Spotify launches ‘A1: The Show’ to provide a voice for Australian hip-hop

Spotify is putting its considerable muscle into a new platform for unearthing homegrown hip-hop acts.

The streaming giant launches A1: The Show, a hip-hop-centric space where local creators will get a chance to shine.

Shows will go live each week, and are hosted by the likes of Jade Le Flay and Jazmine Nikitta, two of the leading female figures in Australian hip-hop, along with 24 Karat Kev.

A1: The Show will create context to the tracks within the successful A1 playlist and provide a voice for Australian hip-hop, say reps for Spotify.

Masked Wolf by Harpreet Singh

Consider it “a representation of Spotify’s vision for future formats, with tracks pulled directly from the weekly-updated A1 playlist, informing the content of the show based on how listeners respond to the music,” explains Leah Harris, Spotify AUNZ Creative Producer.

According to Harris, the new spot will give a leg-up for local talent, and shine a spotlight on women in the industry.

Through this regular podcast, adds Harris, the team hope “to amplify local voices on the global stage. And boost more inclusive narratives around creators, like the amazing female hip-hop artists on Spotify.”

A1: The Show arrives during what many are describing as a golden age for the Australian rap and hip-hop community.

Sampa The Great is at the vanguard of the movement.

Sampa The Great

The two-time Australian Music Prize-winning artist last year scored special VIP treatment across BET’s network of channels around the word, and scooped the ARIA Awards best female artist and best independent, for her debut full-length album The Return.

The previous year, Sampa made history when she became the first woman of colour to win the ARIA for best hip-hop release.

Meanwhile, Sydney rapper Masked Wolf is bounding up the global charts with his viral hit ‘Astronaut In The Ocean.’

The song has amassed more than 156 million plays on Spotify and it floats 25-16 on this week’s ARIA Singles Chart, for a new high in its third week.

Another domestic hip-hop star with the world at his feet is The Kid Laroi, who recently became the youngest solo Australian artist to led by ARIA Albums Chart with F*ck Love.

The teenage Sydney artist already has a Top 10 to his resume in the U.S., and he qualified last year for Spotify’s Radar programme.

The Kid LAROI

The Kid Laroi (27 million monthly listeners), ONEFOUR (1.2 million), and Hooligan Hefs (1.3 million) are some of the biggest names on the Australian hip-hop scene.

There are more to stars in the pipeline, and many are female artists.

“The Australian hip-hop industry has been booming and A1: The Show is one of the few spaces for the genre to be discussed on a national level,” says Peter Stevens, Spotify AUNZ Senior Editor.

“It provides an opportunity to elevate the voices of local hip-hop talent that contribute to the A1 playlist.”

A1: The Show, he continues, will take “deep dives into the hip-hop scene and creates a platform for women in the industry both locally and globally.”

Stream the podcast here.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.