guests: bias b, lazy grey, len one, bigfoot, seany b, lyrical commission, ken oath.

There are a lot of really dangerous animals in Australia: alligators, spiders, sharks, jellyfish, probably one or two evil kangaroos as well, and even the platypus is poisonous. But to the Australians, that's nothing special, they are simply so used to it, that they don't lose any sleep over it. If you try really hard, and it's quite a stretch, this can be an analogy for the way hip hop works in the Down Under: just because other people like their things jiggy, that doesn't mean that the Australian artists need to do that stuff too. They do their music authentic and in the tradition of what other areas of the world call real, underground or boom bap hip hop. However, that's nothing special to them, and they will not lose any sleep over it that they don't keep it jiggy. At least that's how it seems to the outsider looking in. And speaking of 'authentic', this record right here, is called "The Authentic LP", and it was done by Melbourne's own Brad Strut.

And here you get some of that hip hop that's not picking up the commercial crazes, but that always sounds a little stuck in the styles of ten years ago (check the dope "My Joint" for a typical example), while still mixing it up, and giving it an indistinctive Australian sound. Hence it's mainly the accent (or interludes like "Going Back To Yarrawonga") that lets you know that this was recorded in a place where you can freely pick eucalyptus and cockatoo from the trees. Just in case you got need for any of the two. Hence when we are welcomed, we are welcomed with a happy 'g'day' on "Authentic Intro" and are then listening to Tania explaining what authentic means according to the dictionary. The authenticity is meant to be achieved by talking about several things in a honest and creative way, that's not falling prey to the predictable contents. That goes for the flowing like the Ganges tracks like "A Good Thing" (featuring Bias B, Lazy Grey), "Ceremony Master (8 Bit Mix)" too, with the last one being coupled with a bare beat, that's not likely to take away any of the attention from the lyrics. Going for the upfront braggadocios and dissing, there's "Demolition Derby", where the Lyrical Commission is doing some head first battling. One mentioning in "My Joint" however is no subliminal dissing, as we have learned: when Brad says: "I'm sick of hedz pure, I need the hydro to get cured", it's only a reference to weed, and that Brad likes the hydro better than the pure stuff.

"Love This" is then picking us up and taking us on a ride through several aspects that receive Brad's love, while "Toowong" is resting at one place, with it discussing and reflecting on philosophical content of Brad's, Lazy's and Len's brains. A little less on the Plato side is "Fly Away", that's however still mingling in the same ballpark, as Seany B, Len One and Brad talk about the game that is known to be played in here, but them talking about what they don't like about it. Similar while not is "Intro 01 (Hip Hop, Happiness, Health)", that's talking about the three things, and how to successfully or not combining them. And how Brad is intending to include these necessities in his own life.

Some of the beats are kept bouncy, with "A Good Thing" especially giving us a bob with a sound that's not blatant at all. Very different, but still with the quality to get your booty shacking is the cool "Authentic", that appears to be one of our favorite beats on here. The second cut that gets this attribute is the bare "Demolition Derby", produced by Money$hot Productions, with the third being the magnificent "Fly Away (Jase Remix)". There's plenty of smooth or melancholic beats on here too, while "Every Now And Then" only partly being the latter, as it switches after a previously heard sample, to something more harsh, that was like the majority of the tracks produced by Lazy Grey. Seany B produced "Fly Away", that keeps the drum up front, and coupling it with a relaxed little tune in the back. "Intro 01 (Hip Hop, Happiness, Health)" is one of the more smooth cuts, and it appears to be on of the nicest cuts on here.

As this album would be rather short otherwise, we are treated to three instrumentals at the end of the first three songs of the record. But if you've covered all the basis, there's no need to put anything more on a record. And the same goes for reviews: if you've talked about everything, your time to shut up has come.