The Hilltop Hoods
are an ARIA Award winning Australian hip hop group, [1] originating from Adelaide, South Australia. Their members are MCs Suffa (Matt Lambert
), Pressure (Daniel Smith
), DJ Debris (Barry Francis
) and formerly DJ Next. They have been at the centre of the Australian hip hop scene for the better part of two decades, originally forming back in 1991 and releasing their first EP in 1997. Since then they have released 5 studio albums, 2 DVDs and a "restrung" version of their 2006 album The Hard Road
. They recently released their fifth studio album, State of the Art
on June 12, 2009.
They are renowned for their live shows having toured extensively both in Australia and overseas, including playing gigs at music festivals such as the Big Day Out, Southbound, The Great Escape, Splendour in the Grass, Falls Festival, Pyramid Rock Festival, [2] Rollercoaster and Make Poverty History.
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HILLTOP HOODS TICKETS
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History
Formation and Early Years (1991-2002)
The group formed in 1991 when MCs
Suffa and
Pressure met at
Blackwood High School. They joined up with
DJ Debris through a mutual friend and formed the basis for the group. Early on in the history of the Hilltop Hoods
DJ Next and DJ JP did all of the
scratches and regularly competed in the local
DMC tournaments. In the late 1990s DJ Next chose to pursue a different career path after the release of
A Matter of Time
and moved to
Sydney. DJ Debris who was previously with Crossbred Mongrels & producer for Hilltop Hoods then became the main DJ. Prior to the release of
Back Once Again
, the Hilltop Hoods put together a demo entitled "Highlanders".
Influences include American hip hop artists such as
Notorious B.I.G.,
KRS-One,
Gang Starr and
Public Enemy, although the Hilltop Hoods rap with their native Australian accents.
Their name was given to them by pioneer MC Flak (from Crossbred Mongrels) and came from a suburb in south-eastern Adelaide known by the local youth as the Hilltop, where Flak, Suffa and Pressure were raised.
After over five years of limited exposure in Adelaide the Hilltop Hoods and others local groups began to draw attention. The group received two nominations for the Hip Hop Act of the Year Award at The Australian Dance Music Awards and again at the 3D World Music Awards in 2001 and 2002.
[3]
The Calling
and commercial success (2003-2005)
The Hoods released their commercial breakthrough
The Calling
on 22 September 2003. The album went platinum in Australia, largely due to word-of-mouth, as it failed to reach any higher than #53 on Australia's
ARIAnet album charts. It was the first Australian hip hop album to reach platinum status. It featured two hit singles, "
The Nosebleed Section" and "
Dumb Enough", which received places in the
Triple J Hottest 100, 2003. This success proved to be a turning point in the Australian Hip Hop scene because it demonstrated widespread support for the genre that reached beyond an underground fan base.
The Hard Road
(2006-2007)
The group followed up
The Calling
with their highly successful fourth album
The Hard Road
on 1 April 2006. It featured the single
Clown Prince
and guest verses from New York rapper
Omni and British MCs
Mystro and
Braintax. The album debuted at number one on the
ARIA charts, and was the first
Australian hip hop album to do so. It also went platinum within a week of being released, another record for an Australian hip hop group. The track
The Blue Blooded
is a collaboration of Australian MCs featuring the
Funkoars, Hau from
Koolism,
Mortar,
Drapht,
Muph & Plutonic,
Pegz and
Robby Balboa.
On April 27 of the same year, the Hilltop Hoods performed at the
Bass in the Grass music festival in
Darwin alongside fellow hip hop group,
The Herd. This was also the day in which the Hilltop Hoods released their second single from their new album
The Hard Road
. The video clip features members from the Certified Wise crew, of which the Hilltop Hoods are members.
Following the success of The Hard Road tour in early 2006, the Hilltop Hoods began their second national tour for 2006 called The Stopping All Stations tour which travelled to more regional areas of Australia as well as the capital cities. They were supported by
Koolism & UK MC
Mystro.
In late 2006, the Hilltop Hoods released their third single from
The Hard Road
, the track "What a Great Night". The videoclip for the song shows the group at a club with camera shots panning up and down to reveal a new location. It used advanced special effects and is one of the most expensive video clips for an Australian hip hop group, mirroring the groups rise in success and popularity.
In late 2006 the Hilltop Hoods were announced as the winners of the Triple J
J Award for best album of the year, joining the likes of
Wolfmother and
The Presets as winners of the highly prestigious award.
[4]
They performed the
Homebake Festival and
Falls Festival in late 2006.
The Hard Road Restrung
(2007-2008)
On 12 May 2007, the Hoods released their new album
The Hard Road Restrung
which is a remix of their previous album
The Hard Road
featuring the
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and
Okwerdz. Like its predecessor
The Hard Road
, it took out "Best Urban Release" at the
ARIA Awards, with the Hoods going back-to-back.
The first single released from
The Hard Road Restrung
is "Recapturing the Vibe". The video clip was on high rotation on
rage &
jtv for several months.
2007 also saw the group performing at the
Southbound Festival (WA),
The Great Escape at Newington Armory in
Sydney over Easter, and embarking on a UK tour with a Sydney based string quartet. They finished off the year by headlining the
Pyramid Rock Festival on Victoria's Phillip Island over NYE's 2007.
[2]
In 2008 the group performed at the
Big Day Out festivals, the prestigious
Glastonbury Festival and at the
Islington Academy in
London. The DVD
City of Light
was released and nominated as 'Best Music DVD' at the
2008 ARIA awards.
Today the Hilltop Hoods continue to enjoy their success, and even have their own shoe design sponsored by
DC Shoes.
[6] [7]
State Of The Art
and the birth of Golden Era Records (2009-)
It was announced during a
Channel (V) interview that the Hilltop Hoods were getting ready to start writing for their new album due to be released sometime in 2009. The Hilltop Hoods have subsequently left their long time home of Obese Records to start their own label,
Golden Era Records, which will release the group's future albums. In November, 2008 they announced on
Triple J's breakfast program that the new album would be called
State of the Art
.
[8]
"JJJ"/>
The Hilltop Hoods' fifth studio album,
State of the Art
was released on June 12, with the first single from the album, "Chase that Feeling", released digitally on 8 May and as a physical single on 22 May,
[9] and featuring a return guest appearance by a quartet of members from the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. The album debuted at number one on the Australian
ARIA charts and was certified
gold within a week of being released.
[10] The album has since gone
platinum and spent two weeks at number one before being overtaken by the Michael Jackson craze following the King of Pop's recent death
In early 2009 the Hilltop Hoods performed at the Groovin the Moo festival in
Townsville,
Maitland and
Bendigo. They also recently performed at
Triple J's One Night Stand in
Sale, Victoria on the 30 May 2009,
[11] where they played several of the tracks from the upcoming album. To support the release of
State of the Art
the Hilltop Hoods are undertaking a national tour commencing on 18 July 2009 and with performances at most major cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart.
Awards
The 2003 release
The Calling
achieved platinum status in Australia, and two tracks ("
The Nosebleed Section" and "
Dumb Enough") received places in the
Triple J Hottest 100, 2003, at 9th and 44th, respectively.
[12] The Hard Road
was released in Australia on 1 April 2006. Their first single release from
The Hard Road
, "
Clown Prince" was released in February 2006, and became their first top 40 singles hit on the Australian
ARIAnet Singles Chart.
The Hilltop Hoods have received nominations for the 'Best Hip Hop Act' in 2001 and 2002 at the 3D World Dance Music Awards, won the
APRA award for 'Best Up-coming Group' as well as receiving number one positions in independent charts all around Australia.
In 2006 the group won the prestigious
J Award.
[4] [14] They also were nominated for five
ARIA Awards (the first ever for an Australian hip hop group), winning two awards; 'Best Urban Release' and 'Best Independent Release'.
[15] [16]
On
Australia Day, 2007, the Hoods claimed five spots in
Triple J's
Hottest 100 with "
The Hard Road" reaching 3rd place. "Clown Prince", "What a Great Night", "Stopping All Stations", and "Recapturing the Vibe" placed 23rd, 41st, 56th, and 77th respectively.
[17] The Hilltop Hoods received the most entries in the Hottest 100 that year, and were only 1 song off equalling the record, held by
Wolfmother the previous year.
In 2007 Hilltop Hoods won 'Best Urban Release' at the
ARIA Awards for
The Hard Road Restrung
.
The album was also nominated for 'Best Independent Release' and 'Best Cover Art' (John Englehardt).
[18]
The DVD
City of Light
was nominated as 'Best Music DVD' at the
2008 ARIA awards.
In 2009 "The Nosebleed Section" was voted number 17 in the
Triple J Hottest 100 of all time, the highest placed Australian song.
