Australian hip hop traces its origins to the early 1980s and is largely inspired by
hip hop and other predominantly
African-American musical genres from the
United States. As the form matured, Australian hip hop has become a commercially viable style of music that is no longer restricted to the creative underground, with artists such as
Hilltop Hoods and
Bliss n Eso achieving notable fame. Australian hip-hop is still primarily released through
independent record labels, which are often owned and operated by the artists themselves. Despite its genesis as an offshoot of American hip hop, Australian hip hop has developed a distinct regional personality that reflects its evolution as an Australian musical style.