System of a Down's blend of thrash metal, alternative rock and politics was like nothing we'd ever heard before.

Songs like 'Chop Suey', 'Aerials' and 'Toxicity' introduced new fans to heavy music in the late 90s and early 2000s – and were major breakthrough hits for the Armenian-American band that thought they'd never be played on radio. This popularity sat uncomfortably with some of the band, who wanted System to represent a middle finger to conformity and mainstream commercial success.

In this episode of The J Files hear interviews with all four band members from the triple j archives discussing the politics, the tension and the legendary live shows. We also check in with triple j legends Emmy Mack, Courtney Fry and Lochlan Watt about why they're still loving System of a Down all these years on.

On the 50th anniversary of hip hop The J Files shines the light on one of the 21st Century's most important voices - Kendrick Lamar.

The Compton rapper has had a stratospheric rise since releasing his early mixtapes under the name K.Dot. With five studio albums, a swag of GRAMMYs and a Pulitzer Prize under his belt - he's managed to maintain his artistic integrity and the respect of his peers.

Albums like good kid, m.A.A.d city, To Pimp A Butterfly and DAMN. cemented him as a musical icon, but they're not necessarily easy listens. His records are complex and dense conceptual works of art, requiring patience and focused attention.  So how has he managed to crossover in such a huge way— commercially as an artist, as well as legitimising the language of hip hop and the stories of the streets?

To get the low down on Kendrick Lamar this episode features interviews with the man himself, his biographer Marcus J. Moore, his collaborators Thundercat, Robert Glasper and Kamasi Washington and Australian rappers taking cues from the King - Sampa The Great, JK-47, Tkay Maidza, Ziggy Ramo, B Wise and Tasman Keith.

Twenty years ago The Panics (Jae Laffer, Drew Wootton, Paul Otway, Jules Douglas and Myles Wootton) released their debut record A House on a Street in a Town I'm From. It was brimming with sun-streaked visions and hazy memories of the people, places and experiences of their hometown Perth. It was clear straight away that this band was onto something special.

Across five critically acclaimed albums (including ARIA and J Award winner Cruel Guards), a handful of EPs, relentless touring and massive tracks like 'Don’t Fight It', 'Creaks' and 'My Best Mistake' the band have helped soundtrack some of the key moments in our lives. 

Singer Jae Laffer guides us through the story of the band, from screen-printing Panics T-shirts in high school art class to being scouted by the Happy Mondays drummer Gaz Whelan  to performing on stage with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

Angélique Kidjo's powerful voice, infectious enthusiasm and fusion of African rhythms and dancefloor-ready pop music has had the world grooving for close to four decades.

Born in Benin, the singer songwriter and activist moved to Paris in her 20s and is now based in New York. Since the early 1990s albums like Logozo and Ayé and hits like 'Agolo' 'Batonga' and 'Wombo Lombo' caught the attention of music fans and DJs in Australia and around the world.

Angélique Kidjo is an artist who is constantly pushing the boundaries. As well as singing her own songs in many different languages, she's covered artists like Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Talking Heads (her 2018 re-imagining of Remain In Light is a standout). And she's collaborated widely—from Sampa The Great to Phillip Glass and the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra.

Hear interviews with Angélique from her many tours down under, as well as from tour promoter Mark Sydow who brought her to Australia for the first time, African music broadcaster Stani Goma, and former triple j World Music Show presenter Jaslyn Hall. 

From its South Bronx beginnings to being the dominant force in music, the evolution of hip hop has been extraordinary – and incredible women have been there every step of the way.

They’ve told their stories, vented their spleens, and brought wisdom and spirit – as well as sass and attitude – to hip hop. And in the process, they’ve been a major force in embedding rap music’s place in the mainstream.

The J Files bows down to generations of these heavy hitters who injected their own flavour into a male-dominated scene. Hear from artists and hip hop lovers Sampa The Great, Salt-N-Pepa, Rico Nasty, Lauryn Hill, MC Trey, Okenyo, Mawunyo Gbogbo, Tkay Maidza, M.I.A, BARKAA and more. 

This episode originally aired in May 2022 and was produced by Sam Wicks, with thanks to Gab Burke, Corynne Tait, Phoebe Bennett and Mawunyo Gbogbo.

