John TeOp Riley: Onward Hip Hop Soldier

Words: Matt Innes At the curious nexus of hip hop and religious faith, John TeOp Riley is building a thriving and diverse international community.  One half of Aussie hip hop duo Fonke Knomaads, John is also heavily involved with the Krosswerdz group, which brings together people of all religious denominations under the banner of sharing…

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DJ Soup – An Endless Passion

By: Matt Innes   After some fifteen years apart, two legends of Aussie hip hop reunite for a decade-shattering collaboration.   In 2001, John Blake aka DJ Soup joined forces with Sleek The Elite to produce the rapper’s genre-defining debut record, ‘Sleekism’. Now, the pair has teamed up once more to produce Sleek’s sophomore album,…

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Fonke Knomaads: In Hip Hop We Trust

By: Matt Innes For years, John TeOp Riley struggled to reconcile his creative passion for hip hop with his deep, yet often-conflicting, Christian beliefs. As lyricist and MC for Fonke Knomaads, Riley, along with John ‘DJ Soup’ Blake, blazed a pioneering trail for Aussie hip hop in the early 90s. Combining Soup’s skilfully crafted loops…

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