The group formed when MCs Suffa and Pressure met at high school. When they later hooked up with DJ Debris through a mutual friend, the trio was complete.
They were inspired by American hip hop artists such as KRS-One, Gang Starr and Pete Rock, who encouraged them to spread this style of music in Australia.
The Hilltop Hoods have released eight successful recordings - Back Once Again (EP - 1997), A Matter of Time (LP - 1999), Left Foot, Right Foot (LP - 2001), The Calling (LP - 2003), The Hard Road (LP - 2006), The Hard Road: Restrung (LP-2007) ,State Of The Art (LP - 2009) and Drinking From The Sun (LP - 2012). The Calling achieved gold status in Australia (35,000+ copies sold), the first hip-hop album to do so. Two tracks (The Nosebleed Section and Dumb Enough) received places in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2003, at 9th and 44th respectively. The Nosebleed Section also came in at number 17 in the Triple J Hottest Hundred Of All Time, making it the highest ranked Australian song on the list, and the only hip-hop track to make the cut. LP The Hard Road also topped the Australian charts, another first for Australian Hip-Hop.
Aside from their own albums, they have featured on a number of highly respected compilation albums, including Obesecity and Culture of Kings Vol. 1 & 2, and have collaborated with most of the main players of the Australian hip hop scene including Koolism, Mass MC, Pegz, Muphin, Layla, Hyjak and Bonez.
They have played many large Australian music festivals, including the Big Day Out, Splendour in the Grass and Falls Festivals. They have received nominations for the Best Hip Hop Act in 2001 and 2002 at the 3D World Dance Music Awards, won the APRA award for best up-coming group as well as receiving number one positions in independent charts all around Australia.
Origin Adelaide
Country Australia
Years active 1991–present
Genres Australian Hip-Hop
Labels Obese Records, Golden Era Records (State of the Art)
Members Suffa, Pressure, DJ Debris
Past members DJ Next
Testimonial Year
Hilltop Hoods Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let me introduce myself, raise them beers,
Suffa MC, been doing this for more than ten years,
Ever since I was a youngster, I brought the funk for
The love, and for the party people to get drunk to,
Since back in the day we've been the major crew,
When I step on the stage it's like De Ja Vu,
Years of performing, years of practice,
Every time that we went on tour,
And she was left behind feeling insecure,
But she needn't worry; I wasn't chasing a girl to rock right,
I was chasing the warm glow of a spotlight,
City after city, state to state,
We were just three mates rocking beats and breaks,
So if you made it to a Hoods show to check the style,
You get much respect, you made it all worthwhile.
Verse Two - Pressure
Let me introduce myself, raise them beers,
Pressure MC, been doing this for more than ten years,
It's been a long road I'm glad I stayed on track,
A dream of making raps, and getting played on wax,
It seems that faking jacks want to cause my demise,
Along the way wouldn't give me play but couldn't stop the course of my rise,
Now of course the sky's the limit, we fly get with it,
You ain't underground, that's because you dig it,
It took infinite skills and hard work to get this far jerk,
Look me in the face, now I'm the one who wears a smart smirk,
It wasn't all negative, took the good with the bad,
Us falling will never happen, like catching the Hoods in drag,
In orderly fashion I'm thanking those who supported me,
Wouldn't be where I'm standing if they hadn't have fought for me,
From a nothing rep, now we live busting sets,
So if you own a Hoods album you get nuff respect.
Verse Three - Suffa
Let me introduce myself, raise them beers,
Suffa MC, been doing this for more than ten years,
We've been through a lot to perfect this art,
When Next left the group it near broke my heart,
But then Debris stepped up as the DJ,
A super team spearheaded by PJ,
Chasing dreams like Fats chasing punani,
It's all about the culture, never been about the money,
But we had to watch people trying to take advantage
Of us, trying to damn near rob us,
We got slowed down by dodgy contract offers,
But it would take a nation of millions to stop us,
We got our propers, paid our dues in triplicate,
Ripping it, till other crews were insignificant,
I've stayed true, never made myself a hypocrite,
Trust me, I'm wise I got the certificate.
