Album Review: Various Artists - Official - The Best Of Australian Hip Hop Vol 1

This compilation is neither a label showcase, nor a celebration of up-and-coming talent, nor a sampler put together raise funds for a disaster. This is Nate Flagrant putting together a list of rap songs that he thinks are the best to come out of this country. A fine and original idea. The execution of it, though, is a jarring experience.

So what's the problem with putting the best Australian rap songs together in one place? Well, firstly and most importantly, Flagrant's standards are low. 1200 Techniques' Karma – barely acceptable a decade ago, and pointless now – can only serve as an illustration of How Far We Have Come (And How Little We Want To Go Back). Perhaps most offensive to those of us who feel that there is a legitimate 'best of' in Australian rap, is the inclusion of party-dampeners Butterfingers and their track Get Up Outta The Dirt. Awful. Drapht's Rapunzel, Seth Sentry's The Waitress Song, 360… The list goes on. These are songs maniacally embraced by some, and those folk are likely to own them already, and carefully avoided by the rest. Worst: they detract from the excellence surrounding them. The Herd's 2020, with its searing first verse, remains incredible. A track from Pegz's 2005 classic Axis is always welcome. Heaps Good by Muph & Plutonic is pitch perfect a decade on. The presence of Astronomy Class is pleasing too.

There is a canon. Australian rap now has a rich, varied back catalogue available for someone to dive into and pluck precious gems from. But Flagrant has made a mess of it with this. More's the pity.