Julio Villamil, a 24-year-old who came to Sydney from Colombia to study English, has been diagnosed with a rare cancer. Through the HammondCare LifeStories program, he worked with composer Stephen Rae on a hip-hop song called What Really Matters, in which he shares messages of hope. Mr Villamil has had several rounds of chemotherapy and is in palliative care. His clinician says he needs the drug Enhertu, which costs $7000 a month and is not on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
L2R Dance will hold a Supa Dupa Fly showcase at the Bowery Theatre on Saturday 28 November, from 3pm to 4pm. The event celebrates the group's free dance programs and features L2R dancers alongside special guests. It is inspired by hip hop artist Missy Elliott. L2R is a not-for-profit and social enterprise that makes dance accessible to children and young people facing financial and social barriers. Its programs include Panda Squad, Lil Legends and Breaking, which are based in Braybrook, St Albans and Melbourne's west.
Adelaide hip-hop group Hilltop Hoods now has a laneway bearing its name. Clubhouse Lane, off Hindley Street in the CBD, was officially renamed Hilltop Hoods Lane on Wednesday. The trio, who formed as teenagers in Blackwood more than thirty years ago, become the latest South Australian music figures to receive permanent recognition in the city. Two large murals by local artist Vans the Omega decorate the lane. Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith said the group had never forgotten its Adelaide roots. The tribute is believed to be the first laneway in Australia dedicated to a hip-hop group.
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Adelaide's Clubhouse Lane, off Hindley Street in the CBD, has been renamed Hilltop Hoods Lane at a ceremony. Two murals by Adelaide artist Vans the Omega line both sides of the laneway. The trio, who formed in the Blackwood hills in 1994, have released seven ARIA number one albums and won 10 ARIA Awards. The laneway is the sixth in the City of Adelaide's City of Music Laneway trail. Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith said the group had never forgotten its Adelaide roots.
Rapper Doechii has released Bombs, a new single ahead of her upcoming album. The 90-second track returns to the high-energy style of her Swamp Sessions series. It features rapid delivery over a fast, chaotic beat. The song includes references to ballroom culture and her sexuality, which she recently made public. Doechii's 2024 mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal reached No.10 on the Billboard 200 and won best rap album at the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Former gang leader Duane Davis, 63, has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas. Davis was found guilty of first-degree murder in August. He was tried for masterminding the killing to avenge the beating of his nephew at the MGM Grand casino. Davis has said he will appeal. Prosecutors have never named the gunman, and the three other men in the car have since died.
Duane Davis, a former Los Angeles gang leader, has been sentenced to at least 40 years in prison for his role in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur. Judge Carli Kierny rejected his claims that he had changed since the 1990s, telling the court that Shakur's family and the world had been deprived of him. Davis, 63, was found guilty of first-degree murder in August. Prosecutors said he masterminded the shooting to avenge a beating of his nephew at a Las Vegas casino, and he has said he will appeal.
Wingstop WRLD will take over the forecourt of its Parramatta Square store with a basketball court, live performances, DJs and street art. The activation is part of the four-night Parramatta Lanes festival running from 21 to 24 October. Wingstop has partnered with music collective 92WRLD to curate the entertainment, the first time the chain has done so in Australia. Businesses across the city are also preparing festival-only menus and special promotions, including a Latin Quarter on Phillip Street and jazz performances at PHIVE.
