Clockwork Entertainment, in association with triple j and Scene magazine have brought together the largest all Aussie Hip Hop line up to ever hit Brisbane for the inaugural ¡®SPRUNG¡¯ hip hop festival ¨C A Celebration of Australia¡¯s partying, urban lifestyle!

Saturday October 15, this 12 hour ALL AGES event is going to blow the roof off Brisbane¡¯s 8000 seat Riverstage Facility. Tickets are set at a low $66 (+ ticket outlet fees and charges), bringing the price back to what people would have been paying for a music festival in the 1990s. There will be two stages, the main stage and secondary, local stage, featuring the eight finalists that have been whittled down from the national ¡®Real Talk Battle League¡¯ hosted by Brisbane¡¯s home of hip hop, the Step Inn.

Real Talk Battle League is MC battles in written acapella format and started in Brisbane in September 2009. They will team up with SPRUNG Festival this year to run the Real Talk MC Throwdown, with the finalists grabbing a spot on the bill. It will be a traditional Real Talk format tournament ¨C not a battle, it will be a competition, with MC¡¯s showing their skills. To take part in the heats prior to the festival, participants need to send a 45 second to one minute video of them rapping to [email protected]. 32 semi finalists will be split into two groups of 16 with the first heat happening on August 20, the second heat on September 23. Eight finalists will be picked from each heat and the final 16 finalists will take place in a mini tournament/competition that will happen on the day of the SPRUNG Festival, on stage, performing in front of the whole audience. This will be a perfect opportunity for newcomers to rub shoulders with the industry people.

The most explosive hip hop line up to ever come to Brisbane will feature the biggest hip hop acts in Australia including number one chart topper Drapht who¡¯s current album debuted at #1 on the ARIA album charts, the only Australian artist to do so this year. His hit single Rapunzel and Sing It (The Life Of Riley) no doubt to be highlights of his full live show where he will no doubt bring his circus of friends and compatriots along for the ride.

The Funkoars will also be part of the main stage. Seven years, four albums and a lot of damage later, the Funkoars have developed one of the biggest cult followings in this country. From headlining a string of sold out shows to smashing the festival circuit, the ¡®Oars have proven without a shadow of a doubt that they are one of Australia¡¯s best. With a new album on the way this year, they will no doubt be unleashing new material and promise to deliver their classic trademark sound!

Illy, Melbourne MC has become one of the most prominent hip hop acts in the country and is set to showcase his impressive live show. His sophomore album, The Chase received glowing reviews from all corners including J Mag ¨C ¡°¡­¡­. one of the country¡¯s best hip-hop releases¡±, catapulting Illy to the forefront of the greater Australian music community.

His intelligent lyrical take and gritty melodies have seen him emerge as one of the most distinctive new voices on the Australian music scene. Pez¡¯ debut single ¡®The Festival song¡¯ became the highest charting hip hop track on the triple J Hot 100, reaching #7. Pez will be joined on stage with label mate artist 360, and will no doubt give us a performance of their summer single ¡°Just Got Started¡±.

It has been an amazing year for new prince of hip hop Phrase. Consistently breaking the mould, he has collaborated with artists such as Kram (Spiderbait), Wendy Matthews, Ian Kenny (Karnivool/Birds of Tokyo) and Jackson Jackson. Phrase¡¯s current album ¡°Clockwork¡± has smashed genres and brought ¡®rap¡¯ as an art form closer to the fraternity of Australia¡¯s rock-driven industry. Phrase is more than a lyricist. He is a musician. And his live show reflects that.

M-Phazes is the perfect example of a diamond in the rough. Born and raised on the Gold Coast, M-Phazes has carved a strong niche for himself that has allowed his production to be heard on a global scale. He is living proof that no matter where you are from you can make an impact on the rest of the world. He formulated his own sound over the years that can be defined by soulful melodies coupled with loose, smacking drums. He has won an ARIA award and a gold record for production on Bliss N Eso¡¯s ¡®Flying Colours¡¯ album.

Critical acclaim for Resin Dogs culminated when they scooped the Australian Dance Music Awards in three consecutive years ¨C Best Hip Hop in 2001 and Best Live Act in 2002 and 2003. Perennial festival favourites they have performed at all major Australian music events including Splendour in the Grass, Falls Festival, Homebake, Meredith just to name a few. They have hit the stage for seven years at the Big Day Out. Resin Dogs mix live music, turntables and guest MCs, and produce a mash up of sounds ¨C modern hip hop drenched with breakbeat, dance hall, dub and funk.

Joelistics founded the band TZU in 2002. Earning their stripes on the live circuit, TZU built a solid reputation on the back of their up-beat party rhymes, joining acts like The Herd, Hilltop Hoods and Bliss n Eso, as a vanguard of the second generation of Australian hip hop forging an identity both artistically and commercially. As a solo artist his sound is grounded in the boom bap of hip hop whilst keenly revisiting his love of beat poetry, shoe gazer electronica and folk.

Having forged a reputation as one of the most mesmerising live acts around, Lowrider are at the top their game and ready to take their unique blend of soul and funk to the world. Lowrider have supported some of the biggest acts in Australia and the world (Christina Aguilera, Lupe Fiasco, Alicia Keys) and have performed at countless Australian festivals including Big Day Out, Blues and Roots, Pyramid Rock and A Day On The Green.

Mantra has been blazing a name for himself since 2005. Boasting a captivating flow and intelligent lyrical work, Mantra has risen in status to become one of Australia¡¯s most respected MC¡¯s, as touted by artists and fans alike!

Diafrix is one of this country¡¯s most explosive and eclectic live acts and they have finally released their debut album, Concrete Jungle. They are set to bring their trademark sound to the stage which transcends any specific genre and combines international influences including soul, dancehall, African rhythms, funk, Australian hip hop, rock and reggae which creates a totally unique, but entirely harmonious sound.

¡®SPRUNG¡¯ Festival will also bring two well known local rappers to the main stage. A leading hand in the Brisbane scene since the early 90¡¯s, Lazy Grey has a formidable flow of lyrics delivered in a cold, honest tone. He finds the right pitch and vernacular for channelling through the backwash and bullshit around the snaking Brisbane river with vivid verbal realism in his raps. He has appeared alongside and produced some of our country¡¯s most notorious hip hop hard heads in releases by Brad Strut, Nuffsaid, 2 Dogs, Bias B and Mnemonic Ascent. Pure Product have come to the forefront in recent times, a three man team of rhyme writers that dip the pen deep into the poison well before taking it to paper. This is one group of vocalists among very few that have learned how to play the game and not the occasion!

An all ages event with the promoters focusing on the youth of Australia ¨C An event that everyone has access to. Everyone can have the chance to be SPRUNG!

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For Further Information:
Anouk Van Meeuwen at AVM Publicity ¨C [email protected] or 0411 724 598

Brisbane Media contact:
Caroline Russo ¨C [email protected] or 04099451180