For the past few years, permeating beneath the surface of Australian music has been a new generation of urban artists. Often mistaken as British or American, together, they’ve reimagined and redefined what Australian hip hop and RnB sounds like, bullishly breaking down the boundaries in the name of creating good music. Though the sounds of many are spreading beyond our borders, few have waved the Australian flag farther than Manu Crook$. The Ghanaian-born emcee is an endearing caricature of modern Australia. His heritage means that he possesses a voice that’s uniquely unfamiliar — a unique edge he’s proudly taken in his stride.
On Friday night in Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal, Crook$ took the culture one step further, selling out a hometown show presented by Red Bull Music. With a dream cast of local support acts, including B Wise, UV Boi, Milan Ring, Lil Spacely and Ebony Boadu, it was nothing short of a family affair.
Backed by a picturesque view of the Sydney Opera House, Crook$ swaggered onto the stage to the ominous synths of “Presence”. Met with roaring cheers, the cut’s first drop immediately sprung the raucous crowd into action and the audience erupted into a mosh pit. From there, Crook$ did what he does best, rhyming his way through the first half of his set as he smoothly maneuvered his way back and forth across the stage, performing “Buddy Buddy”, “Touchdown”, and “Ridin'” in quick succession.
Surrounded by close friends and family, his demeanour radiated with confidence as the crowd spurred him on, culminating in two of the biggest performances of the night, “Fuego” and “Blowin’ Up”. Fellow Sydney artists Anfa Rose and Miracle were on deck to lend their feature vocals, and their presence added tenfold to the excitement of the crowd, who had hands raised for both performances. “Under Pressure” and “Different League” kept the energy riding high before a welcome intermission handed the crowd the opportunity for a breather while DJ Ziggy cut in and out of recent hip hop hits.
Picking up right where he left off, Crook$ followed with an exuberant performance of “Assumptions”. At this point, it was a fully-fledged squad affair, as the wordsmith found himself surrounded by several hypemen, spurring the crowd into a frenzy in the wake of the track’s hard-hitting mantra. “Best Years”, “Everyday” and an unheard banger of a track featuring none other than B Wise and triple j Unearthed High finalist The Kid Laroi rounded out the set, and the show escalated into both an out and out celebration of Manu’s career to date, and an assured toast to all the big things yet to come.
Photos by Zara Mutti.