Aboriginalhiphopandidentity:LocalKnowledgesBlackfellas

AnnaHushEgerton
Blackfellas,releasedbyAboriginalhiphopgroupLocalKnowledgeonPropaganda
Recordsin2005,isadefiantassertionofcontemporary,urbanAboriginality.Here,I
explorethemeaningofAustralianhiphopwithinaglobalsociopoliticalcontext,and
arguethatBlackfellasisanexpressionofAboriginalitythatchallengeshegemonicand
imposednarrativesthroughitsevocationoftraditionalAboriginalcultures,
sovereigntyoverlandandpositiveengagementwithyoungAboriginalpeople.Local
Knowledgedrawuponthetropesofhiphoptosubvertmainstreamrepresentationsof
Aboriginalcultureasprimitive,staticanddysfunctional.
HiphopemergedasagenreintheBronxinthe1970s,givingvoicetoyoungAfrican
AmericanandLatin@communities.Facingunemployment,crime,incarcerationand
drugepidemics,hiphopprovidedaplatformfordisenfranchisedyoungpeopleto
expresstheirfrustrationbothvocallyandphysically,throughthetechniquesof
emceeing,bboying,samplingandbeatboxing.Thetropesofhiphopwereshapedby
thelimitationsofthetechnologyavailabletothesegroups,aswellasthespecific
politicalandculturalconcernsoftheghetto.However,ashiphopbegantospread
aroundtheglobeintheearly1980s,itcametotranscenditsinitialspecificity,
extendingavoicetoothercommunitieswithcomparableexperiencesofracism,
povertyandvariousotherformsofoppression.SujathaFernandeswrites,exactlythis
localspecificityemergedaskeyintheglobalspreadofhiphop.Hiphopwasshaping
alanguagethatallowedyoungpeopletonegotiateapoliticalvoiceforthemselvesin
theirsocieties(Fernandes2011:4).YoungAboriginalfolkinAustraliasawtheir
strugglesreflectedinthethemesofAmericanhiphop,andrecogniseditasan
effectiveandrelevantplatformtoexpresstheirexperiencesofoppressionwithina
cultureoferasivecolonialideologies.
Ifhiphoppresentsasubordinate,subalternorsubterraneanyouthculturewhich
definesitselfinoppositiontothenormal,averageanddominant,itformsanideal
spaceforselfdeterminedrepresentationsofAboriginality(Thornton1995:5).Local

KnowledgesBlackfellasdrawsuponthetropesofhiphoptoconstructanimageof
contemporaryAboriginality,challengingmainstreamconceptionsofwhatitmeansto
beanAboriginalAustralian.ThreekeyaspectsofthisvisionofAboriginalityare
presentedinthesong:thecontinuitybetweenancestralculturesandthepresentday,
sovereigntyoverland,andapositiveengagementwithyoungAboriginalfolk.
LocalKnowledgesynthesiseselementsfromtraditionalAboriginalculturesandthe
contemporaryformandtechniquesofhiphoptoconveyacontinuitybetweenthe
past,presentandfutureofAboriginalculture.Thelyricinthesecondverse,this
cultureinmyveinsgotmefeelingsostrongwhenIslaponmyochre,beginto
danceexpressestheirprideinAboriginalheritage.Referencestotraditionalpractices
suchasochrepainting,andthelyricsinlanguageafterthisverse,suggestthat
retentionofprecontactcultureplaysanimportantroleinshapingtherapperssense
ofidentity.AsMickDodsonwrites,we,theAboriginalpeoples,arealreadya
retellingofthepastinallexpressionsofourAboriginality,werepossessourpast,
andourselves(Dodson1994:10).Confrontingadominantculturethatoftendenies
theexistenceofprecontactAboriginalcultures,LocalKnowledgeaffirmtheirown
connectiontothepastwiththeembodimentoftraditionalknowledgeandpractices.
Incorporatingtheflowsandbeatsofhiphop,thegroupbringthesetraditionsintoa
contemporarysetting,reflectingtheiraimofteachingalltheculturalknowledgeina
waythatsappealingtoyoungfellas(Wenitong2005).
Thesongalsocontainsanumberofreferencestosovereigntyandthegroups
connectiontocountryinanurbancontext.Theyrap,whothefuckamI,whereyou
thinkImfrom?Takealookatthisland,itswhereIbelong.Respondingtothe
continualdenialoflandrightsandthedoctrineofterranullius,thegroupproclaim
withpridetheirsenseofbelongingtotheland.ThevideoclipisfilmedontheBlock,
Redfern,ahistoricalsiteofurbanAboriginalcultureandthesiteofpresentstruggles
overownershipofland.ReleasedonlyayearaftertheRedfernRiotsof2004,theclip
makesexplicitreferencetothepolicemurderofTJHickey,withoneofthehouses
displayingaTJposterinthewindow.Inchoosingthislocationfortheirclip,Local
Knowledgesituatethemselvesdeliberatelytoproclaimthestrengthandresilienceof