Courtney Barnett is one of the most important songwriters of a generation.

Songs like 'Avant Gardener', 'Depreston' and 'Pedestrian at Best' find joy in the mundane and have taken Courtney's self-deprecation, dry sense of humour, and playful storytelling to an international audience.

Courtney Barnett’s story is entwined with that of Milk! Records, the label she founded from her Melbourne bedroom back in 2012 to release her first EP I've Got A Friend Called Emily Ferris.

Digging into a decade of interviews, live performances, albums, EPs and B-sides, The J Files charts the stratospheric rise of this singer songwriter and finds out what the next chapter holds.

We’ll also hear from Milk! Records label artists Jen Cloher and Fraser A. Gorman, as well as filmmaker Danny Cohen, musicians Kim Deal, A.C. Newman, Darren Hanlon and Sibylla Stephen (The Little Stevies).

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised that this program contains voices, names and music of people who have died.

When No Fixed Address formed on Kaurna Country in the late 1970s, their fusion of rock and reggae was like nothing we'd ever heard before. 

They were sometimes referred to as "Australia's most controversial band" because their lyrics fought back against racism and colonialism (especially in songs like 'Pigs', 'Black Man's Rights' and 'We Have Survived'), and their reggae rhythms got us dancing, and listening, to what they had to say.

No Fixed Address were the first Aboriginal band to tour overseas, and their appearance in the film Wrong Side of the Road brought issues facing First Nations musicians to national attention and helped to blaze a trail for artists and storytellers that followed.

This episode features Bart Willoughby and Ricky Harrison of No Fixed Address, along with fans of the band like Goanna's Shane Howard, journalist and producer Russell Guy, ABC host of Island Music Rick Howe and Gumbaynggirr rapper Wire MC.

Kraftwerk were true innovators, blurring the line between human and machine and always on the forefront of musical technology. But how did these self-described musical outsiders from Düsseldorf, who were classically trained, neatly groomed, and softly spoken, go on to have such an immense impact on the development of electronic music, as well both hip hop and techno?

There’s a lot to unpack in Kraftwerk’s sound, story and success—spanning from their early acoustic albums of the 1970s like Kraftwerk and Ralf and Florian, to the highly produced concept albums Trans-Europe Express, Autobahn, Computer World and The Man Machine.

In this episode we’ll be exploring Kraftwerk’s sonic development with founding member Ralf Hütter, as well as a roll call of fans from all corners of music…people like Beck, Brian Eno, Dan Whitford (Cut Copy), Kate Crawford (B(if)tek), Elton John, Max Richter, John Foxx (Ultravoxx) and more.

Trailblazing trio De La Soul cemented their place in hip hop history with their astonishing debut album 3 Feet High and Rising which blended humour, playful samples and a flower power image that was at odds with gangsta rap ethos of the time. 

Over 30 years and across eight more albums,  Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer, David "Trugoy the Dove" Jolicoeur, and Vincent "Maseo" Mason have kept that inventive spirit alive, experimenting with concepts, skits, live instrumentation, obscure samples, eclectic collaborators and a sharp eye on social and political issues.

2023 has been a year of great highs and lows for the group—in February, Jolicoeur AKA Trugoy The Dove died at the age of just 54. 

A few weeks later, the group’s music finally appeared on streaming platforms for the first time after decades of complex, and protracted battles with their label.

Joining the party to celebrate De La Soul on the eve of the 50th anniversary of hip hop is Sky High's Hau Latukefu , Urthboy, DJ Nick Toth, 1200 Techniques, Chief Xcel from Blackalicious and many more.

Joy McKean isn't the biggest name in Australian music, but she has every right to be.

The first ever Golden Guitar winner, the writer of so many of Australia's most iconic country songs, a workhorse who, along with her husband Slim Dusty, blazed a trail for what an artist could do in this country.

Her music has helped bring communities together across the nation and her influence is impossible to overstate. Learn more about her incredible life and career in this special celebration of a true icon.

This episode of The J Files was originally broadcast in November 2021. In light of the news of Joy McKean's passing, we've re-released the broadcast as a podcast on 26 May 2023.