Pez @ Rosemount - Friday 21st of August 2009

Holy Shit.

That was needed to start this review of Friday nights show at the Rosemount Hotel. Pez, 360, Matik, Tys & Seth Sentry. What a crazy, insane, fucked up, drunked up show.

To begin the night Elias & I headed in and started of with a couple of drinks listening to Oz Hip Hop being mixed by DJ Armee. That session lasted a good 30 minutes to an hour. Eventually Tys hit the stage.

Tys is Pez's younger brother and is featured on his album on the song The Way It Should Be. Tys put on a killer show with crowd interaction and even hung out after his set to have a drink with me. Yes, I'm not exaggerating he is a very humble dude and is willing to get a photo with or met his fans.

After Tys we had a break, so we had a few more drinks. We were up to number 6 or 7 by now, downing a couple of shots and a Jagerbomb.

Following Tys was Seth Sentry who is better known as "That dude who sings that breakfast song". He, as well as everyone that night, put on such a crazy wild show. Being at the front and shaking his had was insane, then talking to him after. Could this night get any better?

In answer to that question, Fuck yes!

Pez & 360 came on stage after the crowd and Seth asked several times "Where The Fuck Is Pez?!" As soon as they walked on stage shit went wild. Everyone had their hands in the air and was nodding to the music. I think about halfway through the set I got up on stage and was standing next to 360 and Pez. Unfortunently I had to get off and Pez said he'd meet up with me later.

That is when this photo occured





The show was crazy and messed up and was worth every penny. Such a crazy night and I'd do it all again in a second. Please hit up JB Hi-Fi for Pez's album A Mind of my Own

Update - 21/08/09

So, it's been a while since I've last updated with a review or news or anything, but I've been busy with birthdays, work, TAFE, drinking, partying and getting a fuck load more of Oz Hip Hop. I have no increased my iTunes to an astounding 611 Oz Hip Hop songs. Three or four albums worth are from the last couple of days. I've got some pretty big reviews coming for you guys in the next few days/weeks. These are;

DOWNSYDE - AllCity
Funkoars - Collection (2 albums)
GULLY PLATOON - The Great Devide
HILLTOP HOODS - State of the Art
Hunter - Going Back to Yokine
ILLY - Long Story Short
Pez - A Mind of My Own
And a ton more

Also, speaking of Pez. Tonight I'm heading to Rosemount Hotel to see him & 360. I shall post after the show to let you all know how it went.

I'm gonna start with my most recent album added to my collection Downsyde - Allcity.

Keep on poppin'
RichoKidd

Drapht, The Collection

I've decided it was about time to, at least, get started on this review which I've been planning on doing for a while. So, as usual, I'll beging with a brief history lesson.

Drapht is a Skip Hop artist from Perth, Western Australia. Drapht is a member of the Syllaboliks crew, which comprises fellow Skip Hop artists from Perth and is currently signed to the Obese Records record label.

Drapht was born, Paul Ridge, in Perth, Western Australia. His father, Garry Ridge, a jazz drummer introduced Drapht to music from a very young age and he had his first taste of hip hop at the age of eight.

Drapht attended Perth Modern School in Subiaco but wasn't involved in the school's music program. At school he did become friends with Damien Allia (aka DJ Armee) who introduced him into hip hop.

Drapht became a vital part of Perth's hip hop crew Syllabolix at the age of 17. He quotes; "I was real lucky. I hung around all the Sbx members before I even started rapping. I was right in the middle of it all, I had access to the fucking dopest producer at the time Dazastah, freestyle sessions at Hunter's and constant schooling from the whole crew. So it was hard for me not to learn quick and be involved with it all."

Drapht's first track, "Misunderstood" was released as part of the Culture of Kings - Volume 3 release in 2003. This is a huge honur for a Skip Hop artist.