urbanAboriginalcommunities.Theyaffirmtheexistenceofcontemporary
Aboriginality,challengingthenotionthatAboriginalidentityisprimitiveor
essentiallylinkedtolivinginremoteareas.AsBronwynFrederickswrites,when
Indigenouspeopleliveinacityortownwedontbecomeanylessoranymore
indigenous(Fredericks2013:5).Thegroupthusratifythecomplex,layerednatureof
AboriginalityandthepossibilityofbeingsimultaneouslyanAboriginalperson,living
inanurbanlocalityandmaintainingaconnectiontotheland.
Finally,thesongchallengesmainstreamrepresentationsofAboriginalyouthand
declarethestrengthanddignityofyoungAboriginalpeople.Inthelastverse,thelyric
Iwasblackatschoolwhenitwasnotcool/saidthecolourofmyskinmademea
fooldenouncesthestereotypeofAboriginalyouthasunintellectualtruants.Drawing
ontheelementsoflandrightsandheritage,thegroupconstructapositivemessagefor
Aboriginalyouth:theyrap,toalltheyoungproudmob,dontshownofear.
BlackfellasseekstoempoweryoungAboriginalpeople,engagingthemthroughthe
musicallanguageofhiphopandthemessagesofpride,strengthandculturalsurvival
embeddedinthesongslyrics.Hiphopisthusemployedasatooltosustainkinship
tiesacrossgenerations.
Thekeythemesofthesong,oftraditionalcultures,connectiontolandandkinship
betweenyoungandoldAboriginalfolk,aresynthesisedwiththecontemporarytropes
ofhiphoptocreateadynamic,empoweringexpressionofAboriginality.Blackfellas
representsanimportantactofselfdefinition,challenginghegemonicnarrativesof
Aboriginalityasprimitive,staticanddysfunctional,andrenewingthetraditions,
knowledgeandprideinherentinAboriginalcultures.

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Workscited
Blackfellas,2005,onBlackfellasEP,PropagandaRecords,Sydney.Writtenand
performedbyLocalKnowledge.
Dodson,M.(1994)TheWentworthLecture.Theendinthebeginning:re(de)finding
Aboriginality.AboriginalAustralianStudies1:pp.213.
Fernandes,S.(2011)ClosetotheEdge:InSearchoftheGlobalHipHopGeneration.
Brooklyn:VersoBooks.
Fredericks,B.(2013)Wedontleaveouridentitiesatthecitylimits:Aboriginaland
TorresStraitIslanderpeoplelivinginurbanlocalities.AustralianAboriginal
Studies,1:pp.416.
Thornton,S.(1995)ClubCultures:Music,MediaandSubculturalCapital.London:
PolityPress.
WenitongJ.,WrightA.,WrightW.(2005)InterviewedbyTonyMitchellforLocal
Noise,12August.Availableat<http://www.localnoise.net.au/site
directory/interviews/localknowledge/>