N’fa

photo by boudist.com

N’fa – ‘Universal King (Left Right Left)’

It’s a momentous day for Who The Bloody Hell Are They – our first hip-hop blog! Though you overseas folk may not know, there is actually a booming Aussie hip-hop scene, and I’m sure many of the acts will be blogged about in the near future.

N’fa started his career in a hip-hop outfit called 1200 Techniques, who released two LPs – Choose One & Consistency Theory – before “going on hiatus” in 2005 after 5 years together.  1200 Techniques’ breakthrough hit was the track ‘Karma’ which entered the Top 40 charts in Australia, and had a great film clip which won Best Video at the 2002 ARIA Awards (the Australian equivalent of the Grammys).

So while 1200 are on “hiatus”, N’fa gathered some of his mates together including Roots Manuva, Mr Yoshiaki from the Black Eyed Peas, DJ Peril and the Deceptikonz and made his debut solo record, Cause An Effect.  While 1200 Techniques were more of a live hip-hop act, incorporating guitars and (I think) sometimes drums (someone will correct me if I’m wrong), Cause An Effect is more of a straight-up hip-hop release.  In typical Aussie hip-hop fashion, it contains a lot of solid grooves and the Australian lyrical flavour.  Some of this album I really dig, other tracks I’m not so sold on – it’s probably a bit long and can get a tad repetitive, but then again I’m not the world’s biggest hip-hop fan.  However, I love ‘Universal King (Left Right Left)’ – it’s got that great groove and you’ll be singing “left, right, left” for hours.

http://www.nfamusic.net
http://www.myspace.com/nfamusic