The success of the Hip-Hop album The Calling (2003) by the Hilltop
Hoods was a major event on the timeline of Hip-Hop in Australia. It
launched a formerly 'underground' scene into the spotlight, radically
transforming the group members' lives and creating new opportunities for
other Hip-Hop artists. This book analyses the impact of the album by
drawing on original interviews with fifteen Hip-Hop practitioners from
across Australia, including artists who contributed to the album. These
primary interviews are interwoven with material from media sources and
close readings of song lyrics and album imagery. An exploration of the
early histories of Hip-Hop in Australia with a focus on the formation of
Obese Records and the Hilltop Hoods' biography gives way to analysis of
specific tracks from the album and the Hoods' prowess as live
performers. The book uses The Calling as a lens to examine the beliefs
and practices of Hip-Hop enthusiasts in Australia, including changes
since the album was released. Published in 2023 to coincide with the
album's twenty-year anniversary, the book is an engaging evaluation of a
musical release that was so significant that people now use it explain
two distinct periods in Australian Hip-Hop (pre or post The Calling).