Briggs (rapper)

He has made appearances on songs with Hilltop Hoods, the Funkoars, Drapht, and The Last Kinection, as well as supporting a number of international artists.

"[4] Briggs was a student at Shepparton High School and Wanganui Park Secondary College,[6] where he briefly played guitar in a punk band prior to his involvement with hip hop.

[8] Briggs explained in a December 2013 interview that making a name for himself in Shepparton, for a range of reasons, was not difficult and the area was actually a reminder of the larger experience that was open to him and the diligence required to become involved with a music scene that was more significant.

[9] Briggs initially became attracted to American rap music, and formed a group named Misdemeanour with schoolmate Peter Shiels.

After renaming the group "912" (a combination of their house numbers), they performed a gig in Melbourne with Australian hip hop artist Reason.

I was pretty taken aback by this ... this big fella with so much energy and so much passion standing up there, proud of his ... his world of anus, and rapping in a way that, you know, is so comparable to some of the greats, some of the more powerful MCs, you know, that I've followed over the years.

[7]Briggs then moved to the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda so that he could more easily access contacts in the local hip hop community.

While in Melbourne, he struggled to pay rent with the social security benefits that he was reliant upon − Reason stated on the Message Stick TV program that this period was beneficial, as it provided Briggs with an insight that has assisted his growth since that time.

Briggs independently released his first EP Homemade Bombs in 2009 with the support of a monetary loan from Hilltop Hoods' MC Suffa.

[13] The Hilltop Hoods signed Briggs to their Golden Era record label and invited him to be the support act on their 2009 European tour.

Briggs later revealed that he "didn't expect" the public's response to the album, which included a #3 ranking on the Australian iTunes hip-hop charts that lasted a duration of four days.

[12] Briggs released his single "Rather Be Dead" on 27 July 2012[23] and uploaded a corresponding film clip onto his YouTube channel "BriggsTheMilkman" the previous day—as of September 2012, the video had received over 30,000 views.

[31] On 20 May 2013, Briggs used an image from the John Hughes film Planes, Trains, and Automobiles for a promotional post for the podcast on his Facebook fan page.

The video consists of footage filmed in Shepparton, including sections in which Briggs is rapping in the back seat of a driving car.

The video was filmed near Briggs' home town of Shepparton "at the crossroads just by the Murchison East Railway Hotel & Train station, an iconic and humble piece of history which sadly has since burnt down.

[49] Featuring the Hilltop Hoods, K21, Funkoars and Vents, the remix was described as venomous by the Tone Deaf website, due to the lyrical content.

The album has been described as "angry, polemical, brutally frank and meant to inspire a response, good or bad" and features a variety of different Indigenous music artists, such as Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Dan Sultan and Thelma Plum.

This version of the song makes reference to Invasion Day, abuse of children in the Don Dale detention centre in the NT, Asylum seekers and blackface.

Original song "Take Me Home", featuring Gurrumul Yunupingu, was written for and serves as the opening title, and is played throughout the show's first season.

In 2020, Briggs released EP Always Was, the title referencing the slogan "Always was, always will be" which he first heard as a child at protests and in relation to being present as Aboriginal people.

Original, Baker Boy, Barkaa, Emma Donovan, Hilltop Hoods, Jimmy Barnes, Mo'Ju, and Paul Kelly performing.

[64][65] Together with South Australian MC K21 and former mentor Reason, Briggs was announced as the support act for the Melbourne performance of Jeru The Damaja.

[67] American hip hop and spoken word artist Sage Francis selected Briggs as the main support act for the Melbourne and Sydney shows of his December 2014 Australian tour.

[68] In the live arena, Briggs has supported international artists such as Ice Cube, KRS-One, Necro, Ghostface Killah, Dilated Peoples, M.O.P., and Pharoahe Monch.

[43] He has named The Dixie Chicks, Keith Urban, Janet Jackson and Katy Perry as older influences, but also stated that he listens to contemporary American artists such as Justin Timberlake and R Kelly.

Briggs has identified Australian artists The Living End, The Veronicas, Operator Please, Alex Lloyd, Grinspoon, Kisschasy, One Dollar Short and Pete Murray as influences.

Briggs hosted a concert that was co-ordinated by Shepparton organisation "Word and Mouth", in which local young artists from indigenous and refugee backgrounds participated in performances.

The Cup event, which was inspired by an impromptu "kick-to-kick" game at a wake near the Melbourne Cricket Ground,[77] was timed to coincide with the anniversary of Hunter's death and raised funds for Australian cancer charity CanTeen.

"[47] In a February 2014 interview, Briggs stated that he is separated from his daughter's mother and used the analogy of "spinning plates" to describe the process of balancing work and family life.

[98][99] The National Indigenous Music Awards recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from throughout Australia.

Briggs at Festival Hall, Melbourne , in December 2009
Briggs in October 2012
Briggs in January 2019