong throughout this track. ‘Are We There Yet?’ has earned itself a place in this Top 10 for its messages of empowerment. It takes a stand against discrimination through recognising communal and personal issues that Indigenous listeners are not on their own responsible for, instead linking these problems (and the lack of solutions for these problems) to the Australian Government and the wider societal structure.

The Children Came Back

by Briggs Feat Dewayne Everettsmith and Gurrumul

"This is a history lesson, a monologue, a celebration and an education in one song."

- Adam Briggs (Sourced from SBS, see reference page)

An unofficial sequel to Archie Roach’s ‘Took the Children Away’, and featuring legendary Indigenous musicians Gurrumul and Dewayne Everettsmith, ‘The Children Came Back’ is an anthem of Indigenous unity, strength, and achievement. Rapper Adam Briggs, who is one-half of the popular rap duo A.B Original, proudly names Indigenous hero after hero throughout the song, including Olympian Cathy Freeman, musician Jimmy Little, boxer Anthony Mundine, AFL player Adam Goodes, and basketballer Patty Mills. The true cultural beauty of the song is the way that Briggs artistically genuflects to these heroes.

I'm Mundine, I'm Cathy Free-

Man, that fire inside-a-me

I'm Adam Goodes, and Adam should

Be applauded when he stand up

You can look to us when that time stop

I'm Patty Mills with the last shot

Briggs is metaphorically stating that he is, in fact, all of these heroes, thus celebrating the oneness and pride that all Indigenous people share. For its empowerment through Briggs’ proclamations of unity and cultural strength, and its celebration of the many Indigenous heroes who overcame oppression and discrimination, ‘The Children Came Back’ commands its place on this list.

Ego

By Birdz

"Ego is speaking to the Australian music industry and mainstream listeners - kind of like the whole put the medicine in the candy type of analogy … it touches on subject matter that’s more than often labelled taboo - Australian history, injustice and the ongoing disenfranchisement of Aboriginal peoples." - Birdz

Released on Nathan Bird’s (Birdz) 2017 sophomore album ‘Train of Thought’, Ego is a hard-hitting and to-the-point track focusing on the past and continuing oppression of Indigenous Australians. It achieved success through the Triple J Unearthed Platform, with Birdz being one of the seven artists chosen to collaborate with NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art) to create a music video for their selected song. A succinct message to Australia’s populace and the music industry, Ego is undoubtedly a song that empowers Indigenous listeners and challenges a non-Indigenous audience, fighting against racism with its blatant and unapologetic lyrics about the ongoing struggle amid prejudice.

1-Day

By Lucky Luke

"I was trying to paint a picture of a better tomorrow," says Joseph Luke Dargan, the emcee known as Lucky Luke. "If we put land care before profit, we would clean this country up for a better future for the next generations to come, because we are the original custodians of this land with 40,000-plus years' experience." - Quote sourced from ‘Real Talk' (see reference page)

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Lucky Luke’s 2015 album ‘Whichway’ is a comprehensive series of tracks, all telling a different narrative on aspects of Luke’s life, or of Aboriginal culture as a whole. The second track on this album, ‘1-Day’, received airtime on radio stations across Australia for its musical quality, as well as for its message of defeating stereotypes, reconciling, and utilising Aboriginal culture and values for an improved future. As for empowerment and combating racism, this song does both effectively and concisely, with lines such as those cited below rejecting misconceptions often aimed at Aboriginals, and embracing the truths of Indigenous culture:

Don't ask me if I'm one quarter Aboriginal

Don't ask me if the governments making money and we living off the residuals

Yes I'm Aboriginal but I pay my own bills too

Marryuna

by Baker Boy

"Let's dance. Marryuna!" - Baker Boy, on stage at Yabun Festival.

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It was a difficult toss-up between ‘Marryuna’ or another Baker Boy single ‘Cloud 9’, both of which have achieved significant airtime on mainstream radio as well as both earning a place on the ‘Triple J Hottest 100’. Marryuna, however, inevitably comes out on top; aside from also being one of the most lively and fun tracks released from any artist in 2017, Baker Boy celebrates life, music, culture, and movement - all in his native Yolngu Matha language. While other rap songs, particularly Indigenous ones, often are dark, brooding, and have negative subject matters, Marryuna has no negative intention. It is, at its heart and soul, a song that unifies all kinds of people, be they Indigenous or non-Indigenous. Marryuna loosely translates to dancing for the sheer fun of it, and this is exactly what this song encourages. In terms of empowerment, Baker Boy’s use of his own language as well as Aboriginal instrumentation allows Indigenous listeners to connect with the lyrics and music on a more culturally personal level, and fights against racism in its own way - not through confrontation, but rather through unification of all people.