His first album, Pale Rider, was released in 2003, with all production handled by Dazastah (Downsyde), Fdel and Drapht. Special appearances on the album include: Fdel (Invada Records), Downsyde, MC Layla, Hunter, Selekt, Carlsani and Porsah Lane

The follow-up, 2005's Who Am I, was also produced by Dazastah (Downsyde), Fdel and Drapht. The songs touch on topics including politics, sex, and addiction to drunken antics. Guest appearances on the album include Pressure (Hilltop Hoods), Downsyde, Layla, Pegz (Obese Records), Clandestien, MJ (Funkola) and Hunter. Two tracks from the album, "Drink Drank Drunk" and "The Music", received minimal airplay on Triple J, mostly on the Super Request program. Who Am I is more an introspective album

Drapht has opened for acts such as; Hilltop Hoods, Dilated Peoples, Downsyde, Koolism, Apathy, Rodney P & Skitz, Mystro, Killa Kela, and Resin Dogs.

The song "The Music" was selected by Triple J as a featured track for Ausmusic month in 2005. He released a music video for "The Music", which was shown on Rage. He also performed a guest verse on the Hilltop Hoods album The Hard Road on the track "The Blue Blooded".

Drapht was nominated in the Best Urban/Hip Hop Act category at the 2007 West Australian Music Industry Awards.

Drapht's third album, Brothers Grimm, was released 10 May, 2008, with the first song from the album, "Jimmy Recard", receiving significant airplay on Triple J

Drapht appeared for the first time in a Triple J Hottest 100 with two entries in the 2008 countdown; Jimmy Recard at number 10 and Falling at number 77.

In March 2009 Drapht undertook a national tour of Australia with fellow Western Australians, Downsyde with a number of the eastern states performances being supported by Pez.

So, that is a history lesson on Perth's own, Drapht. Let me begin the actual reviews with Drapht's first album Pale Rider



Pale Rider (2003)

Pale Rider is the debut full length album from Western Australian hip hop artist, Drapht. It was released in October 2003 through Australian Hip Hop label, Obese Records. The album features contributions by MC Layla, Dazastah & Optamus (Downsyde) and Hunter. The title is based on the Clint Eastwood movie of the same name and the fact his entire life, Drapht, had really pale skin.

This album only consists of 11 tracks, with no extras;

1. "Intro" - 1:45
2. "Hang 'em High" - 3:39
3. "Can't Escape" - 3:42
4. "Abuse the World" - 3:50
5. "Optical Illusion" - 1:24
6. "Prolific" - 4:08
7. "Observe" - 2:55
8. "Uncontainable" - 4:46
9. "Weather Man"- 4:30
10. "Front Line" - 4:00
11. "End That Way" - 4:20

The album is shorter then most but that doesnt mean it doesn't have the same effect. It is a lot more aggressive then most albums but still has that 'chill' feel about it. Really the only track that has that effect is Prolific other then that most of the tracks are very aggressive. Both lyrically and rythmically.

My favourite track is easily Prolific possibly cause its not as aggressive. That being said the aggressive tracks are just as good. Tracks like; Weatherman, End That Way, Hang Em High & Can I Escape all are very well written.
This album is good, but not his best effort, its well produced but not as good quality as his latest ones.
8/10.




Who Am I? (2005)

Who Am I is the second full length album from Western Australian hip hop artist, Drapht. It was released in June 2005 through Australian Hip Hop label, Obese Records. It was released in both in a CD and a limited 2 LP vinyl format. The album features contributions by MC Layla, Dazastah (Downsyde) and Pressure(Hilltop Hoods).

This track consist of a whopping 15 tracks, four more then the last.

1. "Intro" - 1:19
2. "Who Am I" - 4:27
3. "Drink Drank Drunk" - 4:35
4. "Inspiration Island" (featuring Downsyde & Layla) - 6:01
5. "What Have I Got"- 3:43
6. "Verbally Flawless" (featuring Pressure) - 3:42
7. "The Music"- 3:36
8. "Get A Hold Of Me" - 4:14
9. "Yah Think" (featuring Dasastah & Pegz) - 4:11
10. "Deep Sleepers" - 4:11
11. "Who Can We Trust" - 5:09
12. "The Sylla Squad" (featuring Clandestien, MJ & Hunter) - 5:58
13. "Hold Up" - 3:30
14. "Don’t Take No"- 4:17
15. "Wet T-Shirts" (featuring Dazastah) - 3:47

This album, while certainly close to his best work, isn't, but it is still a work of art. It is your typical Skip Hop album, 15 tracks of humor, politics, sex, beer, booze and everything an Aussie MC goes through. Its got everything you want and more. The amount of names featured on this track is amazing, its really a good representation of Skip Hop from all over Australia.

