Words by Christopher Kevin Au // Head image by Jack Bennett
Last month, viral videos circulated around the Internet showing the senseless killings of black men across the United States at the hands of law enforcement.
It was just the latest chapter in long-standing violence and systematic discrimination against blacks, and sparked outrage as social media footage spread like wildfire, igniting frustrations felt by an array of minorities across the globe. Soon enough, public outcry culminated in citywide marches in both Sydney and Melbourne, where the murders acted as a catalyst for a re-examination for Australia’s own shameful history when it comes to the treatment of Indigenous peoples.
Now, the duo behind IZMZ Magazine have collected Sydney’s biggest hip-hop selectors for a fundraiser party this Friday night at Plan B Small Club, which will support the Black Lives Matter movement with a focus on Indigenous issues. Yemisul, one of the minds behind IZMZ, says that the latest wave of killings in America occured during their last monthly party titled GIRLS. “On the day of the last GIRLS party was when everything was really kicking off. I was really shocked and sickened, it’s absolutely horrific and it’s happening now. We had all these dates locked in for GIRLS, so we decided to make our next one for Black Lives Matter,” she explains.
At the same time, Halfway Crooks took to social media to voice their concerns – not only as lifelong hip-hop fans, but decent human beings. “We started Halfway Crooks to celebrate black music and culture, and it would be remiss of us to see these recent events of police brutality in the States and not show our support to the community affected. Black Lives Matter, in America, Australia and every part of the world,” they wrote.
While ‘Black Lives Matter’ is often portrayed as American-centric, Yemisul says that Australians are largely unaware of how the movement correlates to the severity of the issue in our own backyard. “It’s an issue here, but it’s so bad that we don’t even know about it. We barely even hear about it. The world’s attention is on Black Lives Matter, and it’s an opportunity to look at the black lives within our own country. We localised the issue,” she says.
Also performing on the night is Shantan Wantan Ichiban, the Triple J presenter who has also spent years bringing music to remote communities with the Heaps Decent collective. He says that “Australians tend to think that we don’t have the problems the United States have, but in many ways we are worse and in denial. While most Australians enjoy the spoils of being one of the wealthiest countries in the world per capita, many Indigenous Australians are living in third world conditions – in a country that we stole from them.”
The frightening statistics support his claims. “Indigenous Australians suffer from much poorer education, health and employment conditions. Their life expectancy is 10 years younger than other Australians. Indigenous youth make up 80% of youth suicide. Indigenous Australians are 12 times more likely to be incarcerated, while indigenous juveniles are 24 times more likely to be in prison. These are just some of the figures that highlight the huge gap in our society,” he continues.
At the party, GIRLS, Halfway Crooks and Shantan Wantan Ichiban will be joined by a formidable collection of Sydney’s best hip-hop DJs (plus Christopher Kevin Au) including Joyride, Nes, DJ Ziggy, Flexmami and DJ Rewild. “I just wanted to pull together an all-star line-up of everybody who’s active in Sydney’s hip-hop party scene. Everyone is super supportive of the cause and it means something to all of them. Everyone was so keen from the get-go, it’s going to be the best. I’ve never seen all of these people on the same line-up,” Yemisul says.
“This hip-hop party (as simple as the concept will be) will allow you to support a cause you believe in, in a way that’s natural to you. We’re not out to mourn – we’re celebrating black culture with purpose. Show up, turn up, have fun and most importantly practice mindfulness,” Flexmami continues.
The night is presented in collaboration with Koori Radio 93.7FM and proceeds will be going to Amnesty International’s ‘Community Is Everything’ campaign, which looks to address Indigenous issues head-on. “The charity that we’ve chosen is completely focused on closing that imprisonment gap. I think when that happens is when it improves self-esteem – when you’re in that cycle of poverty and imprisonment, you sort of think that’s normal and don’t expect anything else. But when you put positive energy and money back into the community, things will sort themselves out,” Yemisul says.
While this may be a Friday night on the town, there is still an urgent issue at hand, as explained by Shantan: “Black Lives Matter is a movement in the United States which attempts to highlight systematic racism and make change. The same needs to happen here… There are serious problems in this country and it needs to be made priority number one.”
GRAB TICKETS TO THE IZMZ HIP-HOP PARTY RIGHT HERE
