Since 1995, Terra Firma have been a driving force in Australian hip hop. As members of Adelaide’s legendary Certified Wise collective, MC/producer Simplex, MC Raph A.L, MC Mic Lez and DJ Dyems have delivered a body of work that is one of the most distinguished in the Antipodes. With razor sharp, socially conscious lyricism delivered over Simplex’s melodic and detailed beats, they’ve been a guiding light in the local movement during its gradual growth to maturity over the last decade.
Following a spate of compilation and guest appearances, the group released their debut album Waking the Past in 2003. A watershed release for Australian hip hop, it arrived in the same year as fellow crew members Hilltop Hoods broke boundaries with The Calling, which also featured Tera Firma on the Certified Wise posse cut “Certificate”. Waking’s poignant lead track “The Night the Heavens Cried” became the most requested track on Adelaide’s Fresh FM for ten straight weeks when it was revived as a single in 2007 and is now considered a local classic. Other album and compilation tracks, notably “The Good Life”, “Now I’m Somewhere” and “Over It” have found homes on radio playlists across the country.
As the curator of the Culture of Kings series of CDs, DJ Dyems has been pivotal in broadening the audience for Australian hip hop. Culture of Kings Vol 2 was the first ever Australian hip hop album to receive feature album honours on Triple J, and marked the beginning of the genre’s rise to legitimacy in the eyes of the general public. Terra Firma also contributed stand out tracks to all three volumes of the series.
Simplex retains a reputation as a hardworking community activist, with eight years of involvement with various workshops and community projects which have taken him to numerous regional areas to work in indigenous communities, youth correction facilities, canteen workshops, in which he has tutored and recorded budding young artists.
In 2007, Simplex set up his label, Simbiotic Audio, as a home for aspiring South Australian talent and Terra Firma’s own recordings. The label launched with the ferocious and controversial debut from Adelaide battle MC Damo, who continues to stir the Aussie hip hop pot with his unapologetic lyrical jabs at anyone who comes within spitting distance.
Live, Terra Firma flesh out Simplex’s nuanced production with a four-piece band that includes guitar, bass, drums and a multitasking saxaphone/flautist/keyboardist. Terra Firma have been performing live extensively since 1999, and have shared the stage with some of the biggest names in hip hop including: Cypress Hill, Digital Underground, Kool Keith, The Beatnuts, Redman and Method Man, Lord Finesse, Jungle Brothers, People under the Stairs, Blackalicious, Lyrics Born, Rocksteady Crew and the Sugar Hill Gang to name a few. They have toured nationally with the Culture of Kings tours, the Obesecity tour and perform annually during the snow season at Mt Hotham and Falls Creek.
Terra Firma’s much anticipated sophomore LP Music To Live By is ready for an August 2008 release. Sonically polished and lyrically astute, the album is entirely produced by Simplex, and boasts guest appearances from the entire Certified Wise crew (Hilltop Hoods, Funkoars, After Hours, Cross Bred Mongrels), Stones Throw recording artist Percee P and Michigan-based MC Kassolo. The album will be accompanied by a set of live dates throughout spring and summer.
Terra Firma - 'We Likes To Party' Video Clip
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