Verse Four â?? Pressure
Let me introduce myself, raise them beers,
Pressure MC, been doing this for more than ten years,
Yeah we made it far, through beats pumping and flows,
My bro Rated are props for being the drunkest at shows,
And support from my mates who fought for the stakes,
Of Oz hip-hop, props to record stores, I bought from their crates,
You see talking it takes less than walking the stakes,
So put your money where your mouth is and quit flaunting as fakes,
For those who stuck by me over time I put yours over mine,
Don't have to speak your names you know my mind,
In this simple game of respect it's given as it's taken,
Been given props, now respected tracks is what I'm making,
Shouts to everyone I met on tour,
It's our hip hop ladies and gentlemen let's keep it pure,
So here's another LP from the Hoods to crank to,
Hope you dig the rest of this album people I got to thank you.
Suffa (spoken)
That's right pressure
We gotta thank everyone who's supported us and been there for us
You get much respect but for now
Verse 5 - Suffa and Pressure
Let us introduce DJ Debris
He's a cut above the rest
And that is where he'll be
Let us introduce DJ Debris
He's a cut above the rest
And that is where he'll be
DJ Debris for more than 10 years
For more than 10 years
Hilltop hoods for more than 10 years
Certifie.. certifie.. certified wires
The song Testimonial Year by Hilltop Hoods is an ode to their success and longevity in the music industry. The first two verses are performed by Suffa and Pressure respectively, and they introduce themselves as MCs who have been in the game for over ten years. They share their journey of a dream of making raps and chasing the spotlight, performing in different cities and states, and facing challenges like dodgy contract offers.
Verse three is again performed by Suffa and talks about the group's evolution through the years. Next left the group, but they found a replacement in Debris as the DJ, and they formed a team spearheaded by PJ. Suffa shares that their music has never been about money but about the hip-hop culture, and they had to pay their dues and rip it until other groups became insignificant. The final verse is a combination of support from other members, including their DJ Debris, and thanks to people who have supported them through their journey.
The song is an ode to the band's success and longevity, but it also speaks to the effort that goes into making it in the music industry. It acknowledges the challenges, sacrifices, and support that are necessary for staying relevant and successful.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me introduce myself, raise them beers,
I am Suffa MC and I have been doing this for over 10 years. Let's raise our beers and celebrate.
Suffa MC, been doing this for more than ten years
I have been working hard as an MC for more than 10 years now.
Ever since I was a youngster, I brought the funk for The love, and for the party people to get drunk to,
Since I was young, I have always loved making music and performing for people who want to have a good time.
Since back in the day we've been the major crew,
We have been a major music group since the beginning.
When I step on the stage it's like De Ja Vu,
When I perform, it feels like I have done this before and I am in my element.
Years of performing, years of practice,
I have spent many years perfecting my craft through practice and performance.
Respect from my peers, my girls tears on the mattress,
My peers respect me as an artist, and my partner has shed tears while I am away on tour.
Every time that we went on tour, And she was left behind feeling insecure,
My partner feels insecure when I go on tour, but I am loyal and not chasing other women.
But she needn't worry; I wasn't chasing a girl to rock right, I was chasing the warm glow of a spotlight,
I am not chasing other women, but rather the feeling of performing under the spotlights.
City after city, state to state, We were just three mates rocking beats and breaks,
We travel from city to city, state to state, and perform as a group of three friends making music.
So if you made it to a Hoods show to check the style, You get much respect, you made it all worthwhile.
If you came to our show to watch our performance, we respect and appreciate your support.
It's been a long road I'm glad I stayed on track, A dream of making raps, and getting played on wax,
It has been a long journey, but I am proud that I stayed on my path of making music and getting my songs played on vinyl records.
Along the way wouldn't give me play but couldn't stop the course of my rise,
Some people didn't want to give me a chance, but that did not stop me from achieving success and reaching new heights.
You ain't underground, that's because you dig it,
If you are not a part of the underground hip-hop scene, it may be because you do not appreciate or understand it.
It took infinite skills and hard work to get this far jerk,
It required a lot of skill and hard work to get to where I am now.
Look me in the face, now I'm the one who wears a smart smirk,
Now that I have achieved success, I am proud and wear a confident expression.
It wasn't all negative, took the good with the bad,
My journey was not always negative; there were some good moments mixed in with the bad.
