2018 was a landmark year for Sydney rap group Triple One. Following the release of the Naughty Corner EP and their single ‘Showoff’, they have toured across the country. Most recently, they brought their heart pumping hip-hop to the Falls Festival over Christmas and New Year’s. Now, the 111s have returned with a new track featuring Boston-born Sydney rapper Raj Mahal.
Released on 11/1, which is hereby known as International Triple One Day, ‘Jitter’ is a short, three verse track that evokes the raw attitude of 90s professional wrestling. From the second the bell sounds, it is fast with an aggressive pace and ghastly lyrics. The dark late 90s/early 2000s nu-metal tone wraps the lyrics in layers of fierce, head-banging beat. Much like Triple One’s ‘Redline Reaper’ or Raj Mahal’s ‘Cake’, the beat is physically infectious, designed for sweaty mosh pits on dirty dancefloors. On the first verse, Obi Ill Terrors hurls line after line at the audience with his American inflected style. His flow emphasises a natural and organic roughness, with his coarse vulgarity giving the track the character that defines Triple One.
The second verse kicks things into a new gear as Marty Bukkake Large proves he was put on this earth to show that rapping with a thick Australian accent works. Not only is he quick, ramping up the pace of the lyrics, but he sounds genuine. Lines like “put that mouth up on my strudel, kiss my doodle” and “Marty Large, party hard, like it's the Mardi Gras” are hip-hop at its finest, coming off as rude, self-indulgent but most importantly sincere. These two verses are perfect examples of what makes the 111s success over 2018 so deserved.
The song quickens up once more as Boston’s most underrated storms into the track, accompanied by a fuzz heavy, distorted guitar. He delivers lines like “tried to end this shit when I was 15, got me wondering, bottle after bottle, got me fucked up and I'm stumbling” with an almost angered tone and his style bridges the gap between Australian and American hip-hop in the track, putting them emphasis on the lyrics and beat, where it belongs.
If ‘Jitter’ is a one off track released in celebration of International Triple One Day, it only proves that Triple One are Australia’s next hip-hop stars.