Music
14 Sydney rappers ruling 2021
From Pistol Pete & Enzo to Pricie and Planet Vegeta, say hello to the hip-hop, rap and R&B stars ruling Sydney's thriving music scene right now.
Earlier this year, we rounded up 21 of the Australian rappers ruling 2021. Today, we’re drilling down even further and focussing on the Sydney artists doing big things.
In previous years, we've shouted out the likes of One Four, Hooligan Hefs and Triple One as the names running the Harbour City. But with so much bubbling up around the country, today we’re turning our attention to the fast-risers who’ve just broken through -- or are about to.
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 the Sydney rappers doing our city proud.
Youngn Lipz
Drill isn’t the only thing coming out of Sydney’s Western Suburbs right now. With the mammoth success of his debut track ‘Misunderstood’, Cabramatta son Youngn Lipz proved there’s a big appetite for smooth, heartfelt R&B in the ‘burbs.
Since ‘Misunderstood’ introduced him to the world in 2019, YL has been busy proving both his talent and work ethic -- dropping another four singles as well as stopping by for a guest verse on S1MBA’s big ‘Rover’ remix in the space of around nine months. With a start this strong, we can’t wait to see how big YL can take things in 2021.
What to watch: The seriously smooth ‘Say It’.
Barkaa
Barkaa only began putting out music in 2020 but already, she’s turning the right heads. Hip-hop tastemaker Hau Latukefu named the proud Malyangapa, Barkindji rapper one to watch and Jimblah dubbed her track 'For My Tittas' “Blak greatness” in our round-up of the most underrated Australian hip-hop tracks ever. Not bad for someone only a year into their career.
Watch to watch: ‘For My Tittas’, Barkaa’s powerful debut single.
Kapulet
He’s only a couple of songs in, but we’re confident Kapulet is poised for big things. The Mount Druitt rapper dropped his debut single ‘Phone My Line’ in August and watched it immediately blow up, racking up over a quarter of a million views in its first few weeks.
Kapulet runs with the OneFour crew -- the group’s Spenny has a guest verse on ‘Phone My Line’ -- but rather than drill, he makes melodic, Afroswing-infused jams. Kapulet says he’s got a new song with OneFour’s J Emz “in the bag”, so watch this space.
What to watch: The irrepressibly catchy new single ‘Same Ones’.
Tasman Keith
He proudly hails from Bowraville but Tasman Keith is settled in Sydney now, so we’re claiming him for the purposes of this list.
As a kid, Tasman moved between the city and the country as his dad -- legendary rapper Wire MC -- chased music dreams of his own. In Bowraville, Tasman crowded into the small town’s lone music studio with his cousins, where he’d stay for hours recording rhymes and posting them to SoundCloud. That dedication paid off: today, Tasman is a formidable voice in hip-hop, packing the triple threat of raw talent, clever lyricism and puffed-chest bravado.
After sharing his incendiary 64 Bars and To Whom It May Concern EP last year, Tasman kicked off 2021 by supporting Midnight Oil on tour -- a very high-profile way to return to the stage. With a debut album rumoured to be on the way, things are only about to get even bigger.
What to watch: Tasman's blistering 64 Bars for Red Bull TV.
A.Girl
You might know A.Girl as a vocalist but as Hau Latukefu will tell you, the girl can rap too. The artist born Hinenui-Terangi Tairua takes her cues from the likes of SZA, Jhené Aiko and Jorja Smith, gliding gracefully between R&B, pop and hip-hop. After announcing her talents with a pair of releases in 2019, last year she came back with her strongest track yet in the super slick ‘Lola’. We have it on good authority that she has even bigger things coming for 2021, so watch this space.
What to watch: A.Girl’s killer 2020 single ‘Lola’.
Kwame
Back in 2016, A$AP Ferg picked Kwame out of the crowd at Sydney’s Metro Theatre to freestyle, an opportunity the then-teenage talent did not squander. Since that fateful encounter, Kwame has kept climbing: his first EP in 2017 shot him onto the radar of hip-hop tastemakers, he leveled up his lyricism with a string of releases in 2018, then returned in 2020 for his biggest year yet with a trio of singles and a new EP. Kwame gets better at every turn and we can’t wait to see where he takes things next.
What to watch: ‘Tommy’s in Trouble’, one of Kwame’s excellent 2020 releases.
