Over the past few years, Australian hip-hop has evolved and morphed into a diverse sonic spectrum that refuses to be defined.

That all seems to be peaking in 2016, where we’ve found countless new and emerging acts who are taking global influences and merging them into their own unique brand of storytelling. A lot of this might not even sound Australian, but that’s the point – the barriers feel like their falling down with greater vigour. Here are eight new tracks (and by new, we mean they’ve dropped this year) from Down Under that might just surprise your earholes.

Get stuck into it:

TRIPLE ONE ‘COLOURS’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2EBR17wv2w

With their preference for Air Max and speed dealers, you might be surprised that something this melancholy and melodic could be produced by Triple One – but it’s indicative of the leaps and bounds that they’ve taken on The Libertine EP, which stands as one of our favourite local releases of the year. On ‘Colours’, Triple One offer something that’s refreshingly sombre with a wailing, sing-a-long hook – and it’s no wonder that they’ve gained support from Australian rap staples like The Tongue and Sky’high.

BLESSED ‘INSANITY’

Premiering this morning on international publication Pigeons & Planes, Blessed is the side-project from Sydney emcee Miracle, which he describes as an avenue for him “to make whatever music I wanted to, not to impress anyone or pretend to be someone I’m not.” The track features robotic crooning over galloping percussion, which then evolves into a full-blown wonky electronic drop. It’s emotive and impossible to define, but therein lies the greatest joy of ‘Insanity’.

HINHOP & MEARE ‘TWENTY FIVE’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeVV1HghQTs

Hinhop has been doing the rounds on the local rap circuit as a member of the Beastside clique, and on ‘Twenty Five’ he breaks free as a solo emcee to team up with producer Meare. With a distorted video featuring suede Pumas, Tommy Hilfiger windbreakers and automobile-based hooliganism, it’s a relentless anthem that sees Hinhop build momentum over scattering production. It’s an aggressive taste of a joint EP from the duo who have shown clear chemistry on the lead single.

LENG HOCK ‘DISCREET’

With full-blown Oriental aesthetic and a preference for smooth autotoune, Leng Hock is yet another talent putting Brisvegas on the map with his releases via Pilerats Records. He has just debuted his latest single ‘Discreet’ from a forthcoming EP, which blends a melancholy piano loop and electronic production underneath ultra-sad and Internet-friendly crooning. He’ll be headlining a night from Sydney heavyweights Sidechains next month alongside LWA contributor FlexMami.

CULT SHOTTA ‘NO FATIGUE’ FT. GEEK & SELASIE WUSSAH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0TrGwtzasM

Cult Shotta – formerly known as X & Hype – combine alien delivery, squealing ad-libs and trap-heavy production for an infectious single on ‘No Fatigue’. It might take awhile to get used to, but their hyperactive charisma and juvenile energy is what makes acts like Rae Sremmurd so enjoyable – it just sounds like fun. With a scene filmed inside a petrol station and a shoutout to DJ Khaled, this is so over-the-top that it might just hit the sweet spot.

MANU CROOKS ‘BLOWIN UP’ FT. MIRACLE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXraNbqyBOw

This just might be our favourite beat of the entire year, cooked up by Manu Crooks himself alongside Dopamine – the latter of whom has been gaining plenty of traction with his beats for Elefant Traks’ latest signee B Wise. Having been a part of the local rap scene for years, Crooks has fine-tuned his sound greatly on previous single ‘Everyday’ and advances even further on ‘Blowin Up’ – with a guest feature from Miracle and a premiere via The Fader. Huge!

MIDAS.GOLD ‘WORK IT OUT’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upJnnohEUxg

Having lived in the United States before moving Down Under at a young age, it’s clear that Midas.Gold has looked abroad for most of his sonic inspiration, and ‘Work it Out’ sees menacing trap production balanced by his nonchalant delivery. Winning a Triple J competition for the accompanying video, Midas.Gold takes a seat while a team from NIDA don fresh windbreakers for a stylish PE class.

KWAME ‘I GET IT’

We were first put onto Kwame when he got onstage and spat that freestyle at ASAP Ferg – which was so hype that we had to reach out for an interview with the young talent. Further research showed that he’s part of Mozaick Records – a clique of emerging producers, emcees and musicians from Sydney suburbs, and he shows his determination for success on the assertively-titled ‘I Get It’. Having recently teamed up with Geedup, things are looking promising for Kwame.