A.B. Original is an Australian hip hop duo made up of Indigenous Australian rappers Briggs and record producer Trials. A.B. Original stands for Always Black, Original. Both members are Indigenous Australians; Briggs is a Yorta Yorta man and Trials is Ngarrindjeri.[1] Their music is overtly political and has been described as "angry, polemical, brutally frank and meant to inspire a response, good or bad".[2]
History
In the early 2000s, Briggs and Trials met at a Funkoars gig at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne.[3]
In 2015, they were asked to play Triple J's Beat the Drum festival, which led to A.B. Original solidifying as a duo in 2016.[4] The pair travelled to Los Angeles, the source of their musical childhood inspirations. They worked with DJ Pooh (Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Ice Cube) at Snoop Dogg's in-house studio; DJ Mustard (Big Sean, Rihanna, Wiz Khalifa); and did a stint at Encore Studios, where Dr. Dre made 2001. 1980s Compton rapper King T, appeared on their G-Funk heavy track “The Feast”.[5]
Music
A.B. Original's single "January 26" (featuring Dan Sultan), released in August 2016, which comments on the use of that date for Australia Day.[6] This was followed up by an album entitled Reclaim Australia in November.[1] The provocatively titled[2][7] album features many guests including Thelma Plum, G. Yunupingu and Archie Roach.[7] The album's themes addresses Black deaths in custody; “Invasion Day”; racial profiling; life spent weathering systemic racism; and the low life expectancy of Aboriginal Australians.[5] The group approached the album with the attitude that it would be their only record.[4] Trials explained in an interview: "Briggs and I were going to do one big career ending, burning the... joint down record and that was it. We figured if we’re going to have one shot."[8]
At the 2017 AIR independent Music Awards, the duo won five awards; Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year, Best Independent Hip Hop Album, Best Independent Single, Best Independent Artist and Best Independent Album or EP.[9] At the APRA Music Awards of 2018 the duo won Songwriter of the Year.[10]
In August 2022, A.B. Original returned with "King Billy Cokebottle" their first new music in four years.[11] The song's title refers to the stage name of a 1970s comedian, called Louis Beers, who toured Australia with his blackface act.[12]
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia.
The Australian Music Prize (the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The commenced in 2005.
The National Indigenous Music Awards recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from throughout Australia. They commenced in 2004.
The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.
The South Australian Music Awards (previously known as the Fowler's Live Music Awards) are annual awards that exist to recognise, promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary music industry. They commenced in 2012.[36]
