The Calling

Studio album by

Released

22 September 2003

Recorded

2001–2003 various studios Adelaide

Genre

Australian hip hop

Length

53:06

Hilltop Hoods chronology

Left Foot, Right Foot
(2001)

The Calling
(2003)

The Hard Road
(2006)

Singles from The Calling

"Testimonial Year"
Released: 2003
"Dumb Enough"
Released: 2003
"The Nosebleed Section"
Released: 2003

Reissue Cover

2009 reissue.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]

The Calling is the third studio album by Australian hip hop group Hilltop Hoods and was released on 22 September 2003 through Obese Records.^[2] The success of the album was significant in the Australian hip-hop scene because it demonstrated popular recognition for a genre previously supported by a comparatively small, "underground" fan base.^[3]

Three singles were released as single and two placed in the 2003 Triple J Hottest 100 chart: "The Nosebleed Section" was voted into ninth place, while "Dumb Enough" was voted into position 44.^[4]

Reception

In an interview after the release of their fourth album, Suffa revealed that The Calling was recorded on his mother's computer and the simplicity of their 'studio' is the reason why some of the music on the album is in monaural ('mono') sound.^[5]

On 26 July 2006, Obese Records announced that the album became the first Australian hip hop release to achieve a platinum certification.^[6]^[7] The album originally peaked at number 53 on the Australian Albums Chart in 2004 before re-entering the chart at number 50 in March 2012, following the release of the sixth Hilltop Hoods album, Drinking From the Sun.

DVD

The Calling Live DVD is available on the Hoods website and includes: Live footage, Film clips, Remixes, Interviews, Outtakes and Photo Gallery.^[8]

Track listing

Hidden track (CD only)^[9]
No.	Title	Length
0.	"Gravyspitter"	1:53

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Incoming" (Interlude 1)		Suffa	0:16
2.	"Testimonial Year"	M. Lambert, D. Smith	Suffa	3:39
3.	"The Calling"	M. Lambert, D. Smith	Suffa	3:06
4.	"Dumb Enough?"	M. Lambert, D. Smith	Suffa, DJ Debris	4:02
5.	"Illusionary Lines"	D. Smith	Suffa	3:08
6.	"Tomorrow Will Do"	M. Lambert, D. Smith	Suffa	3:13
7.	"Laying Blame"	M. Lambert, D. Smith	DJ Debris	3:35
8.	"Simmy and the Gravyspitter" (Interlude 2) (featuring Simplex)	M. Lambert		0:55
9.	"The Nosebleed Section"	M. Lambert	Suffa	3:39
10.	"Down for the Cause" (featuring Hyjak and DJ Bonez)	M. Lambert, J. McCarthy, D. Smith	DJ Debris	3:59
11.	"Mic Felon"	D. Smith	Suffa	2:51
12.	"Walk On" (featuring DJ Next)	M. Lambert, D. Smith	Suffa	3:16
13.	"The Certificate" (featuring Certified Wise)	K. Adams, A. Baker, D. Evans, B. Francis, C. Green, M. Honson, B. Johncock, M. Lambert, M. Leslie, D. Rankine, A. Raymond, A. Simmons, D. Smith, K. Tinge, M. Veraguth & H. Watson	Dazastah	6:26
14.	"Hilltop Hoods" (Interlude 3)		Suffa	0:31
15.	"Working the Mic"	M. Lambert, D. Smith	Suffa	3:22
16.	"Outgoing" (Interlude 4)		Suffa	1:54
17.	"The Sentinel"	M. Lambert, D. Smith	Suffa	5:14

Obese Records edition MP3 bonus tracks^[10]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"Mic Felon" (Remix)	D. Smith	Suffa	2:38
19.	"The Certificate" (Remix) (featuring Certified Wise)	K. Adams, A. Baker, D. Evans, B. Francis, C. Green, M. Honson, B. Johncock, M. Lambert, M. Leslie, D. Rankine, A. Raymond, A. Simmons, D. Smith, K. Tinge, M. Veraguth & H. Watson	Suffa	6:01

Golden Era Records deluxe edition bonus track^[11]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"Here Come the Girls"	M. Lambert, D. Smith	Debate	3:26

