First Nations Musicians Repping Custodian Streetwear
For the last year, the proud Goenpul/Yuggera man and talented contemporary artist, Nathaniel Chapman, has been working with Yarn as a resident artist, designing for our inhouse streetwear brand Custodian Streetwear. Recently, Nathaniel Chapman’s deadly designs have been spotted on up-and-coming First Nations musicians Mack Ridge, NARLI and Lil Mase!
Through this blog post, get to know these talented musicians, their accomplishments and what their favourite Custodian Streetwear designs are.
NARLI
Narli wearing Custodian Streetwear’s Vintage Sacred Ground Classic Black Cotton Crew Neck Unisex T-Shirt performing at Soho House Bar. Courtesy of Narli’s Instagram, 2022.
If you haven’t yet heard of the Bundjalung Yaegl rapper NARLI, let us get you up to speed! Born Jannali Doncaster from Clarence Valley in New South Wales's north, NARLI is a fast-rising artist who began performing with the urban act Indigenoise, a clique of First Nations poets, artists, producers and musicians. In 2018, the four-part band had their big break, with their debut single ‘Wildfire’ reaching #1 on the triple j unearthed Electronic and Hip-Hop charts and #4 on the overall Chart, just days after it was uploaded in July 2017. The same year, Indigenoise scored a gig at Burning Man, the world’s biggest alternative festival held annually in the Nevada desert, and in 2019 they performed at Splendour In the Grass (Indigenoise, 2022).
The proud Saltwater man has also gone from strength to strength as a solo artist, rapping about Indigenous ceremony, cultural unification and deeply potent and personal messages. In 2018, he produced his debut collaborative EP “A Moment In Time,” and since then he has produced several tracks featuring Indigenous rappers, such as “Talk (feat. Blacx)” and “Land (feat. JK-47)” (triple j Unearthed).
In 2021, NARLI had his big break when he was titled MTV Australia’s Indigenous Artist of The Moment in January and performed live with The Veronicas. The performance was pre-game entertainment for the first game of the 2021 State Of Origin series in Townsville. Here, NARLI had the incredible opportunity to rap a verse of his song F*ck Love One-Take with a new version of the Brisbane duo’s hit single ‘4ever’ (Narli Official, 2022).
If you want to find out more about NARLI and his music, we highly recommend following his social media accounts here:
Mack Ridge
Mack Ridge wearing Custodian Streetwear’s Maree 23 Black Cotton Crew Neck Men's T-Shirt at Brisbane Blacks Live - Music Festival. Photo credit: Wysiwyg Pix. Courtesy of Mack Ridge’s Instagram, 2022.
Mack Ridge is a Gureng Gureng up-and-coming hip hop artist based in Meanjin (Brisbane City). In his music, he raps about issues of racism, poverty and politics faced by Indigenous Australian communities, and his sound is reminiscent of Ice Cube and 2Pac from Hip Hop’s golden era. As a teenager, Mack Ridge would freestyle in his neighbourhood of Acacia Ridge, but it wasn’t until 2019 that he decided to pursue a career in rap music (triple j Unearthed).
Since 2019, Ridge’s been on the grind, releasing his debut EP “Pre-Season” (2019) and performing at several awards ceremonies and festivals. He’s performed at incredible gigs such as the Big Sound 2019 music festival, 2020 Quandamooka Festival, 2020 Dreamtime Awards alongside BARKAA for their “22 Clan '' collaboration, as well as Brisbane Blacks Live 2021.
Below, you’ll see Mack Ridge repping Custodian Streetwear’s Warrior Spirit Cotton Blend Unisex Hoodie in the deadly music video “Last Time That I Checc'd (Nipsey Hussle Tribute)” with Obscure Orchestra and the artists L-FRESH The LION, Nardean, Blaq Carrie, Sachém & SOL CHLD: If you want to find out more about Mack Ridge and his music, we highly recommend following his social media accounts here:
Lil Mase
Lil Mase wearing Custodian Streetwear’s Vintage Custodian Classic Black Cotton Crew Neck Unisex T-Shirt. Courtesy of Lil Mase’s Instagram, 2022.
Lil Mase hit the urban Australian rap scene in August 2018 with his single ‘Automatic’ ft. DC, which was released by Warner Music Australia. From Cairns, Far North Queensland, the Papua New Guinean and Aboriginal artist has been rapping since he was 8 years old. Throughout the years, he’s cultivated his own style and unique sound, reminiscent of artists like Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Akon (Lil Mase Official, 2022).
Lil Mase wearing Custodian Streetwear’s Traditional Warrior Black Cotton Crew Neck Men's T-Shirt. Courtesy of Lil Mase’s Instagram, 2022.
Since 2018, Lil Mase has been industrious, independently dropping tracks monthly, accompanied by official music videos. In his tracks, he’s done many collaborations with a wide range of Indigenous artists such as Torres Strait Islander R&B singer Bertie Anderson and Aboriginal rappers Yazza and Koori Rep. Having toured around Australia for club, hotel and festival gigs, Lil Mase has grown a dedicated fan base. Lil Mase writes his own lyrics, and the outpouring of emotion into his songs have enabled him to grow a deeper connection with his fans (Lil Mase Official, 2022).
Lil Mase “Shine Like The Sunshine” Official Music Video ft. Bertie Anderson and Yazza:
If you want to find out more about Lil Mase and his music, we highly recommend following his social media accounts here:
We'd like to say a huge thank you to Narli, Lil Mase and Mack Ridge for sharing these deadly Custodian Streetwear designs with their viewers!
To shop the collections, click here.
At Yarn, we are passionate about sharing stories of First Nations artists, their creative journeys and how they give back to their communities. Honestly, we need more musicians like these deadly guys out in the world who are dedicated to their community; who advocate for social justice, and who continue to bring about positive change within our society as a whole.
We highly recommend supporting these First Nations musicians by following or subscribing to their social media and music streaming platforms, if you haven’t already!