If you’ve never heard of Bliss n Eso, you’re probably not alone, but it might surprise you to find out that Bliss and Eso are Australia’s premiere hip hop music artists, and have a professional music career that spans more than a decade. Bliss n Eso is actually a trio of musicians. MC Bliss, also known as Jonathan Notley, is an American. MC Eso, an Australian, is also known as Max MacKinnon, and DJ Izm, a Moroccan, known as Tarik Ejjamai, rounds out the group.

Trio Takes To North America

The group met in high school and has performed together since that time. They occupy Australia’s top spot in terms of hip-hop artists, in a field that’s becoming more crowded every day. The group focuses on its lyrics and beats but has tried to avoid developing a predictable style.

They regularly perform live and still include traditional rap techniques like scratching and beatboxing to achieve their unique sound. While they’ve moved around from label to label, the group has also opened for some of rap’s most recognizable acts, including 50 Cent, G-Unit, and Lil Jon. Bliss and Eso have been nominated for ARIA awards, Australia’s version of the Grammys.

Bliss n Eso aren’t your typical hip-hop musical act, and have been very active in a number of charitable causes. The group’s work has helped fund relief work in South Africa as well as in Victoria, Australia. They’ve toured the US several times and have released four albums, one of which was certified gold and the group’s most recent release, Running on Air, was certified platinum.

If any of this surprises you, it shouldn’t. Hip-hop, as a musical artform, has demonstrated itself to be among the most culturally flexible, and has inspired musicians and artists from all over the world. New musicians find the genre to be welcoming, and relatively easy to break into, compared to other musical genres like rock.

Hip-hop, when combined with the ability to self-produce, self-publicize and self-distribute music, turns out to be highly appealing to listeners all over the world. There’s no easier way to start in the music business today than by producing your own hip-hop and rap beats.

Unlike other genres, it’s both acceptable and expected that artists who are just trying to break into the music scene will create and distribute free mixtapes of their music. If you’re an aspiring artist and are considering going this route, check out some of the best tools available on the market today, like dubTurbo and Sonic Producer. Download your copy of one or both of these applications, and you’ll be making your own unique sounds in no time!

Photo Credit: martinhoward, via Flickr