My favourite track, there are a lot more on this one then on most, Drink Drank Drunk is a classic, written about all the things someone has to deal with before, during and after a big night. The Music is a great track, about how music can affect peoples lives and Yah Think is also excelent, it just proves Skip Hop artists are the toughest on the market.
This album is great, I really enjoy it and it probably made Drapht's career
9/10



Brothers Grimm (2008)

Brothers Grimm is the third album from Western Australian hip hop artist, Drapht. It was released in May 2008 through Australian Hip Hop label, Obese Records.^[1] The album features contributions by Dazastah (Downsyde), Ciecmate (Hospice Crew), Trials & Porsah Laine.

The album debuted at #64 on the ARIA Album charts, reached #9 on the V Energy AIR (Association of Independent Record Labels) Charts and #10 on the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Top 40 Urban Album charts.

There are, like Who Am I?, another 15 tracks on this album;

1. "Intro" - 1:26
2. "Falling - 3:40
3. "The Money" - 4:27
4. "Insomnia" - 3:13
5. "Jimmy Recard" - 3:33
6. "Dreams & Dreamers" - 5:17
7. "A Good Year" - 3:46
8. "Boom Boom Boom" - 3:48
9. "Sound Man" - 4:34
10. "Don't Wanna Work" - 3:31
11. "Rest In Peace" (ft. Dazastah, Ciecmate & Trials) - 4:16
12. "Where Yah From" - 3:52
13. "Put On A Record" - 4:44
14. "Lost" - 4:19
15. "Lose Control" (ft. Porsah Laine) - 4:01

This album is Drapht's best work, its got songs reppin' the entire country, songs about not working, songs about money issues, songs to drink to, songs to chill to, songs to cry to, songs to laugh with, just everything. Its an excelent reppresentation of what Perth has to offer on the Skip Hop scene. I know a lot of people who dislike this album because hes flow is a little slower on this one but it doesn't change the fact the man knows how to write a rhyme.

Favourite tracks were difficult to decide as there are so damn many; Where Yah From, this track would be my top of my top 5. Its got a great beat, excelent rhymes and awesome lyrics. Boom Boom Boom, a drunk song through and through and Sound Man, puts you in the perspective of himself.
Best of the best 10/10

Update - 12/06/09

Just a small update, I've gotten my hands on State of the Art, the new Hilltop Hoods album. I'll leave a larger review when I get a chance and it's not 11:31pm.

First impressions; fucken excelent!

RichoKidd!

Bliss N Eso - 'Collection'

I'll begin the review with a short history lesson on the crew that is Bliss N Eso, also known as BNE or BEI.

Bliss n Eso are an ARIA award winning Australian hip hop group based in Sydney, and were originally known as Bliss n' Esoterikizm. Bliss n Eso are currently signed to Melbourne record label Illusive Sounds, and are managed and booked by label co-founders Adam Jankie and Matt Gudinski. The trio; American born MC Bliss (Jonathan Notley), Australian MC Esoterik (Max MacKinnon) and DJ Izm (Tarik Ejjamai) of Moroccan heritage have been friends (and have rapped together) since high school. Notley moved to Australia in 1992 when he was just thirteen and met MacKinnon at the Glenaeon Steiner School in Sydney.

Notley later moved to Mosman High School which is where he met Ejjamai. The group initially went by the name of 'Bliss n Esoterikizm', but that proved to be too much of a mouthful for most people so it was shortened to just Bliss n Eso.

In December, 2005 the trio performed as a support act for 50 Cent on his 'Get Rich Or Die Trying' tour together with G-Unit and Lil Jon.

The group then switched labels to Illusive Sounds and released their second official album, Day of the Dog, on 4 March 2006. The album features production from Bliss, Weapon X, Suffa, and MC Motley, among others. It also features guest spots from British emcees MC Motley and Mystro, as well as fellow Sydney MC, Hyjak. Day of the Dog debuted at #43 on the ARIA Album Charts, making it the first Australian hip-hop release to debut in the top 50. The group undertook a national tour in March - April to support the album. Day of the Dog was then entirely remixed by Gold Coast producer M-Phazes (Supastition, Kenn Starr) and released later that year as Day of the Dog: Phazed Out. The album was nominated for Best Urban Release at the 2007 ARIA Awards the award was won by the Hilltop Hoods for The Hard Road Restrung.

