Tera 'Belly of tha Beast' Album Review |
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Typically, Australian hip hop was known as predominately party music for the masses. Odes dedicated the virtues of the Aussie BBQ and copious amounts of beer seemed to be in order, rapped in our idiosyncratic style. Overseas was somewhat of a different affair, with both good time party tunes present alongside the political agitation of marginalised communities, who for the most part had used hip hop as a vehicle to speak about the pressures and struggles of their daily life.
Several decades on, the local scene has evolved. New acts have been coming through constantly. It has even got to point in this country that each state has its own definitive scene, with clear contrasts can be found between Queensland, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, with Western Australia also having a unique identity.
One such act that has come through the ranks is Tera, an Indigenous emcee who has links with the North side of the country and been bouncing around in the local scene in Western Australia for a while, whilst also writing music for the past decade. 2015 sees the release of his debut album where his rhymes are now at the forefront, ready to show us all what he's all about just like his incendiary live shows.
Starting off with Goals and Dreams, the track primarily consists of a Denzel Washington speech to young actors, setting the tone of the album due to follow. Title track Belly of tha Beast demonstrates the other mindset of Tera, with refrains of 'The beast could be me, the beast could be you' spit in Tera's trademark low growl which occupies the same regions as hip hop legend, Vinnie Paz. Shine further reinforces the themes set up in the first two tracks, kicking off with the ever recognisable cries of Muhammad Ali, with Tera remarking that his lyrics is his weapons, which he is prepared to throw down for himself and his people, even against the wailing sounds of police sirens.
It's not all dark shadows though. Ridin featuring Fluent, based off a sample of Riding Along in my Automobile by Chuck Berry evokes the fun of cruising around the vast geography that is a hallmark of this state, with Fluent's contribution as a younger and cheekier emcee offering a great contrast to the gruff veteran view of Tera. The track aptly sets up Better Dayz, which kicks off with a quick sample of In Da Club, but it is only present to be completely torn down as the expected party banger track. At its core, the sample of O-o-h Child by The Five Stairsteps (popularised by The Jackson Five) provides a contrasting view of Tera's rhymes about genocide and institutionalised racism, but Tera's view is still one that is filled with the hope of a better tomorrow for his people.
The album is littered with production from well-known stalwarts of the local scene. Can't Be Stopped, which splices a sample from The Mask, is completely at home with the subject matter of the sets by beat of co-producer, Lenny Rudeburg (aka Wisdom2th). West Coast on the hand, produced by Azrael Bartlett, aptly describes the sex, drugs and shenanigans that do occur here in Perth after the sun goes down, with the samples of bells typically found in gunslinger films only furthering the Wild West metaphor.
Old Skool Boogie, with its guitar line straight out of a Bob Marley track, sees the return of Fluent as well as the welcome return of some levity into the mix. Be Mine, starting off with a sample from Casino Royale, sees the return of themes from West Coast, a hip hop love song (as close as one that can be done at any rate), which ends as well as expected of a track that evokes James Bond.
Pop culture references that are expected of hip hop abounds in this album. A sample from Force of Execution kicks off Call Em Out and hits like 'Bruce Lee with nunchuckas', much like Tera's flow against the banging sounds that evokes the West Coast G-funk era. Tera Barz and Dardy Azz Productions acts as part two of the triptych of tracks. The cut, which serves as an interlude, contains the ever recognisable sounds of Samuel L. Jackson from Jackie Brown, and has Tera chopping down the opposition like Ivan Milat. This Da Life on the other hand, covers the emcees personal journey thus far via a brass horn section, which has the emcee 'looking for his time to shine'. Beef With Me serves as a dark and brooding album closer, the return of Steven Segal reinforces the themes that permeate the album, before quotes from Rambo in Live for Nothing/Die for Something aptly closes out the album.
