Hyjak N Torcha
Encyclopedia
Hyjak N Torcha is an Australian hip hop
group from Sydney
, New South Wales
.
(George Kordas).
Hyjak first appeared on the scene in 1998, at the age of fifteen he snuck into a pub in the Sydney suburb of Kings Cross
to compete in a rap battle, which he won. Torcha, hailing from Sydney's west, was an active volunteer youth worker, doing programs in youth prisons and performing at anti-war rallies. Formally part of Sydney's Eth-nik Tribe, another Australian hip hop group.
Hyjak N Torcha are currently signed to Obese Records and their first album Drastik Measures was released in 2004, they also released a single, "Sneak", from the album. "Sneak" received airplay on Triple J
and the video was played on rage
. The album was reviewed on Triple J's website. They have since performed with artists such as the Hilltop Hoods
, De La Soul
, Xzibit
, Mobb Deep
, Gang Starr
, Lord Finesse
, Swollen Members
, Murs
and Ice Cube
. The group's members are also affiliated with Dominion, an Australian hip hop crew.
They've made guest appearances (together and separately) on records by artists like Hilltop Hoods
(Hyjak performed on Hilltop Hoods
' album The Calling), Bliss n Eso
(Hyjak did a guest verse on one of the tracks of Bliss n Eso
's Day of the Dog
album) and Pegz (Hyjak and Torcha appeared on Pegz's Axis
album).
Hyjak has also released a mixtape Shady Characters (featuring Torcha, Kye, Ends & Means and others), and performed on a track for Jase's lead single "Nutcase". They also released a videoclip for their track "A Night with Chopper", featuring Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read
, from his album, Interview with a Madman
, which, in 2006, won the award for 'Best New Filmmaker' (Matt Chuang) at the BelowGround Music Video Fest Awards. In 2011 Hyjak has released and a mixtape called "The Reminder Mixtape" featuring Kerser, Chow. P and Thorn. The track "Roll Up" and "I Remember" featuring Kerser have been majorly recognized as most popular tracks off the mixtape.
Torcha toured with his new band, A Broken Silence. One of their songs, "Lost Road", was performed at the Sydney Opera House
by Torcha with Tim Freedman
(of The Whitlams
) and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
.
The group released their second album, Unregrettable, on 19 June 2009. The album was produced by Mules and features appearances by Murs, N'fa
and S.Q.Z.
A Broken Silence's debut album, All for What, was released in July 2009. The album features guests appearances from Ozi Batla (The Herd), Patriarch (USA), Tim Freedman (The Whitlams) and DJ Skizo.
Torcha released his solo L.P together with producer B-Don in February 2010. The beats on the Frozen State L.P were created without any use of samples and the instruments played are for the majority played by B-Don. The album features guest appearances from N'fa, Hyjak, S.Q.Z, 2furious and also Korea
n mega-star Bobby Kim with his crew Buga Kingz.
Australian hip hop
Australian hip hop music began in the early 1980s; originally it was primarily influenced by hip hop music and culture imported via radio and television from the United States of America. However, since the 1990s, a distinctive local style has developed. Australian hip hop is an underground music...
group from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
Biography
The group, formed in 2000, consists of three members: Hyjak (Jack McCarthy), Torcha (John Chmielewski), and DJ BonezDJ Bonez
DJ Bonez is a hip hop DJ and producer, originally from Sydney, New South Wales and currently based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
(George Kordas).
Hyjak first appeared on the scene in 1998, at the age of fifteen he snuck into a pub in the Sydney suburb of Kings Cross
Kings Cross, New South Wales
Kings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
to compete in a rap battle, which he won. Torcha, hailing from Sydney's west, was an active volunteer youth worker, doing programs in youth prisons and performing at anti-war rallies. Formally part of Sydney's Eth-nik Tribe, another Australian hip hop group.
Hyjak N Torcha are currently signed to Obese Records and their first album Drastik Measures was released in 2004, they also released a single, "Sneak", from the album. "Sneak" received airplay on Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
and the video was played on rage
Rage (TV program)
Rage is a popular all-night Australian music video program broadcast on ABC1 on Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Saturday nights. It was first screened on the weekend of Friday, 17 April 1987. With Soul Train no longer being produced, it is the oldest music television program currently still...