Blackfellas

By Local Knowledge

"We wanted to make an anthem for Aboriginal People all over the Country… we tried to put lyrics that were going to empower our People and our youth." said Abie Wright, member of Local Knowledge before disbandment.

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Local Knowledge, the group that played a big role in pioneering the Aboriginal rap genre, released ‘Blackfellas’ in 2006 with the intent of uniting and empowering Aboriginal peoples from all corners of Australia. The song mentions by name the many Aboriginal language groups of Australia:

'All the murries, all the kooris

All the goories, can you hear me?

All the nyoongahs, all the nungas

All the bama, can you hear us

All the wongii, all the yamagees

All the murridees, can you handle these

To the Torres Strait, and the Palewa

To the Anangu, to the Yolngu.'

Brothers Abie and Warrick Wright, together with Joel Wenitong, rap their own verse in this Aboriginal anthem, with every word either speaking proudly of themselves as Indigenous men or telling Aboriginal listeners as a whole to take pride in their culture, and take a stand against oppression. 

January 26

By A.B Original

"It’s supposed to be this all-inclusive day for all Australians, and yet it simultaneously ignores and excludes one of the single oldest cultures on planet earth. That’s not lost on us, y’know. That shit is a certain brand of ridiculousness – so much that needs to be treated with an equal amount of ridiculousness right back."- Daniel Rankine (Sourced from Music Feeds, see reference page)

From its title, to its sharp and punchy instrumentation, to the angry and frustrated lyrics, ‘January 26’ by A.B Original earns its place as the most blatant and direct message to listeners on this list. The duo, consisting of Adam Briggs and Daniel Rankine (Trials), rap boldly and furiously on this track, which is by far the most critically-acclaimed and popular song off their politically-charged 2016 album ‘Reclaim Australia’. They leave no room for debate or misconceptions of their opinions on the controversial topic of ‘Australia Day’, naming every issue that the day poses for Indigenous Australians, and shaming the primary causes of these issues. Along with Briggs’ and Trials’ unapologetic lyrics and stone-cold delivery, guest artist Dan Sultan provides the catchy and explosive hook. The most compelling and effective part of the song is the sarcasm and humour within it, reflecting the edge-filled humour A.B Original draws from the Australia Day debate in general:

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"Nah, you watching tele for The Bachelor,                                                                                       

But wouldn’t read a book about a fuckload of massacres? (what?)

I remember all the blood and what carried us (I remember)

They remember twenty recipes for lamingtons (yum)

Yeah, their ancestors got a boat ride

Both mine saw them coming until they both died"

For its explosive delivery that empowers Aboriginality through the strength they portray and the trueness of their cause, and for the overall goal of shutting down a day that is the root of so much prejudice and discrimination, January 26 earns its place on this list. A.B Original are the nearest thing that Aboriginal hip hop has to a super band.

Change The Date

Featuring Multiple Artists

"Now who lining up for them benefits

my people die now who benefit?

I might burn a flag for the hell of it

I've been through hell and back I'm in my element

Talk about ANZACS but ignore what's relevant

push out the blacks leave 'em all in the deficit." - Lyrics by Nooky from 'Change the Date'.

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‘Change the Date’ is at once an anthem, political statement, and symbol of unification. Produced by Munkimuk, often referred to as ‘The Grandfather of Indigenous hip-hop’, and featuring a plethora of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists banding together, ‘Change the Date’ is an absolute powerhouse, and an unstoppable force in the battle in the debate aimed at moving the annual Australia Day celebration from January 26 - which marks the original British settlement of Australia, ‘Invasion Day’ to many Indigenous people - to a more unifying alternative date. Notable non-Indigenous Australian rappers such as Urthboy, Hau (from Koolism) Coda Conduct, and Thundamentals speak from their non-Indigenous perspective on why they believe the date should be changed, while Aboriginal rappers such as Tasman Keith, Nooky, Birdz, and Kaylah Truth voice their frustrations and anger. Even Sikh rapper L-Fresh the Lion speaks his truths, and his opinions on the debate. The song is a powerful force in the Australian music scene, and along with ‘January 26’ by A.B Original, likely one of the primary reasons Triple J moved the date of the ‘Hottest 100’. For its strength as an Aboriginal anthem, and its power to counter discrimination, ‘Change the Date’ earns its place on this list.