15 Blak Artists You Should Be Listening To Right Now

Supporting Blak voices and discovering a bunch of new music? What a win.

1. Baker Boy

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Music is a powerful way to spread language and culture — and that's a big part of Baker Boy's ethos. Growing up in the Arnhem Land communities of Milingimbi and Maningrida, Baker Boy — real name Danzal Baker — has become known for performing original hip hop songs incorporating both English and Yolŋu Matha. In doing this, Baker Boy hopes to inspire the young people in his community to chase their dreams, while being "proud, strong and not ashamed".

Songs like "Cool As Hell", "Meditjin" and "Cloud Nine" have dominated the air waves and resulted in Baker Boy winning the National Indigenous Music Award for Artist Of The Year and being named Australian Of The Year in 2019.

Follow and support Baker Boy on Instagram, Spotify and his Linktree.

2. Thelma Plum

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No doubt you've heard of Thelma Plum, the young Gamilaraay woman who has been making a huge impact on the Australian music scene. Her debut album —Better In Blak — was released in 2019 and is a moving proclamation of identity and healing, with many songs dedicated to her experiences as an Aboriginal woman. For example, the title track references the significant online abuse Plum faced after she accused a member of a Sydney band of racial harassment in 2016. Meanwhile, other songs like "Homecoming Queens" reflects on the lack of Indigenous representation in the media and how this warped Plum's perception of beauty when she was growing up.

It's no wonder that Plum's emotion and honesty has translated into success, with Better In Blak being nominated for Album Of The Year at the Arias and Film Clip Of The Year at the National Indigenous Music Awards.

Follow and support Plum on Instagram, Spotify and her Linktree.

3. Briggs

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To put it simply, Briggs has become the voice of a generation. As a powerhouse rapper, he has helped usher in a new wave of Australian hip hop that is both outspoken and brutally honest in its coverage of issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. His lyrical storytelling in songs like "Bad Apples" touch on his experiences of race, identity and privilege as a Yorta Yorta man, who grew up in the small town of Shepparton, Victoria.

But Briggs isn't just a singer — he's also found success as the founder of Bad Apples Music, a record label which has signed several First Nations hip hop artists. And if that's not impressive enough, Briggs has also appeared in TV series, like Black Comedy, Cleverman and The Weekly With Charlie Pickering and authored Our Home, Our Heartbeat — a celebration of Blak culture, which is adapted from his song, "The Children Came Back".

Follow and support Briggs on Instagram, Spotify and his Linktree.

4. A.B. Original

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The music style of A.B. Original (Always Black, Original) has been described as a "necessary shock to the system", which is no surprise, considering the overtly political nature of their songs. Made up of Briggs and Trials (real name Daniel Rankine, who is a Ngarrindjeri man), the hip hop duo are perhaps best known for their album, Reclaim Australia — which was released in 2017, but still has relevance today. For example, "Report To The Mist" touches on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody, while "Call 'Em Out" highlights the need to stand up to racism.

Follow and support A.B. Original on Instagram and Spotify.

5. Emily Wurramara

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If you haven't yet heard of Emily Wurramara, she is certainly one to watch. Hailing from Groote Eylandt — an island off the coast of the Northern Territory, which is home to the Warnindhilyagwa people, Wurramara beautifully weaves in stories of her childhood and Aboriginal culture.

Singing in both Anindilyakwa and English, Wurramara's songs reach deep into the heart, giving listeners a better insight into the contrasting worlds of Groote Eylandt and mainland Australia (Wurramara is now based in Brisbane). Her Aria-nominated album, Milyakburra — which was named after the island her ancestors came from — does an excellent job of this. For example, "Ngarrukwujenama (I’m hurting)" was written in response to mining on her island home. On singing about issues like this, as well as her cultural roots, Wurramara hopes to "inspire and empower members of her community, especially young Indigenous women".

Follow and support Emily Wurramara on Instagram and Spotify.

6. Ziggy Ramo

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Politically-charged rhymes and provocative themes are just some of the tools used by Ziggy Ramo to address the silenced injustices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Just recently, he dropped Black Thoughts, an album that was written five years ago, but helped him heal during a dark period of his life. Across 16 powerful songs, Ramo exposes the systems which have oppressed First Nations people, while detailing his own life experiences. Considering the growing importance of the Bla(c)k Lives Matter movement, the album couldn't have dropped at a better time, which is exactly why Ramo chose to release it.

Follow and support Ziggy Ramo on Instagram, Spotify and his Linktree.

7. Kardajala Kirridarra

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An important voice in the Australian music scene is Kardajala Kirridarra. Translating to "sandhill women", this all-female collaboration hailing from the Marlinja and Kulumindini communities pays tribute to language, culture and family with songs inspired by their ever-changing connection to the land. For example, "Abala Barlawa (Everything Was At Peace)" deals with the emotion that comes from your country being destroyed and changed by the arrival of the white man, while "Two Worlds Collide" touches on a young First Nations woman and her connection to both the traditional and modern world.

