Image by Mo Omar

HinHop and Papertoy are two homegrown talents from our own hip-hop backyard, but the duo have connected overseas for their joint single ‘Down.’

Despite having relocated to the UK from Sydney, rapper HinHop remains a member of Beastside, the local crew who released their album Timeframed earlier this year via Big Village. While living across the pond, he’s also crafted a tape inspired by his first few months abroad, titled Unknown Album. The project was produced entirely by another Australian in the UK, Papertoy, who’s  also just dropped his own aptly-titled Overseas EP.

The two wrote and recorded the majority of Unknown Album in South Tottenham, and ahead of its release, we have the first taste with new single ‘Down.’ HinHop describes it as the “the darkest tune” on a tape that’s “not for the faint-hearted.” Additionally, he says that “there’s five tunes on the tape, all cohesive yet sonically different. Most of the tracks are about me dealing with a lot of my own shit, but I ain’t gonna get into that. It’s not conscious rap, but it will make you nod your head.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DXbRECC93c

‘Down’ sees HinHop open the track with a composed flow, giving an insight into his conflicted headspace before the track builds with tension and assertive energy, all laced with Papertoy’s booming production. The video was shot in Morocco, reduced to a black-and-white affair with splashes of purple over glitchy footage, and what HinHop calls “a few subliminal, or not so subliminal Satanic messages.”

You can watch ‘Down’ above, and stay tuned for the remainder of Unknown Album. In the meantime, you can also check out Papertoy’s Overseas EP below.