VOA常速英语2007年-Australia's First Aboriginal Record Label Opens

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
07 November 2007

Australia's first urban Aboriginal¹ record label has been established in Sydney. Its founders² say there is a great untapped market for Aboriginal hip³-hop⁴ and rap music that deals with drugs, violence, poor health and racism⁵. Phil Mercer reports from Sydney, where Redfern Records has released its first album, Beats from Tha (sic) Streets.

 

Aboriginal hip-hop is a gritty look at life in Australia's major cities, which are home to most of the country's indigenous⁶ citizens.

 

Redfern Records aims to bring these distinctive⁷ flavors to a mainstream⁸ audience. The label, based in a tough indigenous Sydney district of the same name, was founded by a brother and sister, Stephen and Nikita Ridgeway.

 

The Ridgeways, themselves Aborigines, see their move into the music industry as a mission: allowing Aboriginal voices to be heard - and to challenge the stereotypical⁹ views held by non-indigenous society.

 

"You know, most commonly when you think of indigenous music, people tend to think of traditional Aboriginal people like from Arnhem Land - Yothu Yindi," Nikita says. "They always automatically assume something political, but where we come in as an urban label, we want to portray¹⁰ other issues - what it's like for an urban Aboriginal to live in urban society, what we go through in comparison to people that live out in remote communities. It's very different."

 

"There has not been a vehicle for Aboriginal people to voice their aspirations¹¹, dreams and so forth¹² to the rest of the world," adds Stephen.

 

There is also a lighter¹³ side to Aboriginal hip-hop. "We Love To Party" by Pott Street, a four-member band from the northern city of Darwin, speaks for itself.

 

But beyond these hedonistic beats lies a serious social conscience.

 

O'Zee, one of Pott Street's singers, says his group hopes to set a positive example for indigenous people in the North.

 

"One of the visions we have is helping¹⁴ the indigenous youth throughout Darwin and the Northern Territory, so I think that'll be a big thing to get into next year," O'Zee says. "There is a lot of talent in the indigenous youth and we want to try to show them that you can get noticed and you can get your music recorded like we've done."

 

Australian rap - especially when it is fortified¹⁵ with a strong Aboriginal flavor - is unlike its international cousins. Gusto, another of the members of Pott Street, says his brand of hip-hop tells a very different story than that articulated by rappers in the United States.

 

American rap often talks of crime, and life on the mean streets of America's urban ghettoes. Gusto says Aboriginal rap talks about unemployment, ill health and racism, but also about the positive side of life: close family ties, appreciation¹⁶ of indigenous culture, and having a good time.

 

"With the Americans it's very gangster-fied. It's very thug. It's reality to them. You can't knock it. That's the one thing about hip hop - it's a clichéd thing to say, but keeping it real is the backbone¹⁷ of hip hop," Gusto says. "If you're going to rap you need to rap about yourself, where you're from and what's real to you…I mean, hey, we're not all gangsters¹⁸. We've got families, we've got jobs, we're at home, you know, we're going to Uni [university], we're doing all sorts of different things, so you've got to rap about your own life."

 

Despite all this enthusiasm, hip-hop remains¹⁹ on the fringes of Australian pop music.

 

Few Aboriginal rappers have dipped their toes into the big time, but industry observers like radio DJ Robbie Buck²⁰ believe their unique insight can illuminate²¹ the many facets²³ of indigenous Australia.

 

"It's got a traditional kind of facet²² but it's also got its contemporary reflection, and that is something that is really exciting because, you know, contemporary Aboriginal society and politics is a very controversial, a very interesting, a very dynamic place," he explains, "and finally having people using a really contemporary form like hip-hop to express that makes it a really exciting form."

 

And one that in many ways carries on the age-old Aboriginal custom of storytelling. Indigenous history is not written. It has been passed down over thousands of years through song and dance.

 

Hip-hop music maintains that oral tradition - and it might help young Aborigines gain new respect for their ancient culture.

1 aboriginal   

adj.（指动植物）土生的，原产地的，土著的

参考例句：

• They managed to wipe out the entire aboriginal population.他们终于把那些土著人全部消灭了。
• The lndians are the aboriginal Americans.印第安人是美国的土著人。

2 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

3 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

4 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

5 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

6 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

7 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

8 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

9 stereotypical   

n.常规

参考例句：

• Personas should be typical and believable, but not stereotypical. 人物角色应该是典型和可信赖的，但不是一成不变的。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Anything could be stereotypical, so I guess it could be criticism. 任何东西都可以变的老套，所以我猜那就是一种批评。 来自互联网

10 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

11 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

12 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

13 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

14 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

15 fortified   

adj. 加强的

参考例句：

• He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
• The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。

16 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

17 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

18 gangsters   

匪徒，歹徒( gangster的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gangsters offered him a sum equivalent to a whole year's earnings. 歹徒提出要给他一笔相当于他一年收入的钱。
• One of the gangsters was caught by the police. 歹徒之一被警察逮捕。

19 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

20 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

21 illuminate   

vt.照亮，照明；用灯光装饰；说明，阐释

参考例句：

• Dreams kindle a flame to illuminate our dark roads.梦想点燃火炬照亮我们黑暗的道路。
• They use games and drawings to illuminate their subject.他们用游戏和图画来阐明他们的主题。

22 facet   

n.(问题等的)一个方面；(多面体的)面

参考例句：

• He has perfected himself in every facet of his job.他已使自己对工作的各个方面都得心应手。
• Every facet of college life is fascinating.大学生活的每个方面都令人兴奋。

23 facets   

n.（宝石或首饰的）小平面( facet的名词复数 )；（事物的）面；方面

参考例句：

• The question had many facets. 这个问题是多方面的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A fully cut brilliant diamond has 68 facets. 经过充分切刻的光彩夺目的钻石有68个小平面。 来自《简明英汉词典》