Follow and support Kardajala Kirridarra on Instagram, Spotify and their Linktree.

8. Phillip "Philly" Murray

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Phillip "Philly" Murray has one clear mission — to give back to his community through his music and storytelling. Ultimately, he wants to be a role model for the next generation — which is why he doesn't swear in his songs — because "That's how our culture survives. That's how we've been living for many, many years; passing on knowledge...and teaching them, so they can pass it on."

His music clearly passes on this message, with "Brown Skin" championing everything about Blak culture, including the respect for the strong and powerful Wemba Wemba women he grew up with.

Follow and support Philly on Instagram and Spotify.

9. Alice Skye

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Weaving stories of identity and purpose through her music is Alice Skye, an immensely talented Wegaia and Wemba Wemba woman. She first gained attention with her debut single, "You Are The Mountains", which featured phrases of the Wegaian language as a homage to her heritage and late father. Skye followed this up with a deeply intimate album, Friends With Feelings, which won Triple J Unearthed's National Indigenous Music Award and firmly cemented her place in the Australian music industry.

And as a bonus, the cover artwork for the album was illustrated by Aretha Brown, an artist, activist and the former prime minister of the National Indigenous Youth Parliament.

Follow and support Alice Skye on Instagram, Spotify and her Linktree.

10. Birdz

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There's no shortage of talent when it comes to Nathan Bird, or Birdz. A full-time rapper and part-time support worker for Link-Up Victoria, this proud Murri man is all about breaking barriers with uncensored, authentic honesty. His music follows this same thought process, with his LP, Train Of Thought, giving an excellent, in-depth examination of Blak Australia — including his experiences growing up in a small town. Birdz followed this up with his EP, Place Of Dreams, which is something that everyone should listen to at least once.

Follow and support Birdz on Instagram, Spotify and his Linktree.

11. DENNI

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DENNI is the collaborative efforts between Denni Proctor — a proud Palawa woman living in Tasmania — and Jamin Pariyar. They blend acoustic material with electronic elements to create a unique sound that allows them to contribute to the "universal language of many stories".

Follow and support DENNI on Instagram, Facebook and their Triple J Unearthed page.

12. Kuren

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A descendant of the Wiradjuri people, Kuren — real name Curtis Kennedy — is an electronic music producer that has been making music since he was 14 years old. Cultivating that, he released his debut album, Melting Conceptually, in 2018, which was praised for its emotive storytelling. He's also worked closely alongside the local community, contributing music for SBS's My Grandmother's Lingo, a documentary about preserving Indigenous languages, and Blak box, an art installation that embraced the power of listening in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

Follow and support Kuren on Instagram and Spotify.

13. Mo'Ju

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Being a queer women of colour who has both Filipino and Wiradjuri roots, Mo'Ju — real name Mojo Ruiz de Luzuriage — is a breath of fresh air in the industry. Her music has resonated with so many Australians and that's because it touches on the universal themes of family history and how it can inform one's identity.

In an interview with SBS's The Feed, Mo'Ju further explained how her songwriting process is a "huge part of keeping oral traditions alive". This can be seen in her award-winning album, Native Tongue, which touches on cultural loss, racism, colonialism and displacement.

Follow and support Mo'Ju on Instagram and Spotify.

14. DRMNGNOW

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Forward-thinking and evocative is the perfect way to sum up DRMNGNOW (pronounced Dreaming Now) — a project led by Yorta Yorta rapper and producer, Neil Morris, which aims to "empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, while giving white Australians pause for thought".

Topics like colonisation, culture, country and the trauma that comes with living as a Blak person in Australia are all covered, through the mixing of traditional R&B elements and experimental hip hop. Speaking about his work, Morris has said that many of his tracks — like "Ancestors" or "Australia Doesn't Exist" weren't written as protest songs, but with the intention of healing, empowering and raising awareness for people.

Follow and support DRMNGNOW on Instagram and Spotify.

15. KAIIT

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With sassy R&B melodies and a bold aesthetic to boot, KAIIT — full name Kaiit Bellamia Waup — is one badass woman who has ignited the Australian music scene. Taking inspiration from her Gunditjmara, Torres Strait Islander and Papua New Guinean background, KAIIT's tracks are all about reassuring her listeners that they are not alone. Her debut album, Live From Her Room, touched on this, by giving listeners an introduction to her story, personal experiences and how she became comfortable in her own skin.

KAIIT's songs have already had success in the industry, with "Miss Shiney" winning an Aria in 2019 for Best Soul/R&B Release. In her acceptance speech, she said she wanted to use her position as an Aboriginal woman to "send messages of guidance" through her music.

Follow and support KAIIT on Instagram and Spotify.

What other Blak artists are you listening to? Add your faves in the comments below so everyone can support them!