In 2007 Bliss n Eso travelled to North America, playing shows in the North-West of the US and Canada including a performance at the Whistler 2007 Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival.

Following up on their collaboration with the choir, Bliss N Eso embarked on a journey in June, 2007 with MTV and the Oaktree Foundation to some of the poorest regions in South Africa to complete the track and shoot the video clip for "Bullet and a Target". Bliss N Eso also shot a documentary with Evermore produced by MTV, aimed at creating awareness about the challenges faced by developing communities in Africa. The film clip and 30 minute documentary aired exclusively on MTV and received attention from the media and the public. Recently the group have been nominated for the 'Good Karma Award' for these efforts at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.

Bliss n Eso were one of the Australian hip hop artists featured in the documentary Words from the City, which aired on ABC Television in late 2007.

The group's latest album, Flying Colours, was released 26 April 2008 - coinciding with a national tour by the group, along with True Live, Funkoars and The Winnie Coopers. The album debuted a week later at #10 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart^, and it remained in the ARIA Top 100 for the following 12 weeks. The album was nominated for a J Award in August, 2008 and also nominated for an ARIA award for 'Best Urban Release'

In August, 2008 Bliss n Eso performed at the Splendour in the Grass festival and at the Trackside Festival in Canberra. In September they went on the road for their most successful national tour to date, with sell out performances across the country, concluding with a sold out home coming show at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney to a capacity crowd of 2500 patrons. They will be touring Canada at the end of the year and are planning to re-release Flying Colours in early 2009, with a bonus DVD. The DVD will contain a live performance that the band plan to film and record at the Metro Theatre in Sydney.

Bliss n Eso appeared for the first time in a Triple J Hottest 100 with three entries in the 2008 countdown; "Eye of the Storm" at number 40, "The Sea is Rising" at number 61 and "Woodstock 2008" at number 94. "Happy in My Hoody" failed to make the Hottest 100 but did come in at number 136.

In 2009 the success of Bliss n Eso continued with their Flying Colours album remaining in the official ARIA charts for 54 weeks and counting. They also performed at the Sound Relief concert in front of 82,000 people at Melbourne's MCG on 14 March 2009. They were the only hip-hop act to perform at the concert, which raised over 8 million dollars for Victoria's bushfire victims.

So that's a 'short' bio for you all, now onto the reviews

Flowers in the Pavement (2004)

This was the first LP from BnE and is very impressive considering that. It is about an hour long featuring 18 tracks. It is an excellent album and is really well done. It has that sense of humor Skip Hop is known for as well as keeping that seriousness in tracks that tell a story or want you to notice a problem with society. All the tracks are good songs, some are great. The list of tracks is;

1. "Evolution" (intro) – 2:45
2. "Creepy" – 5:24
3. "Rubbed the Lamp the Wrong Way" – 4:37
4. "Vagina Ice" – 3:23
5. "Clean the Tub" – 0:59
6. "Pigs in the Porn Trough" – 6:34
7. "Split Soul" – 3:40
8. "I Love You But..." – 0:19
9. "Tunnel of Love" – 4:52
10. "Greenhouse" – 4:50
11. "Supermarket Chick" – 0:44
12. "Get Amongst It" – 5:19
13. "This is for You" – 3:36
14. "Headless Princess" (featuring Ethnic) – 7:09
15. "Hip Hop Blues" – 4:00
16. "Twisted Road" – 4:00
17. "Weathermen" – 3:35
18. "Watchdog Water Dragons" – 5:17

My favourite track(s) are hard to decided as there are so many good ones, I find 'Rubbed the Lamp the Wrong Way' a great song to bounce to, as well as 'Get Amongst it'. I find 'Vagina Ice' & 'This is For You' very calming tracks and tell an excellent story.
This album is a great album but it is not my favourite from the crew, an excellent debut and I was glad to purchase it, it was definitely worth the money.
7/10

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Day of the Dog (2006)

