Australian hip hop

Australian hip hop traces its origins to the early 1980s and is largely inspired by hip hop and other predominantly African-American musical genres from the United States. As the form matured, Australian hip hop has become a commercially viable style of music that is no longer restricted to the creative underground, with artists such as 1200 Techniques, Kerser, Manu Crooks, Briggs, Baker Boy, Koolism, Hilltop Hoods and Bliss n Eso achieving notable fame. Australian hip-hop is still primarily released through independent record labels, which are often owned and operated by the artists themselves. Despite its genesis as an offshoot of American hip hop, Australian hip hop has developed a distinct personality that reflects its evolution as an Australian musical style.