. The album was reviewed on Triple J's website. They have since performed with artists such as the Hilltop Hoods
Hilltop Hoods
The Hilltop Hoods are an ARIA Award winning Australian hip hop group, from Adelaide, South Australia. Their members are MCs Suffa , MC Pressure , DJ Debris and formerly DJ Next. They have been at the centre of the Australian hip hop scene for the better part of two decades, originally forming back...
, De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
, Xzibit
Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner , better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television host. He is known as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, which brought him mainstream success...
, Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep is an American hip hop duo from Queensbridge, Queens, New York, U.S., that consists of Havoc and Prodigy. The duo is "one of the most critically acclaimed hardcore East Coast hip-hop groups." The group is best known for its dark, hardcore delivery, as exemplified by the single "Shook Ones...
, Gang Starr
Gang Starr
Gang Starr was an influential East Coast hip hop duo that consisted of the late MC Guru and DJ/producer DJ Premier. Their style combined elements of New York jazz and hip hop.-Background:...
, Lord Finesse
Lord Finesse
Lord Finesse is a Hip hop artist and producer, hailing from The Bronx, New York, best known as the leader of the D.I.T.C. rap crew.- Career :...
, Swollen Members
Swollen Members
Swollen Members is a Canadian hip hop group from Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada consisting mainly of the duo Mad Child, and Prevail. Frequent collaborators include vocalist Moka Only and producer Rob the Viking, an official group member since 2002...
, Murs
Murs
Murs may refer to:*Murs , American rapper*Multi-Use Radio ServiceFrench communes*Murs, Indre*Murs, Vaucluse*Murs-et-Gélignieux, Ain département*Mûrs-Erigné, Maine-et-Loire département...
and Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
. The group's members are also affiliated with Dominion, an Australian hip hop crew.
They've made guest appearances (together and separately) on records by artists like Hilltop Hoods
Hilltop Hoods
The Hilltop Hoods are an ARIA Award winning Australian hip hop group, from Adelaide, South Australia. Their members are MCs Suffa , MC Pressure , DJ Debris and formerly DJ Next. They have been at the centre of the Australian hip hop scene for the better part of two decades, originally forming back...
(Hyjak performed on Hilltop Hoods
Hilltop Hoods
The Hilltop Hoods are an ARIA Award winning Australian hip hop group, from Adelaide, South Australia. Their members are MCs Suffa , MC Pressure , DJ Debris and formerly DJ Next. They have been at the centre of the Australian hip hop scene for the better part of two decades, originally forming back...
' album The Calling), Bliss n Eso
Bliss n Eso
Bliss n Eso are an ARIA Award-winning Australian hip hop band based in Sydney, and were originally known as Bliss N' Esoterikizm for their debut EP The Arrival...
(Hyjak did a guest verse on one of the tracks of Bliss n Eso
Bliss n Eso
Bliss n Eso are an ARIA Award-winning Australian hip hop band based in Sydney, and were originally known as Bliss N' Esoterikizm for their debut EP The Arrival...
's Day of the Dog
Day of the Dog
-Production:* Bliss * BNAproductions * DJ Hoppa * M-Phazes * Motley * N.U.G. * Rocc * SeFu * Suffa * Trax...
album) and Pegz (Hyjak and Torcha appeared on Pegz's Axis
Axis (album)
Axis is the second album released by Australian hip hop artist MC Pegz. It was released in 2005, 18 months after his debut album. This recording features appearances from other Australian MCs, including Hilltop Hoods, Hyjak N Torcha, and Debaser .-Track listing:All tracks written by Tirren Staaf...
album).
Hyjak has also released a mixtape Shady Characters (featuring Torcha, Kye, Ends & Means and others), and performed on a track for Jase's lead single "Nutcase". They also released a videoclip for their track "A Night with Chopper", featuring Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read
Chopper Read
Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read is an Australian ex-criminal, who wrote a series of semi-autobiographical and fictional crime novels. The 2000 film Chopper was based on his life.-Early life:...
, from his album, Interview with a Madman
Interview with a Madman
Interview with a Madman is an album from infamous Australian criminal Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read. Read's foray into hip hop features gritty tales of organised crime, jail time, and ear removal...
, which, in 2006, won the award for 'Best New Filmmaker' (Matt Chuang) at the BelowGround Music Video Fest Awards. In 2011 Hyjak has released and a mixtape called "The Reminder Mixtape" featuring Kerser, Chow. P and Thorn. The track "Roll Up" and "I Remember" featuring Kerser have been majorly recognized as most popular tracks off the mixtape.
