Tkay Maidza's Top 5 Hip Hop Inspirations

During the recent BIGSOUND conference in Brisbane, there was only one name on everybody’s lips and that was Tkay Maidza. The talented young Adelaide artists, who first turned heads when she asked everybody to stomp their feet like a brontosaurus, has been making tidal-sized waves ever since.

After months of anticipation surrounding the rapper’s follow-up to the infectious Brontosaurus, Maidza made a series of rapid-fire lane changes, leaving fans and newcomers alike dizzy in her wake and clutching a raft of quality singles, each more experimental than the last.

To get some insight into what drives one of Australia’s most intriguing young up-and-comers, whom industry commentators are predicting will be one of the leaders of the Australian pop revolution posed to take over the US, we asked her to share her five most important hip-hop inspirations.

Tkay will be performing in Brisbane this weekend as part of Stranded Festival 2.0

Santi Gold

“Santi Gold is great, she’s such an inspiration she just makes great songs and is totally in her own lane always looking for what’s new but it has a timeless feel to is also which is really rare. She also just has a really great image and branding to her I really think its cool that its about the music more than anything.”

M.I.A

“Like Santi Gold I really appreciate that she is about the music more than anything. She is erratic, fun, dance orientated and everything of hers ties into a massive picture which is visual and sonic. I also really like how she also isn’t trying to stick to one sound either she’s a very experimental artist which Is what I want to be.”

Janelle Monae

“Janelle is so talented. So, so Talented. Probably also really really underrated. She is one of the only ladies associated with Outkast and they’re legendary – so that says something. This song I’ve listed isn’t reeeally hiphop but its so great. Its the song that introduced me to her and i think its the best thing ever. She deserves more than the world.”

Tinashe

“I’ve known about Tinashe for about four years now I stumbled across her stuff way before her mix tapes were even out… I think mainly because of the fact she’s part Zimbabwean and that name is so Zimbabwean. But watching her grow and become what she is now is so inspiring and her music is so great. The new album just shows her going from strength to strength.”

SZA

“I fell in love with SZA’s music in the beginning of this year. Pretty sure she’s the leading lady of Top Dawg (Kendrick Lamar’s imprint) Its really personal to me because I almost feel like I’m the one telling these stories when I’m listening to her music. Her melodies are so immaculate and her lyrics are so raw and truthful it almost seems so simple what she is telling you but its not that easy to be that honest. I love her.”