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For many, the idea of parting with a paycheque for the simple pleasure of owning a piece of vinyl is something incomprehensible. In the age of Spotify and Apple Music, it's uncommon to even see a CD in a friend's car, as music becomes less tangible and increasingly disposable.
There are a select few however, who are happy to hand over hundreds to cop their holy grail. Here in Australia, prices for the local product is soaring, as long-time fans complete collections with classics they missed, and new jacks jump on early releases with a view to posting them up online with a #downsincedayone caption.
Scouring the Discogs database, it's surprising to see some Australian titles changing hands for hundreds. It's not just the usual suspects either; Hilltop Hoods vinyl goes for a grip, but Kilawattz, Celsius and Delta are gonna run you some serious cash too. Grab your credit card and get ready, here's the 20 most expensive Australian hip-hop titles on Discogs right now.
Def Wish Cast - The Legacy Continues (2006)
Asking price: US$150 (AUD$213.28)
Highest sold price: $80
Def Wish Cast took a little time, well 16 years, off before coming straight back and smacking up the local scene with their sophomore release The Legacy Continues. The double-LP has previously sold for a reasonable $80, but the asking price has soared recently and now exceeds $200.
Boney & Stoney - Bias B, Len-One & Lazy Grey Are... (1999)
Asking price: AUD$220
Highest sell price: $347.62
When Queensland's Brothers Stoney (Lazy Grey and Len1) combined with Melbourne's Bias B to cook up a colab, they wouldn't have imagined people would be paying almost $350 for a copy of their tunes only 15 years later. The Boney & Stoney 12" was made famous with the trio's Lyrical Luncheon, which might have the dubious honour of being the first of many Australian BBQ rap tracks.
Various - Rock Da City (1999)
Asking price: US$175, (AUD$250)
Highest sell price: $356.96
The 1999 RDC compilation was a landmark release, featuring contributions from local rappers and producers who would go on to shape the sound of Australian hip-hop. At the time though, most hadn't heard much from Bob Balans and Lazy Grey, who were joined by Plutonic Lab, Jase and Prowla to create a classic for the local heads.
Trem - For The Term Of His Natural Life (Cassette)
Asking price: AUD$255
Highest sale price: N/A
We'll get to Trem's amazing solo album later in the list, but For The Term Of His Natural Life also pops up here in cassette form. The 2011 release dropped on the antiquated format in 2012, and sold out almost instantly. If you missed out, you'll have to fork out for the reseller price of $255.
Lyrical Commission - The Stage Is Set
Asking price: £120 (AUD$261)
Highest sale price: $285.57
Many would tell you that despite the asking prices on this list, The Stage Is Set is the best hip-hop album to ever come out of this country, and it's difficult to argue otherwise. The combination of Trem's dark beats and the vicious lyrical contributions from Brad Strut, Bob Balans and Trem himself made this a must-cop for many Melbournians, but it was the furious attitude from track to track that made it a classic. A double-vinyl copy will set you back over $260.
Def Wish Cast - Knights Of The Undergound Table (1993)
Asking price: $150
Highest sale price: $285.70
True pioneers of Australian hip-hop, west Sydney's Def Wish Cast broke barriers with their first LP Knights Of The Underground Table. The music has aged well, but that album cover ... maybe not so much. The adidas tracksuit and Puma Suedes are dope though. This has gone for big money in the past, and is available now at a relatively cheap $150.
Delta - The Second Story (2009)
Asking price: €180 (AUD$285)
Highest sale price: AUD$180
Delta's sophomore album had a heavy New York presence, with guest spots from Psycho Les of The Beatnuts, Milano and BX rep Jigsaw The Puzzler. A freestyle battle champ and prolific digger, Vibe Magazine once referred to Delta as "the only MC down under worth mentioning." Vinyl copies of The Second Story have gone for up to $180, but you'll have to lay down $285 to cop one today.
Kilawattz - Killa Kombo (1999)
Asking price: $325
Highest sale price: $214.18
Another Def Wish Cast offshoot, the combination (or is that Kombination) of Def Wish and Die-C connected for this EP long before the Kardashians played out the letter K. The release was famous in '99 for their collab with Melbourne MC Reason, which was a first at the time. This was back in the days of 56k modems and before cheap interstate flights, so hooking up tracks from 1000km away was a big deal.
Trem - Sheer Talent 12" (1998)
Asking price: US$220 (AUD$314.14)
Highest sale price: $428.34
When Trem later rapped "Incidentally my first 12-inch was penciled into the books, as one of Melbourne's most influential," he was right on the money. The mammoth of Melbourne rap's first release was an immediate success, and seems like a bargain at $315. People have paid over $400 for a copy in the past.
