Hilltop Hoods

Hilltop Hoods are an Australian hip hop group from Adelaide, South Australia. The group forms in 1991 and remains active. The current members are Suffa, Pressure and DJ Debris. DJ Next is listed as a former member.

Origins and name

The group takes its name from Hilltop Road in Blackwood, a suburb of Adelaide where they live as children, and from a local area known among B-boys as The Hilltop. The name is said to have been suggested by Flak, a rapper from Cross Bred Mongrels. The group begins when MCs Suffa and Pressure meet at high school, and later DJ Debris joins them through a mutual friend.

Style and influences

Hilltop Hoods are associated with Australian hip hop. They are influenced by American artists including KRS-One, Gang Starr and Pete Rock, whose work encourages them to develop the style in Australia.

Recordings and chart success

The group releases a series of recordings, including Back Once Again, A Matter of Time, Left Foot, Right Foot, The Calling, The Hard Road, The Hard Road: Restrung, State of the Art and Drinking From the Sun. The Calling achieves gold status in Australia and becomes the first hip hop album to do so there. The Hard Road reaches number one on the Australian charts, another first for Australian hip hop.

Singles, compilations and collaborations

The Nosebleed Section and Dumb Enough both place in Triple J’s Hottest 100 of 2003, at 9th and 44th respectively. The Nosebleed Section also appears at number 17 in Triple J’s Hottest 100 of All Time, making it the highest-ranked Australian song on that list and the only hip hop track included. Beyond their own releases, Hilltop Hoods appear on compilation albums including Obesecity and Culture of Kings Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. They also collaborate with a range of Australian hip hop artists, including Koolism, Mass MC, Pegz, Muphin, Layla, Hyjak and Bonez.

Live appearances and recognition

Hilltop Hoods perform at major Australian festivals including Big Day Out, Splendour in the Grass and Falls Festival. They receive nominations for Best Hip Hop Act at the 3D World Dance Music Awards in 2001 and 2002, win the APRA award for best up-coming group, and reach number one in independent charts across Australia.

Record labels

The group is associated with Obese Records, Golden Era Records and Island Records Australia.