There’s a reason T Breezy and Walkerboy’s debut mixtape has been long anticipated.
From the very beginning, the Gamilaraay rappers have done things differently, ignoring musical trends and carving their own path. It marked a space in local hip-hop that’s since not been filled until now. Souths Most Wanted is their debut collaborative mixtape, an ode to their home, the ‘Sapphire City’ of Inverell.
The mixtape is both a landmark release and a full circle moment. It’s released through influential Sydney label TRACKWORK, now well-known for launching artists such as VV Pete, BAYANG (tha Bushranger) and Sevy. But the label’s first release came in 2019, with T Breezy’s debut EP 2360, made in closer collaboration with label-head and producer Utility.
Souths Most Wanted continues along this ground first paved back in 2019, a crisp blend of trap and drill – but also uniquely incorporates the sampling, booming bass and cowbells of Memphis hip-hop.
It’s a gritty but sonically lush canvas for both rappers to explore; T Breezy’s laidback but pointed recollections perfectly balancing Walkerboy’s cascading, rapid- fire flow. Both explore ideas of authenticity and loyalty- to close friends, and to a sense of place, of home. And this is Souths Most Wanted summed up – totally genuine, and effortlessly original.
Words by Lindsay Riley