Obese Records vinyl edition^[12]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Incoming" (Interlude 1)		Suffa	0:16
2.	"Testimonial Year"	M. Lambert, D. Smith	Suffa	3:39
3.	"The Calling"	M. Lambert, D. Smith	Suffa	3:06
4.	"Dumb Enough?"	M. Lambert, D. Smith	Suffa, DJ Debris	4:02
5.	"Illusionary Lines"	D. Smith	Suffa	3:08
6.	"Tomorrow Will Do"	M. Lambert, D. Smith	Suffa	3:13
7.	"Laying Blame"	M. Lambert, D. Smith	DJ Debris	3:35
8.	"Simmy and the Gravyspitter" (Interlude 2) (featuring Simplex)	M. Lambert		0:55
9.	"The Nosebleed Section"	M. Lambert	Suffa	3:39
10.	"Down for the Cause" (featuring Hyjak and DJ Bonez)	M. Lambert, J. McCarthy, D. Smith	DJ Debris	3:59
11.	"Mic Felon"	D. Smith	Suffa	2:51
12.	"Walk On" (featuring DJ Next)	M. Lambert, D. Smith	Suffa	3:16
13.	"All on Me" (featuring Pegz and Layla)	L. Hanbury, M. Lambert, D. Smith, T. Staaf	Suffa
14.	"Hilltop Hoods" (Interlude 3)		Suffa	0:31
15.	"Working the Mic"	M. Lambert, D. Smith	Suffa	3:22
16.	"Outgoing" (Interlude 4)		Suffa	1:54
17.	"The Certificate" (featuring Certified Wise)	K. Adams, A. Baker, D. Evans, B. Francis, C. Green, M. Honson, B. Johncock, M. Lambert, M. Leslie, D. Rankine, A. Raymond, A. Simmons, D. Smith, K. Tinge, M. Veraguth, H. Watson	Dazastah	6:26

Notes

The CD hidden track is playable if the album is rewound while playing Track 1
The vinyl edition released on Obese Records in 2003 has a different tracklist to other editions. It features an exclusive track "All on Me" at track 13 and excludes the final track "The Sentinel". It also moves "The Certificate" to track 17.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2003–2012)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[13]	50

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[14]	Platinum	70,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ Allmusic review
^ "TheRapCella.com". TheRapCella.com. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
^ "Calling (Hilltop Hoods): music4me: play4me.com.au - The World's Entertainment Superstore". play4me.com.au. 3 October 2006. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
^ "Hottest 100 2003". Triple J. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
^ "Hilltop Hoods 'The Calling' Album Interview" (Video upload). delta769er on YouTube. Google Inc. 18 January 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2014.^{[dead YouTube link]}
^ obese records (26 July 2006). "Subject: The Calling - goes PLATINUM!!" (Message board post). OzHipHop.com. The XMB Group. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
^ Obese Records (5 August 2006). "HILLTOP HOODS 'THE CALLING' GOES PLATINUM". Spraci. Spraci. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
^ "Hilltop Hoods - The Calling Live | Music , Music Genres, Urban Grooves : JB HI-FI". Jbhifionline.com.au. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
^ "Hilltop Hoods - The Calling". Discogs. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
^ "Hilltop Hoods - The Calling". Discogs. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
^ "Hilltop Hoods - The Calling". Discogs. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
^ "Hilltop Hoods - The Calling". Discogs. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
^ "Australiancharts.com – Hilltop Hoods – The Calling". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 April 2021.

v t e Hilltop Hoods
Suffa Pressure DJ Debris DJ Next MC Summit
Studio albums	A Matter of Time (1999) Left Foot, Right Foot (2001) The Calling (2003) The Hard Road (2006) State of the Art (2009) Drinking from the Sun (2012) Walking Under Stars (2014) The Great Expanse (2019)
Remix albums	The Hard Road: Restrung (2007) Drinking from the Sun, Walking Under Stars Restrung (2016)
EPs	Back Once Again (1997)
Singles	"Testimonial Year" "Dumb Enough" "The Nosebleed Section" "Clown Prince" "The Hard Road" "What a Great Night" "Chase That Feeling" "Still Standing" "The Light You Burned" "I Love It" "Speaking in Tongues" "Shredding the Balloon" "Rattling the Keys to the Kingdom" "Won't Let You Down" "Cosby Sweater" "1955" "Leave Me Lonely" "Exit Sign"
DVDs	The Calling Live (2005) The City of Light (2007)
Related articles	Discography