Funkoars - Who's Your Step Daddy? (2003)
Asking price: $300
Highest sale price: N/A
With tracks like Kidney Shifters and Whoremoans, the Funkoars' Who's Your Stepdaddy LP appears more suited to a crazy night of cheap booze and cheap girls than something you would end up paying $300 for. But, Australian hip-hop fans are known to spend big money on the local product, and the 'Oars were an instant fan-favourite.
Celsius - Celsius (1999)
Asking price: £165 (AUD$359)
Highest sale price: $285.56
The west Sydney Def Wish descendants Sereck and Brass Knuckles dropped a gem on 'em in 99 with their debut LP. The self-titled album earned the pair nationwide acclaim, and a cover story in Sydney hip-hop mag Stealth.
Trem - Amateurs (1999)
Asking price: N/A
Highest sale price: $428.55
The follow-up to his 1998 debut Sheer Talent, Trem's Amateurs continued the then-Geelong MC's reign atop the Victorian rap scene. Amateurs featured production from Melbourne legends Prowla, Jase and Rob Nat, and of course a colab with Trem's LC compadre Brad Strut. Want a copy of this one? Start searching. There's none available online right now.
Various - Obesecity (2002)
Asking price: £200 (AUD$435)
Highest sale price: N/A
The first Obesecity compilation was famous for 'Chop Chop', the infamous Lyrical Commission / Chopper Read colab. We were all psyched to hear it, until we actually heard it and realised 'oh wait, Chopper's just an old white dude and has no business rapping at all'. The compilation also featured US expat Ethic, and a solid local lineup including Hilltop Hoods, Brothers Stoney, Hyjak and more. The asking price for a double LP is currently sitting at over $400.
Lazy Grey - Banned In Queensland (2004)
Asking price: €350 (AUD$559)
Highest sale price: AUD$357.12
Lazy Grey's second appearance on this list (the first being a part of the Boney & Stoney 12") is his 2004 long-player, Banned In Queensland. It's hard to see why anyone would pay over $500 for an album with that cover, complete with the firey-headed MC squinting at the camera and, well there's a chance not even Lazy himself knows what's going on with that pic to the right. Regardless, the old 'don't judge a book by its cover' is particularly fitting with this one, as buyers have parted with up to $357 for a copy.
Prowla - Money Walks (1997)
Asking price: €350 (AUD$559)
Highest sale price: AUD$107
The ever-mysterious Prowla is an icon of Australian hip-hop, particularly in his home town of Melbourne. It speaks to the legend of the elusive MC/producer though that the copy available on Discogs now is actually located in Canada, where the seller is asking a cool $550.
Hilltop Hoods – State Of The Art (2009)
Asking price: €400 (AUD$639)
Highest sale price: $357.12
The Hoods went straight for the jugular with 2009's State Of The Art, their first on the group's own Golden Era label. Enlisting the talents of PharoaheMonch and the ever-popular Trials, the album was an instant success and continued the group's reign at the top of Australian hip-hop.
Downsyde - When The Dust Settles (2004)
Asking price: €400 (AUD$639)
Highest sale price: N/A
The Perth collective hit with 2002's Land Of Giants and followed up with When The Dust Settles in 2004. The album was well-received, but surely part of that $639 price tag has something to do with owning that dope coverart on vinyl.
Hilltop Hoods - The Calling (2003)
Asking price: €450.00 (AUD$719.07)
Highest sale price: AUD$678.53
Of all the records on this list, it could be argued that The Calling was the album with the most far-reaching cultural impact. With this record, the Hoods kicked down the door of Australian pop culture, introducing local hip-hop to the mainstream and introducing tens of thousands of new fans to the genre. Vinyl copies of The Calling have fetched over $650 in the past, and will now run you $720.
Trem – For The Term Of His Natural Life (2011)
Asking price: €500 (AUD$799)
Highest sale price: AUD$499.97
Trem's seminal releases have not only influenced the aspirations of countless local MCs, but also served as the standard for the well-entrenched veterans of Australian hip-hop. His long-awaited (we're talking over a decade of anticipation) solo long-player For The Term Of His Natural Life somehow exceeded expectations, and takes out second position on the list with a price tag of almost $800.
Hilltop Hoods – Back Once Again (1997)
Asking price: £499 (AUD$1087.33)
Highest sale price: AUD$857.09
It hardly comes as a surprise that the biggest asking price in Australian hip-hop is associated with the biggest name in Australian hip-hop. The cool thing about the Back Once Again EP is that it features the same logo and unmistakable illustration style that the group have stuck with right through their long career. Musically, the 1997 release can’t compare with what was to come for the Hoods, but there’s a reason Michael Jordan’s rookie card is worth more than anything associated with the Bulls’ magnificent 1996 season; People will pay top dollar to get in on the ground floor.
