‘Land Down Under’ is less paradise, more gangsta: the urban landscape of Palmerston, south of Darwin, is a place where violence and temptation are real and ever present. It’s ripe territory for the 20-year-old Marranungu rapper determined to right wrongs and rise.
“Land Down Under is a song about my crew, and the town where I grew up. Like a lot of places up here it’s got problems and we get through by sticking together and staying strong, trying to make it out, looking up rather than down.”
YUNG MILLA
‘Land Down Under’ is a celebration, a proud statement of belonging woven with a killer guitar line and a fist-pumping groove that’s fired up many a Top End gathering — not least June’s Barunga Festival, where Yung Milla ignited a sea of 5,000 new fans with his spectacular backflipping stage presence and sharp wordplay.
“I’m repping my city, the king of my state
Land down under Aussie got me yelling yeah mate
I tell the fam that we gone be safe
Aussie on the map I be repping my gang.”
YUNG MILLA, ‘LAND DOWN UNDER’
Yung Milla’s story is not untouched by tragedy. Too many friends and relatives have been lost to drugs or violence or the terminal cycle of ‘the System’: the overzealous and misguided pursuit of “justice” that results in youth incarceration statistics that shame the nation.
He credits his brother, emerging superstar J-MILLA, for the change in direction that put him on his path of redemption. Today Yung Milla works as an Adventure Therapist and at Saltbush accommodation centre for young Aboriginal men on bail from detention, helping kids like him find their own paths through troubled times.
“Like the song says, I know I’m not perfect. I’m a young man trying to right my wrongs. I’ve still got stuff to deal with, and it ain’t easy to live with that. Here in my land down under it makes me want to head for the top and take my boys with me. We will always look out for each other. We tight.”
YUNG MILLA
The single is also accompanied by an official music video, filmed in Darwin CBD, that shows a glimpse of a day in the life of Yung Milla. Directed by Tully Hemsley, the video also furthers the song’s message of belonging, celebrating the bond he shares with his crew.
‘Land Down Under’ follows a slow-burning trilogy of potent tracks from Yung Milla: ‘Daily’,‘Better Days’ and ‘Used To Be’. His righteous path has just begun, seeing early support from the likes of triple j and triple j Unearthed, along with his recent NT Music Awards nomination for “Best Hip Hop song” in 2022.
Having performed at festivals including Garma Festival, Barunga Festival, Freedom Day Festival, and Suburban Sounds, Yung Milla is set to perform at the upcoming Yidiyi Day in Wadeye, NT, alongside the likes of J-MILLA, Radical Son, and Kootsie Don.
YUNG MILLA – LIVE SHOW
Sunday 19th November – Opening for Naughty By Nature – Discovery – Darwin