Australian Hip Hop Artists Demonstrate Harmony in Diversity on Indonesian Tour

The Australian Embassy is proud to present the Hip Hop Is Harmony in Diversity Tour by some of Australia’s most prominent young hip hop talent, including artists from Muslim and Indigenous Australian backgrounds.

As part of the Australian Embassy’s month-long cultural festival OzFest 2010 (from 17 September to 17 October 2010), and following performances at the recent Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, the Australian artists are touring three locations in Indonesia performing and collaborating with local and international artists.

The Australian artists include rapper and poet Omar Musa, Muslim hip hop artists Jehad Dabab, Moustafa Dabab, Hesham Habibullah and Timur Bakan from The Brothahood and DJ Jay Tee from Indigenous hip hop group The Last Kinection. Sydney based US artist MiGHTY JOE will also accompany the group.

They have toured Surabaya and will travel to Yogyakarta to perform at local arts space Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardja (PSBK) tonight hosted by Kua Etnika and Jogja Hip Hop. They will then travel to Jakarta (15-17 October) to perform and collaborate with Indonesian artists JFlow and Saykoji at fX lifestyle X’nter Mall Senayan on 15 October and with JFlow at Bibliotheque on 16 October.

Omar Musa is a spoken word artist who has made his mark as a performance poet and hip hop artist in Australia. He won the Australian National Poetry Slam in 2008. The Brothahood are made up of Australian rappers born to migrant parents who use hip hop to overcome stereotypes and misconceptions and motivate Muslim youth to be proud of their faith. They have created a new theme to the Australian hip hop scene whilst still maintaining hip hop’s core essence. The Last Kinection are an Australian Indigenous hip-hop group from Newcastle formed in 2006 by DJ Jay Tee, Joel Wenitong and Naomi Wenitong. MiGHTY JOE is a Sydney based lyricist and producer who with experience and success in freestyle battles has focused on creating original music.

The Australian hip hop artists come to Indonesia with important messages about Australia’s cultural diversity and multiculturalism. These visits have been funded by the Australian Government, through the Australia International Cultural Council (AICC) - Australia’s key cultural diplomacy body in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Media Enquiries:
Sanchi Davis, Cultural Attaché mob. 0811 936 302