Indigenous rapper The Kid Laroi became the youngest solo artist to ever top the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) album charts this month.
The 17-year-old’s mixtape project F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) was just months earlier named ARIA’s number one Australian Hip Hop/R&B Album of 2020.
Now some Australian music producers have taken aim at how the ARIA Awards failed to commend the up-and-comer with a single award win in November, 2020.
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Opinion: Australian music producers – working with Kanye West and Kid Cudi – slam ARIAs for ‘snubbing rapper The Kid Laroi, 17, (left) at recent awards’ after he made chart history with F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) album. Pictured with American rapper Lil Bibby
The young rapper was nominated for three ARIA Awards in 2020 for F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE): Breakthrough Artist, Best Male Artist and Best Hip Hop release.
Those awards were instead given to Lime Cordiale, Archie Roach and Sampa The Great respectively.
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday, Perth’s FnZ’s Michael Mule and Isaac DeBoni, both 34, expressed their disappointment at The Kid Laroi’s apparent ‘snub’ by the ARIA Awards.
The duo, who have been based in Los Angeles for five years, work with big names in the hip-hop industry, including Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Pusha T and Denzel Curry,
‘We’re from Perth and producing a bunch of their songs, but people can’t read a credit and put two and two together. Laroi just got snubbed at the ARIAs, too. Dude is gonna be one of the biggest pop stars of the next decade and they couldn’t figure that out either,’ they said to the publication.
Maybe next year: The young rapper was nominated for three ARIA Awards in 2020 for F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE): Breakthrough Artist, Best Male Artist and Best Hip Hop release. Pictured:
Kicking goals! Rapper The Kid Laroi, 17, made history as the youngest artist to top the ARIA charts with his mixtape project F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) in February 2020
After 28 weeks in the ARIA top 50 album charts, The Kid Laroi’s 2020 release F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) finally reached #1 on Sunday, February 7.
He wrote in a series of Tweets at the time:’#1 in my own country. Words cannot describe this feeling. Anybody who knows me, knows that where I’m from means everything to me. I’m more than blessed to have my country behind me, and I promise that I won’t let them down.’
‘One of my biggest goals in this whole music s**t from the beginning has always been to show the rest of the world what Australia has to offer, and how much raw and unseen talent that we have. It’s not an overnight process, but I can feel it slowly happening.’
The Kid Laroi signed off with: ‘& I’m taking this s**t all the way too. I love you so so so so much family. I cannot thank you enough. Australia to the world.’
‘#1 in my own country. Words cannot describe this feeling’: Indigenous rapper The Kid Laroi – whose real name is Charlton Howard – celebrated the milestone win on Twitter
‘I cannot thank you enough!’ The Australian rapper thanked all of his fans in his home country for the incredible support that has also seen the album F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) earn ARIA’s gold album accreditation for selling more than 35,000 units
ARIA success: The 17-year-old’s mixtape project F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) was named ARIA’s number one Australian Hip Hop/R&B Album of 2020 shortly after the award ceremony
Meanwhile, The Kid Laroi, real name Charlton Howard, has already collaborated with major artists, including OneFour, Machine Gun Kelly, Marshmello, and his late mentor Juice WRLD, who died in 2019.
He also secured two spots in Triple J’s Hottest 100 for 2021 with So Done (#37) and Go feat. Juice WRLD (#60).
The rapper rose to fame in 2018 at the age of 15 as a finalist in the Unearthed High competition for high school musicians by Australian radio station Triple J.
He rose to fame in 2018 at the age of 15 as a finalist in the Unearthed High competition for high school musicians by Australian radio station Triple J
After Juice WRLD’S death in late 2019, The Kid Laroi secured a record deal through Grade A with Sony Music, and relocated from Sydney to Los Angeles with his family
In 2019, he opened shows in Sydney and Melbourne for late rapper Juice WRLD, and was later signed by Juice’s managers, Grade A Productions.
After Juice WRLD’S death, The Kid Laroi secured a record deal through Grade A with Sony Music and relocated from Sydney to Los Angeles with his family.
The Kid Laroi is part of the Gomeroi/Kamilaroi/Gamilaroi community of northern inland New South Wales, and his rapper name ‘Laroi’ is in reference to his Indigenous roots.
The Kid Laroi is part of the Gomeroi/Kamilaroi/Gamilaroi community of northern inland New South Wales, and his rapper name ‘Laroi’ is in reference to his Indigenous roots