Belly of tha Beast is an assured debut from emcee who has very clear ideas of which direction he wants his music to go, and finds Tera ruminating about his place in the world, given the long opposition that he and his people have faced as he gets older. It is a voice that adds to the rich tapestry that is being spun in the local scene, with more diversity, especially from the Indigenous, a much welcome sound.
By David Coffey
Several decades on, the local scene has evolved. New acts have been coming through constantly. It has even got to point in this country that each state has its own definitive scene, with clear contrasts can be found between Queensland, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, with Western Australia also having a unique identity.
One such act that has come through the ranks is Tera, an Indigenous emcee who has links with the North side of the country and been bouncing around in the local scene in Western Australia for a while, whilst also writing music for the past decade. 2015 sees the release of his debut album where his rhymes are now at the forefront, ready to show us all what he's all about just like his incendiary live shows.
Starting off with Goals and Dreams, the track primarily consists of a Denzel Washington speech to young actors, setting the tone of the album due to follow. Title track Belly of tha Beast demonstrates the other mindset of Tera, with refrains of 'The beast could be me, the beast could be you' spit in Tera's trademark low growl which occupies the same regions as hip hop legend, Vinnie Paz. Shine further reinforces the themes set up in the first two tracks, kicking off with the ever recognisable cries of Muhammad Ali, with Tera remarking that his lyrics is his weapons, which he is prepared to throw down for himself and his people, even against the wailing sounds of police sirens.
It's not all dark shadows though. Ridin featuring Fluent, based off a sample of Riding Along in my Automobile by Chuck Berry evokes the fun of cruising around the vast geography that is a hallmark of this state, with Fluent's contribution as a younger and cheekier emcee offering a great contrast to the gruff veteran view of Tera. The track aptly sets up Better Dayz, which kicks off with a quick sample of In Da Club, but it is only present to be completely torn down as the expected party banger track. At its core, the sample of O-o-h Child by The Five Stairsteps (popularised by The Jackson Five) provides a contrasting view of Tera's rhymes about genocide and institutionalised racism, but Tera's view is still one that is filled with the hope of a better tomorrow for his people.
The album is littered with production from well-known stalwarts of the local scene. Can't Be Stopped, which splices a sample from The Mask, is completely at home with the subject matter of the sets by beat of co-producer, Lenny Rudeburg (aka Wisdom2th). West Coast on the hand, produced by Azrael Bartlett, aptly describes the sex, drugs and shenanigans that do occur here in Perth after the sun goes down, with the samples of bells typically found in gunslinger films only furthering the Wild West metaphor.
Old Skool Boogie, with its guitar line straight out of a Bob Marley track, sees the return of Fluent as well as the welcome return of some levity into the mix. Be Mine, starting off with a sample from Casino Royale, sees the return of themes from West Coast, a hip hop love song (as close as one that can be done at any rate), which ends as well as expected of a track that evokes James Bond.
Pop culture references that are expected of hip hop abounds in this album. A sample from Force of Execution kicks off Call Em Out and hits like 'Bruce Lee with nunchuckas', much like Tera's flow against the banging sounds that evokes the West Coast G-funk era. Tera Barz and Dardy Azz Productions acts as part two of the triptych of tracks. The cut, which serves as an interlude, contains the ever recognisable sounds of Samuel L. Jackson from Jackie Brown, and has Tera chopping down the opposition like Ivan Milat. This Da Life on the other hand, covers the emcees personal journey thus far via a brass horn section, which has the emcee 'looking for his time to shine'. Beef With Me serves as a dark and brooding album closer, the return of Steven Segal reinforces the themes that permeate the album, before quotes from Rambo in Live for Nothing/Die for Something aptly closes out the album.
Belly of tha Beast is an assured debut from emcee who has very clear ideas of which direction he wants his music to go, and finds Tera ruminating about his place in the world, given the long opposition that he and his people have faced as he gets older. It is a voice that adds to the rich tapestry that is being spun in the local scene, with more diversity, especially from the Indigenous, a much welcome sound.
By David Coffey