Comprised of ARIA Award-wining producer Billy Hoyle and emcee Cazeaux O.S.L.O., the Melbourne, Australia-based hip-hop duo Man Made Mountain have begun to receive national attention for a sound that subtly and gently pushes the boundaries of what hip hip can sound like as it’s inspired by both Brazilian rhythms and golden era hip-hop.
“Master Plan,” the first single off the duo’s forthcoming debut EP Congo Square pairs a slick production consisting of a distorted sample from Eric B. and Rakim‘s “Paid in Full,” a sample of a soulful and melodic chorus, some old school scratching, boom bap beats, buzzing synths, skittering percussion and Cazeaux’s silky baritone flow that emphasizes the fact that the Melbourne, Australia-based duo are adding themselves to a lengthy list of conscious hip-hop acts that remind the listener that contemporary hip-hop can (and still does) have something to say. In this case, Cazeaux O.S.L.O. rhymes about something that should be universal for most of us — struggling to survive with our dignity and basic decency intact and striving for more.
The recently released and gorgeously shot official video captures Melbourne’s hardest working and unheralded and its eccentric characters with a sense of dignity and respect; in some way, you should see yourself in them. And with quick cuts, we see the members of Man Made Mountain wandering around Melbourne on a chilly morning as the city wakes up and heads to work.