Emerging hip hop artist Ziggy today unveils an incredibly powerful three-track EP, Black Thoughts, depicting an insightful experience into race relations in modern Australia. It comes at a time when Indigenous rapper Beni Bjah recently took home the top gong at last weekend's WAM Song Of The Year Awards for his track Survivor - another track that delves into racist themes. Ziggy's style, with help on production duties from WA-based beatsmiths JCAL and Palace, conveys a golden-era style of hip hop, with clean beats underlying potent lyrical content. Growing up in remote Arnhem Land, regional NSW, Sydney and Perth and with family connections in Far North Queensland, Ziggy tackles the many silenced injustices of Indigenous Australians, drawing influence from the likes of Yaslin Bey (Mos Def), Lauryn Hill and Kendrick (there's several references to the rapper throughout this release), along with actiivists like Charlie Perkins and Adam Goodes.
With soundbytes like John Howard denying Aboriginal genocide and track titles like White Lies, Black Thoughts has a lot to say, refreshing in its honesty and aggression, and it's essential listening:
