Redfern Records Entertainment is looking to bring indigenous hip-hop and urban music into the mainstream.
The record label was formed to help “project the dreams and aspirations of Aboriginal people around Australia,” said label co-founder Stephen Ridgeway.
“Urban Aboriginals and Aboriginals from the bush have the same settings as Afro-Americans, dealing with drug problems, violence, bad health, poor living standards, living in ghettos,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald.
The indigenous hip-hop scene draws on the traditional Aboriginal values of community and sharing through storytelling.
“It’s the same thing we were doing thousands of years ago, but in the modern interpretation,” explained Alice Springs’ J-Dash-P. “Our stories are passed down, whether it’s song and dance or storytelling or music and hip-hop.”
The advent of Redfern Records should encourage more indigenous youths to get involved in music. According to Matt Noffs, who operates the youth urban music initiative Hiphoperations, this can only be a good thing.
“When these young guys and girls, black or white, get up and belt out a rap, you can be sure they’re feeling empowered and ready to live another day with strength,” he said.
Image source: Redfern Records MySpace