This is the second release by the crew. It was released by Illusive Sounds in March, 2006 as both vinyl and CD releases. The title of the album is a metaphor for Australian hip hop being the 'underdog' of the Australian music industry, and affirming that it is now time for it to rise up, and rise up it did. This is one of my favourite albums of all time, not just Skip Hop. Its got excellent party songs, its got songs to chill to, songs to laugh about and songs that make you think about life. Its just a great Australian album, with an American and UK twist. There are 16 tracks on this not including three bonus tracks I have on my version
These tracks are;

1. ''The Dreamer" - 0:51
2. "Its Working" - 4:08
3. "Up Jumped The Boogie" - 3:57
4. "Then Till Now" - 3:47
5. "Coppin' It Sweet" - 3:54
6. "Get Your Boof On" - 4:17
7. "Get Loose" (Ft. Hyjak) - 3:30
8. "Mad Tight" - 3:39
9. Nowhere but Up" - 3:19
10. "Watch Your Mouth" (Ft. Mystro) - 3:56
    
11. "Party at my Place" (Ft. Motley) - 4:18
    
12. "Evening Breeze" (Ft. Kye) - 3:11
    
13. "That Feeling" - 3:50
    
14. "Lights Camera Action" - 3:59
    
15. "Solider On" (Ft Kye) - 3:44
    
16. "Good Morning Australia" - 4:14
17. "Worldwide" (Ft. Octa) - 4:06
18. "Blazin'" - 1:58
19. "Them Boys" - 3:37

This album is probably the best from BEI and my favourite album yet. Its hard to choose a favourite song from this one, there are so many. A few would be; Party at my Place, Mad Tight, Get Your Boof On, Up Jumped the Boogie. Its just the best damn album yet. I love it.
10/10

The third and final album of the Bliss N Eso Collection is;

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Flying Colours (2008)

This album was recorded in three different continents over twelve months, and features Illmaculate (World freestyle and Scribble Jam champion), a 20 piece African Zulu Choir (The Zulu Connections Choir), Debaser (US), Hyjak and Phrase. This album is not the best but somewhere in the middle. I like the diversity, it has that humor that the boys are famous for as well as that deep and meaningful stuff that we all know we love. Its a great album to listen to when you want to think or meditate, surprisingly, not many Skip Hop albums have the ability to do this. I enjoy the album, with all Skip Hop albums, but I have heard better

Track List;

1. "The Beginning" - 1:41
2. "Woodstock 2008" - 4:27
3. "Eye of the Storm" - 3:27
4. "Bullet and a Target" (featuring the Zulu Connection Choir) - 4:15
5. "Happy in my Hoody" (featuring Hyjak and Phrase) - 4:19
6. "Destiny Lane" - 3:41
7. "Zion Bash" - 2:51
8. "The Sea is Rising" - 5:36
9. "Gorilla Militia" - 3:14
10. "How to Listen, Part 1" - 3:02
11. "Climb these Cliffs" - 3:41
12. "At Midnight" - 5:21
13. "Royal Flush" - 3:52
14. "$5 Steak" - 5:35
15. "The Truth" (featuring ILLmacuLate and Sapient) - 4:41
16. "Never Give Up" (featuring Changes) - 4:31
17. "Field of Dreams" (featuring Paris Wells) - 3:24

My favourite tracks, there are a few of them, for many different reasons, Bullet & a Target is good, great one to think with, $5 Steak is humors good for when your drinking, or whatever it is you do to get inebriated, Lion Bash is your classic Skip Hop song, with the pumping bass and tight rhymes and finally Royal Flush, again, humors and tight rhymes.
I decided this album is better then I thought originally, It deserve at least a;
8/10

So that's the last of the BnE albums, for now, there is a Deluxe Edition of Flying Colours being released shortly which I'm looking forward too, but that's a review for another day. I hope this helps influence your Skip Hop choices. Look out for my next review on my hometown hero, Drapht's, collection.

