Briggs: Sheplife
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Briggs: Sheplife

Yes, that is the name of this album. I must have been living in some kind of ignorant dreamland where Shepparton seemed like a sunny place to go buy some peaches and take a dip in the Goulburn River on the weekend, but boy did I have it wrong – well, according to Briggs anyway.
I love a bit of Aussie hip-hop; love the rawness and the Aussie twang that comes through in the lyrics. But I feel as though Briggs is forcing it just a little, it doesn’t seem like a natural flow of music or lyrics. When listening to ShepLife I was forced to remember when the guys at my high school decided to create their own hip hop albums and hand them out at assembly. I respected what they were trying to do but it just didn’t hit the mark. Don’t get me wrong, ShepLife is full of heart and delivers some incredible beats – track seven, ‘The Hunt’ (feat. Gurrumul), in particular delivers on the beat front and is the standout track of the album.
Overall, the stories told throughout ShepLife are intriguing and some of the beats are pretty good. So if you love raw grassroots Aussie hip hop it’s worth a listen, but be ready to keep waiting for the ‘Oh yeah, I get what this guy is about and what he’s doing here’ moment. You might be waiting a while.
Also, if you are thinking of moving to Shepparton, you should certainly listen to it first!
By Montana Agustin