The trio of YJ, MWAYS and ONIT—a.k.a. Hp Boyz—emerged from Melbourne’s Hampton Park area in 2019 and immediately shook up the burgeoning Australian rap scene. Armed with tales from the street and a penchant for a grim, deadpan UK drill-style delivery (in contrast to the sing-rap of many of their contemporaries), Hp Boyz instantly stood out with their 2019 debut single, “Blueprint”. The trio’s confidence was so strong—they sold out seven shows in New Zealand in less than 10 minutes that same year—that they felt justified in elevating themselves above fellow MCs. “Ay, can I make one thing clear? If you was in the trap, brother, how are you here,” they ask in the chorus of “Engineers”. On 2020’s “Rumours”, the trio flips a Middle Eastern string sample, but their streetwise lyrical concerns remain the same. Among Australia’s early 2020s wave of melodically inclined MCs, Hp Boyz stand out for their tough-talking rhymes and singular vision.