Hilltop Hoods Collection

Recently I got my hands on the entire Hilltop Hoods discography. I decided, because I love this countries music so damn much, I'm going to review every album of this seven album collection and I may even do a deeper review of some albums at a later point in time. So first things first, Hilltops first EP, Back Once Again (1997)

Back Once Again (artwork unavailable)

This EP has a slightly different sound to the Hilltop we know today. It is a much younger sound, more aggressive. This was the first release with the original Hilltop Hoods. (Suffa, Pressure, Debris and Next) You can very much hear the age gap between this EP and the 07' released, Hard Road Restrung. I do like this album, but I am not sure as to why, I do like what they have done but it is very different from what I'm use to hearing.
As this album is only an EP it only contains 6 tracks, one of which is a remix
The track list is;

1. Back Once Again (4:50)
2. Shades Of Grey (5:21)
3. No Redemption (4:57)
4. Mankind Must Suffa (5:24)
5. Gemini (5:13)
6. Back Once Again Remix Ft. Flak (4:56)

My favourite track would probably be Gemini. Its a very 'hard, angry' tune with some insane beats to bop your head along to. It's a very good track to release your aggression with. Calms me down every time.

I believe this album, as it is earlier work, is definitely not the best stuff Hilltops ever done, yet it still has the right feeling, therefore; This album receives a 6/10

The next album in the discography is Hilltops first LP, A Matter of Time


A Matter of Time (1999)

This LP is obviously alot longer then the previously released Back Once Again. The album is currently out of press but you can find it on the bands website as a free download. This album is very similar to the EP, which is expected, this may have something to do with the fact it is the last time DJ Next appears on a Hilltop album. While being similar to their EP it is also different. The flow of the songs and the beats they use are less aggressive and a lot more about telling the story, This is where the Aussie Hip-Hop we know today began. They are still very young on this album and you can tell that in their pitch, tone and they way they present their words. This is a very good album and I am quite impressed with this considering it is their first studio album.
This album is a full album and contains 14 full tracks three of which are remixes
Track List;

1. A Matter Of Time (4:35)
   
2. 1979 (3:54)
   
3. The Anthem (4:13)
   
4. Time Wasted (0:39)
   
5. B-Boy Battlegear (3:02)
   
6. Give It Up (3:20)
   
7. Clap Your Hands To The... (1:10)
   
8. Let Me Show You (3:23)
   
9. Deaf Can Hear Ft. Bukue One (4:00)
   
10. Common Streets (3:29)
    
11. A Matter Of Time Remix/Instrumental (2:19)
    
12. 1979 Remix (3:32)
    
13. Whatcha Got (4:04)
14. Whatcha Got Remix/Instrumental (1:20)

Note; Clap Your Hands To The.... is a beatbox/spit track while Time Wasted is a scratch track

My favourite track off this album would also be the most well known track, 1979, it tells a very deep story about the old school Hip Hop scene. It produces a great flow and gives Aussie Hip-Hop the glorification it needs.
This album is a major improvement on the EP. The way they used different speech samples and beeps and scratches is very well done.
This album is also not the best but very impressive 7.5/10

The third album, Left Foot, Right Foot, is the second studio album under Obese Records


Left Foot, Right Foot (2001)

This album, while only three years after their previous one, has cleaner, sharper sound while still keeping that raw feel we got on A Matter Of Time. This album should still be available in some record stores but is rarer then most. As I stated before this album is a lot cleaner and sharper then the last. Suffa and Pressure are very impressive on this album. Their rhyming and spitting skills have improved since A Matter Of Time. They are a lot quicker while still keeping their story clear and getting the words out correctly. Debris was also very impressive. This was the first album where he was behind the turntables and truly got to shine, and shine he did. He knows how to scratch and his skills add to Pressure and Suffas. Lyrical content on this album is interesting, you can tell it was produced in 01'. It touches on all subjects from Drugs, The Streets, Rising up. The guys have done a lot of growing up and you can hear it in their ability.
This album contains 18 tracks with two bonus tracks both being remixes
Track List

1. Are you Ready?
2. The Soul of the Beat
3. Left Foot, Right Foot Ft. RAIZONE
4. Immortal MCs
5. What the Seasons Change
6. Another World Ft. Koolism
7. When I'm
8. Leaving Sideways
9. Running From The Storm
10. Distortion
11. Don't Stop
12. Elevation remix Ft. Bonez
13. Baby Steps
14. Sojourn
15. Tolerance Levels Ft. Mass MC and Fatface
16. Immortal MCs remix
17. I Believe remix Ft. DJ Reflux
18. Omega

The Two bonus tracks;

1. "Elevation" (88' remix)
2. "The Soul Of The Beat" (remix)

My favourite tracks are Left Foot, Right Foot and Elevation. Elevation has some tight rhymes and spitting skills while Left Foot, Right Foot is a very slow story telling song.
This album was probably the first 'serious' album released by the band and was the 'real' introduction of the Hilltop Hoods character which appears on every album cover.
Definitely one of their better albums 8.5/10


The next album is The Calling.