Torcha toured with his new band, A Broken Silence. One of their songs, "Lost Road", was performed at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
by Torcha with Tim Freedman
Tim Freedman
Timothy "Tim" James Freedman is the mainstay lead singer and keyboardist of the Australian band The Whitlams formed in 1993...
(of The Whitlams
The Whitlams
The discography of The Whitlams consists of six studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, and eighteen singles.-Studio albums:-Live albums:-Compilation albums:-Singles:-Videos:-Music videos:-Awards:...
) and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra , commonly known as the Sydney Symphony, is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney...
.
The group released their second album, Unregrettable, on 19 June 2009. The album was produced by Mules and features appearances by Murs, N'fa
N'fa
N'fa is an African Australian rapper born in London, but raised in Perth, Western Australia, best known as the former frontman for 1200 Techniques. His father is from Sierra Leone. Forster-Jones met Heath Ledger in primary school and remained friends until the actor's death in 2008...
and S.Q.Z.
A Broken Silence's debut album, All for What, was released in July 2009. The album features guests appearances from Ozi Batla (The Herd), Patriarch (USA), Tim Freedman (The Whitlams) and DJ Skizo.
Torcha released his solo L.P together with producer B-Don in February 2010. The beats on the Frozen State L.P were created without any use of samples and the instruments played are for the majority played by B-Don. The album features guest appearances from N'fa, Hyjak, S.Q.Z, 2furious and also Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n mega-star Bobby Kim with his crew Buga Kingz.
Albums
- Drastik Measures - ObeseObese RecordsObese Records is an Australian hip hop record label. It is the largest Australian independent Hip-Hop label, a retail store and a touring and record distribution company.-History:...
(OBR016) (3 March 2004) - Unregrettable - Obese (OBR066) (19 June 2009)
Compilation appearances
- Lab Exposed - Volume 1 (1999), Statik Recordings (songs: "Kryptonite + Hijak", "Ill Combat", "Best Kept Secret")
- The Fourth Element Effect (1999), Blitzkrieg (songs: "Wack or Dope", Yeast Inection")
- Culture of Kings - Volume 2(2002), Obese Records (song: "Face The Music")
- Obesecity (2002), Obese Records (song: "Point Of No Return")
- Culture of Kings - Volume 3 (2003), Obese Records (song: "It's Over")
- Straight From The Art 2 (2004), Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
(song: "The Science") - Home And Hosed - Freshly Plucked (2004), ABC Music (song: "Corrected")
- Chopper Read - Interview with a MadmanInterview with a MadmanInterview with a Madman is an album from infamous Australian criminal Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read. Read's foray into hip hop features gritty tales of organised crime, jail time, and ear removal...
(2006), Rott'n Records (song: "Night With Chopper") - The Stolen Records (2007), FBi Records (song: "The Test")
- The Whitlams - Greatest Hits, ft Torcha and A Broken Silence (song: "The Road is Lost")
Hyjak solo works
- Breaking Sound Barriers (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) - Statik Recordings (DSR-006) (2002) - Shady Characters (2006)
- Kerser and Hyjak - "Roll On Up" & "I Remember" 2011
DJ Bonez solo works
- Hands On Decks - Statik Recordings (DSR-002) (1999)
- DJ Bonez Presents the Mother's Kitchen Mix - Obese Records (OBR29) (2005)
- Aces High (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) - Obese Records (OBR033) (2005) - Ninja Art - Statik | Shogun Distribution (2007)
- Roll Call - Obese Records (OBR053) (2007)
Torcha solo works
- A Broken Silence All For What... - Bad Seed/MGM DistributionMGM DistributionMGM Distribution is the largest independent distributor of Australian music and music related merchandise and was established in April 1998 by Sebastian Chase....
(ABS002) (16 October 2009) - Torcha & B-Don Frozen State - Independent/Obese (TNB001) (5 March 2010)
External links
- Artist bio at Obese RecordsObese RecordsObese Records is an Australian hip hop record label. It is the largest Australian independent Hip-Hop label, a retail store and a touring and record distribution company.-History:...
website - Interview with Hyjak - Central Station (31 March 2004)
- Rapcella - Artist Profile