Hilltop Hoods Remix Shoe
The Hilltop Hoods and
DC Shoes made a limited-edition shoe together called 'The Hilltop Hoods Remix Shoe'. It was released in stores on 1 February 2008. They are the first Australian music group to have their own shoe.
Hilltop Hoods Initiative
In 2005 the annual 'Hilltop Hoods Initiative' was established in association with Arts SA, made possible by a donation from the Hilltop Hoods.
Valued at $5000 (originally $3000), the Hilltop Hoods initiative helped young and emerging South Australian hiphop artists to manufacture and distribute a
CD. The initiative also included two mentorship sessions with Hilltop Hoods' (previous)Manager, PJ Murton.
The initiative recognises the important role South Australian Government assistance played in the development of the careers of the Hilltop Hoods.
Recipients so far include
- 2 piece General Knowledge in 2005
- Solo artist Subsketch, also in 2006
- Solo artist Jimblah in 2007
- Solo artist K21 in 2008
Discography
Albums
- A Matter of Time
- Independent (1999)
- Left Foot, Right Foot
- Independent (2001)
- The Calling
- Obese (7 October, 2003) AUS #53 (Platinum)
- The Hard Road
- Obese (1 April, 2006) AUS #1 (Platinum)
- The Hard Road Restrung
- Obese (12 May, 2007) AUS #8 (Gold)
- State of the Art
- Golden Era (12 June 2009) AUS #1 (Platinum)
EPs
- Back Once Again
- Independent (1997)
Singles
Note that songs appear on the
Triple J Hottest 100 chart according to what year the album they were on was released, rather than what year they were released as a single. As it is an annual listing, rather than a continuous chart. Therefore "Dumb Enough" and "The Nosebleed Section" appear on the Triple J Hottest 100 in 2003, rather than 2004.
Name
| Album
| ARIA Singles Chart
| Year released
|
"Testimonial Year"
| The Calling
| -
| 2003
|
"Dumb Enough"
| -
|
"The Nosebleed Section"
| -
|
"Clown Prince"
| The Hard Road
| 19
| 2006
|
"The Hard Road"
| -
|
"What a Great Night"
| -
|
"Chase that Feeling"
| State of the Art
| 8
| 2009
|
"Still Standing"
| -
|
DVDs
- The Calling Live
- (2005)
- The City of Light
- (2007)
Other Collaborations
Aside from their own installments, the Hilltop Hoods have featured on a number of compilation albums, including
Obesecity
and
Culture of Kings Vol. 1 & 2
, and have collaborated with Australian hip hop scene musicians including
Koolism,
Mass MC,Crossbred Mongrels,
Pegz,
Muph,
Funkoars,
Headlock,
MC Layla,
Hyjak and
DJ Bonez. The Hilltop Hoods were also recently featured on the Cunninlynguists album Strange Journey Volume One on the track "Nothing But Strangeness" which features the Lynguists Kno, Deacon the Villain, and Natti, with Looptroop Rockers and the Hilltop Hoods.
References
- List of ARIA award winners
- Pyramid Rock Festival 2007
Hilltop Hoods, Grinspoon, The Cat Empire, You Am I, Sneaky Sound System, The Matches (USA), People Under The Stairs(Usa), Cog, Blue King Brown, Kora (NZ), Kisschasy, The Audreys, Howling Bells @ Phillip Island Nature Park
- Hilltop Hoods: Pressure in the Hilltop Hood
- The J Award 2006
- Pyramid Rock Festival 2007
Hilltop Hoods, Grinspoon, The Cat Empire, You Am I, Sneaky Sound System, The Matches (USA), People Under The Stairs(Usa), Cog, Blue King Brown, Kora (NZ), Kisschasy, The Audreys, Howling Bells @ Phillip Island Nature Park
- wearing Hilltop Hoods
- Hilltop Hoods interview
- Hilltop Hoods go ''State of the Art''
- Hilltop Hoods: Chase that Feeling
- ARIA Album Charts 22/06/2009
- Triple J Music News: Hilltop Hoods to headline One Night Stand
- Hottest 100 History
- The J Award 2006
- Hilltop Hoods snaffle up a J Award
- ARIA Awards : History : Winner by Artist : Hilltop Hoods
- Australian music industry night of nights
- Triple J's hottest 100
- Diversity rules the Day! Eclectic Collective nominated for 21st ARIA Awards