The Calling (2003)

This album was a huge step for Hilltop Hoods as it was the first Australian Hip Hop album to reach gold album status, based on high sales. In 2006 Obese Records announced it was the first Aussie Hip Hop album to reach platinum status. The album peaked at #53 on Australia's ARIAnet Albums Chart. Two songs on the album charted in the 2003 Triple J Hottest 100 chart, "The Nosebleed Section" - #9 and "Dumb Enough" - #44. Both were released as singles in 2004, after the initial single "Testimonial Year" did not fare as well as had been hoped. This album may be the best the Hoods have released to-date if not the best its sure up their. It was a huge step for them and Aussie Hip Hop in general. With technology more easily available and a higher amount of funding the sound went from raw and shaky to clean, sharp and just beautified, there is no other way to describe it. Its everything you expect from a hip hop album and more. It has humor, sensitivity, beautification, story telling, sadness, happiness, joy. FUCKEN EVERYTHING! I've tried to be formal through this review but it is impossible with this album its just that good.
There are 17 tracks each one if different and has its own story. Two of these tracks became hit singles, as stated before.
Track List;

1. "Incoming"
2. "Testimonial Year"
3. "The Calling"
4. "Dumb Enough?"
5. "Illusionary Lines"
6. "Tomorrow Will Do"
7. "Laying Blame"
8. "Simmy And The Gravyspitter" (feat. Simplex)
9. "The Nosebleed Section"
10. "Down For The Cause" (feat. Hyjak And DJ Bones)
11. "Mic Felon"
12. "Walk On"
13. "The Certificate" (feat. Certified Wise)
14. "Hilltop Hoods"
15. "Working The Mic"
16. "Outgoing"
17. "The Sentinel"

Choosing my favourite tracks was very, very difficult as their are just so many impressive tunes on this album. I've knocked it down to three. The Sentinel, The Nosebleed Section and Testimonial Year. All these tracks are different, yet insanely good. They all flow nicely and each tell a different story, there is no way to describe it.
Their best album yet 9.5/10


The Hard Road (2006)

The Hard Road is arguably the biggest realease by the boys. This album was released on April 1st, April Fools Days, and debuted and number 1 on the Australian ARIAnet Album Chart, unprecedented for an independent label release and for an Australian Hip Hop Artist. This earned The Hard Road the ARIA #1 chart position. The album contains the top 20 single, Clown Prince. The album achieved Gold Status (35,000 albums) on the 8th of April 2006, a week after release and has now surpassed Platinum status (70,000 albums). The album won the Triple J J Award in 2006. The award was announced on December 1st. Five songs from the album placed on the annual Triple J Hottest 100 chart announced on January 26 2007. Songs "Recapturing The Vibe", "Stopping All Stations", "What a Great Night", "Clown Prince" and "The Hard Road" placed #77, #56, #41, #23, and #3 respectively. This album, like The Calling, is one of my favourites. Its got everything an Aussie Hip Hop album needs; its got songs to drink to, songs to dance to, songs to think to, songs to sing to, songs to laugh at, and songs to cry to. Not only that it also has an amazing amount of collaborations by some big name artists such as; Mystro, Drapht, Funkoars, Omni, Braintax, DJ Reflux and a ton more. One song, The Blue Blooded features about 8 or 9 different artists. This album consists of 16 tracks including one hidden one. Three of them featured in the Triple J Hottest 100 as mentioned before
Here are the tracks;

1. "Recapturing the Vibe" - 3:26
2. "Clown Prince" - 3:52
3. "The Hard Road" - 4:06
4. "Stopping All Stations" - 3:52
5. "Conversations from a Speakeasy" (featuring Omni) - 3:28
6. "What a Great Intro" - 0:24
7. "What a Great Night" - 3:07
8. "City of Light" - 3:40
9. "Obese Lowlifes" (featuring Mystro and Braintax) - 2:24
10. "Circuit Breaker" - 3:29
11. "Breathe" - 3:15
12. "The Blue Blooded" (featuring Blue Blooded Allstars) - 4:47
13. "Monsters Ball" - 4:19
14. "An Audience with the Devil" - 4:06
15. "The Captured Vibe" (featuring DJ Reflux) - 2:12
16. "Ya Feel Big? Secret Track

