Four Rappers Who Need to Make Their Live Debut Down Under

There is no doubt that Australia has a fast-growing hip hop (and all its subgenres) following when you look at the stats. 

In a hungry online generation yearning for intimate connection, live music is becoming an integral part of our social culture. With all the huge reunion and throwback tours we’ve been graced with lately, we thought we’d look at some of the more contemporary legends who need to head Down Under.

In 2022, New York-based research firm Luminate learned that more than 80% of Australians stream audio and video content and found that we are 39% more likely than Americans to use it to discover new music. 

It may come as no surprise then that TikTok claims 75% of its global users (600M) get their tunes from the platform’s videos each month. This also speaks to our consumption habits, with Spotify coming close behind at 433M monthly users as of June 2022.

So, if this is how we’re finding our music, what are we actually listening to? A 2022 Music Habits survey by the Victorian Music Development Office (VMDO) considered the listening trends of 2000 Australians and found that pop was, funnily enough, the most popular music genre in the country. 

Interestingly, just 7% said that hip hop or rap was their favourite genre – although it might be worth noting the amount of rap permeating commercial radio in recent years, with genre crossovers like pop, rock and even country.

It seems that we’re also discovering new artists through collaborations with guest rappers. For example, the 2022 Spotify Wrapped Australia Most-Streamed Artists featured Drake at #2 and Kanye West at #5, with The Kid LAROI as the #1 Most-Streamed Local Artist and Hilltop Hoods at #3. Even the Spotify-curated Top 50-Australia playlist features songs from the likes of SZA, Rema, JVKE, Oliver Tree and Miguel.

As it turns out, we also love our homegrown heroes, with local artists gaining worldwide attention and some even becoming household names. Stats.fm shows that the top artists in rap and related genres are Drake (71M followers), Eminem (65M followers), Post Malone (39M followers), Nicki Minaj (27M followers) and Kendrick Lamar (23M followers). The top artists in Australian hip hop are The Kid LAROI (4.2M followers), Iggy Azalea (6.2M followers), Hilltop Hoods (805K followers), Masked Wolf (644K followers) and Bliss n Eso (334K followers).

Recent Polynesian and African influences are seeing emerging artists broaden the local scene to appeal to a wider audience. With names like drill powerhouse ONEFOUR and Afro-soul songstress Sampa the Great making waves, there is a demand for more live shows with diverse lineups. 

The past year has already seen international tours from rap icons Ice Cube, Cypress Hill, Snoop Dogg, D12 and Onyx, as well as Tyler, the Creator headlining Splendour in the Grass 2022 and the recently announced co-headline tour with Wu-Tang Clan and Nas in May.

Whether it’s rap, trap, drill, phonk or old school hip hop, Australian audiences want more. 

We’re discovering more artists every day with music and video streaming and now that the locals have made it to the big leagues, it’s about time that we see some of the best the world has to offer in our own backyard. Get your calendars ready and start hitting their socials to make it happen!

It begs the question: who are some of the biggest rappers yet to make their Australian live debut? Well, you’re in luck because we’ve chosen five artists who need to make the trip Down Under sooner rather than later.

Lil Baby

Next on our list is the Georgia rapper whose mixtape Street Gossip reached #2 on the Billboard 200 and later scored a Kanye feature which won him a Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance.

 If that isn’t enough to catch your attention and crave a tour, then you best get familiar with Lil Baby right now. Yes Indeed!

Megan Thee Stallion

We know, WAP got waaay out of hand, but Megan Thee Stallion is actually really good. 

The Texas rapper got big from her online freestyle videos, in true underground style, before reaching #10 on the Billboard 200 – twice. 

Having since collaborated with the likes of Beyoncé and Doja Cat, it’s a wonder she hasn’t come our way yet.

SXMPRA

A frontrunner in the phonk movement, the New Zealand rapper has garnered a cult following online with his dark '90s trap style. 

With double-time flows and melodic hooks, SXMPRA is about due to bring his ultraviolence to our shores – it’s just across the ditch after all. He even performed in Europe before Australia!

Digga D

Lastly, the London drill rapper may be the least renowned on here but his energy on a track is unmatched. 

Not only has the 22-year-old’s music stirred law enforcement, but Digga D also founded his own record label and reached #1 on the UK Albums Chart with his latest mixtape Noughty by Nature. We won’t STFU until we see his live show!