Evolution: From Country to Hip-Hop

No Fixed Address

Hip-Hop is undoubtedly the genre most commonly explored by Aboriginal artists, however there is a long history of music before this. What's the story behind Aboriginal Hip-Hop?

Aboriginal Music has been a form of spiritual, cultural, and emotional expression for indigenous Australians since long before the arrival of non-Indigenous influencers, first as British colonisers and in more contemporary times as a diverse array of multi-cultural impacts. Aboriginal men and women have been singing, dancing, and playing their traditional instruments such as the didgeridoo, clapsticks, and the bullroarer for tens of thousands of years. The songs they play frequently serve a purpose in ritual or celebration, often telling stories from the Dreaming not only through words but also in the very sounds the instruments create. Essentially, traditional Indigenous songs consist of three main parts: the song-man, the dancers, and the instrument player or players. With the arrival of the British came new musical styles and instruments, which many Aboriginal musicians embraced, especially in the 20th Century. The genres most notably explored by Indigenous musicians were rock, blues, reggae and country.

“Aboriginal music has always been about storytelling. Traditionally it was about storytelling, it was about explaining our world to ourselves. As we changed and took on more Western influence, we looked for those musical forms that told stories.” – Stan Grant, Host of ABC-TV current affairs program Matter of Fact and Wiradjuri man, interviewed for this major work.

Rock, Blues, Reggae, Country

Dating back to the 1950s at least, country music was and still is listened to and played by many Indigenous Australians. This genre, more than any other around at a time that predates more contemporary musical styles including rock, reggae and hip hop, clearly meets Grant’s ‘storytelling’ purpose of Aboriginal music:

"Strangely, even though it’s a very white, southern American musical style, it told really emotional stories. I think country music really resonated with a lot of Aboriginal people. Go to any Aboriginal community and people can play guitar and they can sing country music. It’s really what we grew up on, because it comes out of the storytelling tradition." (Grant interview).

Arguably, country music is a much more conventional, non-Indigenous friendly musical style when compared to the inherently confrontational form that is hip hop, but the similarities in how it has been adopted by Indigenous Australians while successfully interfacing with non-Indigenous Australians speaks to a formula that is bigger than any single musical style.

Stan Grant also recognises the influence of Jamaican reggae artists including Peter Tosh and the legendary Bob Marley (Grant interview), globally-successful performers who in Australia resonated with both indigenous and non-Indigenous musicians and audiences. The influence these artists had on Aboriginal musicians is shown by bands such as the Indigenous Reggae group 'No Fixed Address',

Performing groups such as The Warumpi Band and Yothu Yindi took the popular rock path with genuine commercial success and critical acclaim. Individuals such as Archie Roach have achieved national recognition using their music in a similar way to the deeper traditions of African-American blues or jazz; to soulfully voice their hardships, and to tell stories.

Hip-Hop

"There's a whole 20 year history of hip-hop in this country that is just ethnics and Aboriginals"-Rapper Munkimuk (Mark Ross).

Hip hop’s own origins clearly lie in the culture of African-Americans starting in the 1970s, focused at first in inner-city New York, in a second half of the 20th century era when ‘black power’ was being asserted as a form of civil rights protest culturally as well as politically. The pioneers of hip-hop are often recognised as DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, and Run-DMC. Hip-Hop became especially politically charged in the 80s and 90s, where groups such as N.W.A and Public Enemy brought African-American struggles to the public eye, forming the foundations of what has now become 'Gangsta Rap'.

Hip-hop as a genre listened to and explored by Australians, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, first arrived in Australia circa the early 1980s. This was an inevitable cultural component of a wider globalisation trend (some would say Americanisation trend) of the times. In a more spiritual and even mystical sense, however, there is an understanding amongst current Indigenous rappers that hip-hop has, in a way, always been part of Aboriginal culture. Here's what Aboriginal rappers Jimblah and Dizzy Doolan have to say about it:

"In First Nation Lore, we have what is called a Songline. Why Hip Hop is so relatable is not only because of the plight we face against colonialism but also the ability to pass on the song line. Hip-Hop resonates profoundly with our culture, as previously mentioned - Song Lines. Creating awareness to our plight, not to just the wider community, but to ourselves as well so that we may have a deeper understanding as to the reality we face and how we can over come it."~Jimblah

"There are four original elements of hip-hop.

Break-dancing, Graffiti, Rap, DJing.

These 4 elements strongly connect to Aboriginal culture.

Break-dancing is the Corroboree, graffiti is the oldest Aboriginal paintings in the world, rap is the songman, DJing is the didgeridoo player"~ Dizzy Doolan

It's not hard to see why Aboriginal music has evolved and shifted to where it is today; primarily dominated by rappers. The storytelling and cultural expression that is vital to traditional Aboriginal music is reflected in the freedom and lyric-heavy music form of hip-hop, and what with the mainstream success of artists such as A.B Original and Baker Boy, the importance and power that hip-hop has within Aboriginal communities is only set to increase.