My favourite track(s) were difficult to choose and so, obviously, I had to choose more then one. What a Great Night, this song is an excellent party song, its great to drink to, even if your just chilling at home. The Blue Blooded, this track is a great representation of Aussie Hip Hop for the world to see, with so many artists on the one track how could you not enjoy it. Circuit Breaker, this track is difficult to explain, just listen to it, you'll understand & finally Stopping All Stations, gotta have a song that will make you reminisce and think.
This album was great, almost as good as The Calling but not queit.
8.5/10


The Hard Road Restrung (2007)

This album is a remixes album. The track are all from the last album The Hard Road and feature the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Okwerdz. The album was released on May 12, 2007 in Australia, with a launch show and one off performance with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra at the Entertainment Centre on the release date. International guests Okwerdz and Mystro performed as a surprise for fans; they were not advertised on the bill. The performance was recorded, and will be feature on a DVD along with footage from recent Hilltop Hoods performances. There isn't really much I can say about this album, The Orchestra works really well with Skip Hop and it always has, some of the tracks work really well, some not much. I don't really know how to describe it, I like the way its done, its just missing something. Its a lot slower then The Hard Road which you notice, even in the faster pitched songs. Its still a great album and I appreciate the work the boys went through to get this album out
There are two new tracks that didn't appear on The Hard Road but there are also two missing.
Track List;

1. "The Hard Road Restrung"
2. "Stopping All Stations Restrung"
3. "Conversations from a Speakeasy Restrung" featuring Okwerdz and Omni
4. "An Audience with the Devil Restrung"
5. "Monsters Ball Restrung"
6. "Breathe Restrung"
7. "Another Great Intro"
8. "What a Great Night Restrung"
9. "Obese Lowlifes Restrung" featuring Mystro and Braintax
10. "City of Light Restrung"
11. "Clown Prince Restrung"
12. "The Captured Vibe Restrung" featuring DJ Reflux (Medley)
13. "Recapturing the Vibe Restrung" (Medley)
14. "Roll on Up"
15. "JellyFish"

As I'm sure you noticed the track list has been moved around. With the two new tracks being at the bottom. My favourite tracks were easy to choose in this album as, with every remix album, its the two tracks that haven't been heard before hand, They are both great songs, although I do prefer the live version of Roll on Up done with FlowRider.
This album, being a remix album has been done before, just chopped and changed
7/10.


State of the Art (2009)

State of the Art is the forthcoming studio release. It is the first release by their newly founded record label, Golden Era Records. State of the Art is planning to be released on 12 June, 2009. It is the first release to be made by the group since their ARIA award winning album, The Hard Road, in 2006, and its remix album, The Hard Road Restrung, which was released in 2007. The first single, "Chase that Feeling", was released on 5 May, 2009. The first time I heard Chase that Feeling I got extremely excited to know the boys were back. I've been waiting on this album for years now. I've already pre-orded it, now just the waiting game.
Here's the track list;

1. "The Return"
2. "Super Official"
3. "Chase that Feeling"
4. "She's So Ugly"
5. "Still Standing"
6. "Classic Example" (Ft. Pharoahe Monch)
7. "Chris Farley"
8. "The Light You Burned" (Ft. Trails)
9. "Parade the Dead"
10. "Last Confession"
11. "Hillatoppa"
12. "Fifty in Five"
13. "Rent Week" (Ft. Funkoars, Vents and Briggz - iTunes Only)
14. State of the Art (Instrumental JB-HiFi Only)
    

From what I've heard, this album is going to be worth the wait, my favourite tracks can only be the ones I've heard so far which is; Chase that Feeling, The Return & Hillatoppa. The tracks I'm bugging to hear are; Rent Week, Shes so Ugly and State of the Art.
As I havent heard the entire album I can't review this album entirly so I'll leave it at that.
?/10