Masked Wolf
Masked Wolf has just hit a milestone few artists ever do. In March, the Sydney-based rapper earned his first Billboard number one, claiming the top spot on the Emerging Artists chart.
The track he’s done it with is the bass-driven hip-hop joint ‘Astronaut in the Ocean’, which was originally released in 2019 but has recently taken on a new life -- clocking up 180 million plays on Spotify and 70 million on YouTube in the first couple of months of the year. That runaway success has seen Masked Wolf sign with Warner Music, positioning him for a huge 2021.
What to watch: ‘Astronaut in the Ocean’, the track that’s sent the name Masked Wolf viral.
Sydney Yungins
Sydney Yungins have started 2021 strong -- already, they’ve pulled in four million Spotify streams on the anthem-in-wait ‘Eshays’. Big numbers are getting standard for the ‘21 area trio, who’ve been shaking up the lad rap scene since they started releasing music in late 2019. By fusing beats that move between drill and house party hip-hop with perfectly-adlay bars referencing Nike TNs and goon bags, Sydney Yungins have taken an underground subculture to new heights.
What to watch: ‘Eshays’, the trio’s big 2021 single.
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Pricie
Just one release in, it’s already clear that Pricie is a name you need to know. The now Melbourne-based vocalist and rapper’s debut tune ‘Too Dang Good’ oozes bravado and effortless cool, with Pricie’s rhymes set to a beat from local production gun Lucianblomkamp. Signed by Sweat It Out, rated by triple j and already nailing that intersection of hip-hop and R&B, we see big things on the horizon here.
What to watch: ‘Too Dang Good’, Pricie’s casually cool introduction to the world.
Planet Vegeta
Funk basslines, soulful melodies and electronic production collide in the smooth, R&B-flavoured hip-hop that Planet Vegeta make. The Western Sydney-bred trio released their debut single in late 2019 and leveled up this year with their first EP, the irrepressibly catchy Letters To Chi-Chi. We love the music; bonus points for the name.
What to watch: The effortlessly cool ‘Sailor Moon’.
Pistol Pete & Enzo
Hip-hop duo Pistol Pete & Enzo have a flow that just seems to work together -- which, given they’re brothers, makes sense. The Western Sydney sons rapped solo growing up, joining forces in 2017 to start putting out official releases. With the backing of powerhouse label Biordi Music (home of Youngn Lipz) and a run of big tracks under their belt, the pair look set to take things to even higher in 2021.
What to watch: 2020’s ‘Out The Vault’, to see their uncompromising flow in action.
Jacey
There’s a Big Skepta Energy to ‘What’s Good’, the coolly assured hip-hop hit Jaecy made waves with last year. Whether you know him from that UK-inspired track or ‘Repeat’, his big 2019 collaboration with Pistol Pete & Enzo, it’s clear the Bankstown-bred rapper has what it takes. Stay tuned for his inevitable 2021 domination.
What to watch: ‘What’s Good’, for the perfect introduction to Jaecy’s vibe.
Bally Boy
Biordi Music is the Western Sydney hip-hop label home to Youngn Lipz and Pistol Pete & Enzo. It’s also behind newcomer Bally Boy, who’s already amassed over a million streams on his November 2020 release ‘All Out’. Since then, Bally Boy’s dropped two more big tracks to kick off 2021, both of which showcase his innate flow and breezy charisma. It’s a strong start for the Auburn-raised talent and we can’t wait to see where Bally Boy takes it from here.
What to watch: ‘All Out’, the track that introduced Bally Boy to the world.
The Kid LAROI
You’d be hard pressed to find a local artist who had bigger 2020 than The Kid LAROI.
The Redfern-bred rapper has spent past few months conquering the US charts -- first his track ‘Go’ placed at #23 on the US Billboard charts in June, then he soared all the way to #8 with his debut mixtape F*CK LOVE in August. Not counting Iggy Azalea, it’s the highest an Australian hip-hop artist has ever placed on the Billboard charts.
He’s also amassed over 100 million streams in the US already and charted in the UK, too. The kicker? LAROI’s only seventeen. We can't wait to see where he takes things in 2021.
What to watch: LARIO's hit ‘Go’, a collaboration with the late Juice WRLD. 20 million views can’t be wrong.
