As we’ve covered previously, Triple J’s Like A Version series has been on a roll in 2015. We’re eagerly awaiting the youth broadcaster’s next annual Like A Version compilation album, because so far this year, just about every cover has had something we love about it.
From a staggering alt-rock mash-up and #1 Dads giving FKA twigs a serious run for her money, to Hiatus Kaiyote blowing us away, Oscar Key Sung’s ambitious Jamie xx rework, and Clowns giving us a raw as hell cover of an Aussie classic, we’ve been seriously impressed.
However, today’s Like A Version wasn’t just impressive because of the novel arrangement or ambitious song choice, thanks to the deft lyrical skills of Mildura rapper Philly, who performed a special NAIDOC week Like A Version, today’s cover was also an inspiring social statement.
Rapping over the simple strums of an acoustic guitar, Philly reflects on the issues of race and being an Indigenous Australian in contemporary Aussie society, turning Bob Marley’s reggae classic ‘Three Little Birds’ into a nuanced and thoughtful political anthem.
