Music
8 Perth rappers to watch
These are the hip-hop, rap and R&B stars making Perth and the rest of Western Australia proud -- from Shadow to Mali Jose and beyond.
For a look at names setting the hip-hop agenda this year, Red Bull rounded up 20 of the Australian rappers ruling 2023. Today, we’re zooming in even further and looking at the Perth artists doing big things.
Some of them are a few years into the game, others just dropped their first single. They're all exceptionally talented and destined for greatness, so read on to meet WA's finest.
Mali Jose
After warming up with a few years of steady releases, Mali Jose unlocked a new level in 2022 with the big success of his Sunseeker EP, which gave us the tracks Interventions and Clouds. The Fremantle-based talent also spent the year kicking some live show goals, supporting Baker Boy on tour and taking the stage at Listen Out. Now after starting 2023 strong with the Kobie Dee collaboration NEVA THAT – and with a new EP arriving soon – we think Mali is poised to break all the way through this year.
What to watch: Interventions, the track that clocked up a quarter of a million Spotify streams.
And Beyond
Why they matter: We love the Caribbean flavour to the music of And Beyond, who have quietly been at work on some Australia’s most exciting new music over in Perth. The hip-hop duo – comprising of rapper Insane the Prince and producer ZYTGYST – have put out a pair of strong singles in the last few months, both of which blend reggae and rap and show off Insane the Prince’s breakneck-speed flow. They’ve got a new EP coming in early 2023, which ought to do big things. Don’t sleep on And Beyond.
What to watch: The dark and dastardly Dungeons.
Shadow
Shadow is one of Australia's best new rap talents. But don’t take our word for it -- he’ll tell you himself.
“I see myself on top in two years,” the Durban-born, Perth-based talent told us in no uncertain terms when he stepped up for Red Bull 64 Bars in 2021. “I’m going to keep grinding until it happens. I’m not gonna stop ... I was meant for this. I was built for it.”
Shadow has no shortage of bravado but it’s all part of his charm. Since signing with Golden Era Records, the label started by local hip-hop titans Hilltop Hoods, the 24-year-old has proven how hard he goes in the booth on singles like Russell Coight and Relocate. After wowing us in 2022 with a feature on Huskii’s big debut album Antihero, we think he might be poised to reach "the top" ahead of schedule.
Whattowatch: Shadow’s Red Bull 64 Bars, to see his energetic flow in action.
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Shadow Red Bull 64 Bars
South African-born talent Shadow says he was "built" for rap. Watch him in the booth for Red Bull's 64 Bars.
Jaycee
Singer, rapper, producer and multi-instrumentalist: Jaycee wears a lot of hats. The Perth quadruple-threat has been hard at work in the booth for a few years now, tackling ambitious projects like dropping a new song every week for 26 weeks back in 2020.
In 2022 he shared a pair of strong singles in Lose Your Cool and 83, both of which feature his signature blend of funk, soul, latino and reggae. He's followed that up in 2023 with the stirring My Power, the sort of song you'd blast before hopping in the ring. And in recent years the Perth-bred talent has become one of the biggest Australian musicians on TikTok, racking up a cool 1.2 million followers. Most impressive, he’s done this all as an independent artist.
With his work ethic, skillset and a huge audience watching his every move, there’s no limit to how high Jaycee can take things.
Whattowatch: The video for super smooth new single 83.
Anesu
Anesu tackled gender and race with poise on the debut singles Black Girl and Crown, which arrived late last year. It’s music written from the heart – Anesu told Pilerats that Black Girl originated as a poem in tribute to their late sibling and was initially performed as part of a speech during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. With hunger, determination and something to say, we’re keen to see what the WA talent does next.
Whattowatch: The bright and bouncy Crown, to see Anesu in action.
Arno Faraji
Arno Faraji has a different energy to many of Australia’s rappers. The Zimbabwean-born talent often weaves his bars over electronic production – see Who Would Have Thought, his 2022 collaboration with dance act Just A Gent – for a sound that’s regularly tropical and synth-soaked but sometimes speeds up for something harder and faster. His versatility and unique approach sets him apart and makes him a truly exciting figure in Australia’s hip-hop scene.
Whattowatch: Bass Jumpin, Faraji’s biggest track.
Dallas Woods
He's not actually from Perth, but we'll bend the rules ever-so-slightly to give Dallas Woods a shoutout. The rapper, dancer and longtime Baker Boy collaborator grew up in Wyndham, a tiny town at the tip of Western Australia best known for its extreme temperatures and Big Croc statue.
Today, though, he's fast becoming one of the biggest things in Australian hip-hop. Woods' songs tackle the big stuff -- the justice system, racial stereotyping -- with skill, smarts and determination.
Whattowatch: His Red Bull 64 Bars, to see Dallas Woods' incredible flow in action.
Kayps
Kayps has a big supporter on his side in triple j. The station named him one of their Unearthed High artists for 2021 and listed him as a First Nations rapper to watch in their recent New Hitters special.
It's not hard to see why the broadcaster is getting behind the Walmatjarri and Bunuba artist -- his incredible breakneck speed flow is something many rappers spend years cultivating, but Kayps is only 18-years-old. Big things are coming.
Whattowatch: The 2021 single Nuisance, to see just how fast Kayps spits those bars.