Us falling will never happen, like catching the Hoods in drag,
We will never fail, it is as unlikely as catching us dressing in drag.
So if you own a Hoods album you get nuff respect.
If you own one of our albums, we have a lot of respect for you and appreciate your support.
We've been through a lot to perfect this art,
We have been through many challenges and obstacles to perfect our musical art.
When Next left the group it near broke my heart,
When one of our group members, Next, left the group, it was very difficult for me.
But then Debris stepped up as the DJ, A super team spearheaded by PJ,
But then, Debris took over as our DJ and we continue to work together as a strong team, with PJ as our leader.
Chasing dreams like Fats chasing punani,
We are chasing our dreams with the same fervor as Fats, a character in a popular novel, chases women.
It's all about the culture, never been about the money,
Our focus is on the hip-hop culture and making music that we love, not on making money.
But we had to watch people trying to take advantage Of us, trying to damn near rob us,
We had to be careful and watch out for people trying to take advantage of us or cheat us out of money.
We got slowed down by dodgy contract offers, But it would take a nation of millions to stop us,
We were slowed down by questionable contract offers, but it would take a lot to stop us from making music and achieving success.
We got our propers, paid our dues in triplicate,
We earned respect and recognition for our hard work and dedication to our craft.
Ripping it, till other crews were insignificant, I've stayed true, never made myself a hypocrite,
We have worked hard and made music so good that other groups seemed insignificant in comparison. I have always been true to myself and never acted hypocritical.
Trust me, I'm wise I got the certificate.
I have gained a lot of wisdom and experience throughout my journey and have the knowledge to back it up.
Yeah we made it far, through beats pumping and flows,
We have come a long way through our dedication to making good beats and flowing lyrics.
My bro Rated are props for being the drunkest at shows,
My friend Rated deserves recognition for always being the drunkest person at our shows.
And support from my mates who fought for the stakes, Of Oz hip-hop, props to record stores, I bought from their crates,
My friends have supported me and fought for the success of Australian hip-hop. I also want to give props to the record stores I used to buy records from.
You see talking it takes less than walking the stakes, So put your money where your mouth is and quit flaunting as fakes,
Talking about success is easy, but actually achieving it takes hard work and dedication. Don't just talk about it, put in the work and stop pretending to be something you're not.
For those who stuck by me over time I put yours over mine,
I prioritize and appreciate those who have stuck by me and supported me throughout my journey.
Don't have to speak your names you know my mind,
I don't need to mention names, those who have supported me know who they are and how I feel.
In this simple game of respect it's given as it's taken,
In the world of hip-hop, respect is earned and given equally.
Been given props, now respected tracks is what I'm making,
I have earned respect and recognition, and now I am making more respected tracks and music.
It's our hip hop ladies and gentlemen let's keep it pure,
We are all part of the hip-hop community and should strive to keep it pure and true to its roots.
So here's another LP from the Hoods to crank to, Hope you dig the rest of this album people I got to thank you.
We have released another LP for you to listen to and enjoy. Thank you to all of our fans for their support.
Let us introduce DJ Debris, He's a cut above the rest, And that is where he'll be
We want to introduce DJ Debris, who is an exceptional talent and will always be at the top.
DJ Debris for more than 10 years, Hilltop hoods for more than 10 years, Certifie.. certifie.. certified wires
DJ Debris has been a part of Hilltop Hoods for more than 10 years, and our music has been certified and recognized as excellent.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BARRY FRANCIS, DANIEL SMITH, MATTHEW LAMBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Fazza's Man Cave
one of my fav hoods tracks .... showing their appreciation for getting where they were @ that point. RAISE THEM BEERS
John Lewis
The pianist sampled on this track is Dudley Moore (yes, the comedian and actor). It's from The Staircase, one of his many jazz trio recordings.
Igors Ivars
thanks for the free information.
Gareth Fraser
sick work.
Gumlicker4650
John Lewis thank you so fucking much
corey376
Big fan of the hoods....keep up the great work lads! Long live Aussie Hip-Hop!
Tommy
Aussie hiphop at its best.
propertyofranger
Saw Hilltops at Homebake . . . just so great! They're awesome live performers.
Zachery Gilson
Thumbs up if it will never matter what year it is or was you will always be a Hoods fan
Zachery Gilson
Yes