Ziggy Ramo: Sugar Coated Lies Review – Bold, Uncompromising Hip-Hop Takes A New Path | Australian Music

〇On the opening track of his second album, Ziggy Lamo raps, “It hurts to talk about this/So I had to write this song about it.” This line from Pretty Ugly could be the modus operandi behind the indigenous Solomon Islands rapper’s work. Artist full name Ziggy Ramo Burmuruk Fatnowna exposes the uncomfortable truth.

With Black Thoughts, his first album released independently in 2020, Ramo takes aim at colonization, genocide, and both systemic and everyday racism in a powerful and often confronting Spoken-word interludes and soundbites from the news bolstered his arguments. was shelved for five years while he tried to find a label. Songs such as April 25th and Black His Face denounced the Australian government and the colonial program in general. Not easy to hear, but essential.

Sugar Coated Lies, also released independently on January 26, doesn’t sound as immediate as it did when you first heard it. On the surface, these are songs about relationships, but dig deeper and you’ll find the raw heart, the life of a man affected by generational trauma.

Lamo, who wrote this album as a diary entry after being hospitalized for suicide watch, turns his focus inward, demonstrating his self-loathing and intrusive thoughts. If Black Thoughts were the shot, Sugar Coated Lies are the chaser. Topics such as toxic masculinity, gender boundaries, and cycles of abuse and trauma are explored on these tracks, with Ramo looking unflinchingly at his flaws.

Sonically, this album takes a new path. Gone is the long melody through which many of Black Thoughts’ most uncompromising arguments passed. In fact, there’s little resemblance here to the previous ones, with more emphasis on melody and more conventional pop song structure. Hints of early-2000s hip-hop permeate “Love Sick,” with Lamo’s vocals layered with her second voice and filtered with the era’s hallmark “chipmunk” sound effects. There are also forays into a more mainstream sound, like Done to You, where the singer’s voice is lazily layered in her Auto-Tune, before the song’s pitch drops and deep bass engulfs it all. Guest her vocalist adds another perspective and layer to keep the song from getting too focused. Vonn’s slinky chorus on the pulsating Never Recalls 90s R&B and Alice’s breathtaking vocals on the title track Her Sky provide a nice foil.

Along with pain and justifiable anger, there is also optimism and pride here. Blak Man Swimming celebrates black excellence in a variety of fields. Ramo then calls himself his Blak Michael Phelps or Ian Thorpe and drops a killer line. Fuck your rudeness, man.” These self-assertive statements contrast with the vulnerabilities described in the other tracks, creating a complete picture of Lamo’s existence as an indigenous people amidst all its complexity and contradictions. On the final Better, Dutch singer Jantine repeats “All will be well” like a hopeful prayer, the final words echoing in the fade.

Before releasing Black Thoughts, Ramo said Australia wasn’t ready to hear the harsh truths of his music. That might still be true — just last week, the rapper struck out against Joondalup City Council, who “unconditionally” apologized to concert-goers who may have been offended by Ramo’s performance at a free family concert. (See Swearing and Strong Opposition) -colonialist positions).

But starting with a conversation and spreading out from there, the only way anything can change in a meaningful way may be through discomfort. Sugar Coated Lies was released on his Invasion Day, but like everything else in Ramo’s career, it’s a highly deliberate move. This is a magnificent piece of work with bold voices that demand Australians to listen, see and not look away.