Blue Lotus the Awakening

Mau Power (aka Patrick Mau) hails from Thursday Island in the Torres Strait – that chain of Australian islands between Queensland's Cape York Peninsula and Papua New Guinea. While Torres Strait Islanders have a distinct culture from other indigenous Aboriginal people, they also share many cultural links with both their mainland and Papuan neighbours.

A Dhoebaw man of the Guda Malullgal nation, Mau is the grandson of nonagenarian Thursday Island songman Seaman Dan. His debut 2014 album The Show Will Go On established his reputation as a creative hip-hop storyteller, with the collaborative singles alongside established indigenous stars Archie Roach (‘Freedom’) and fellow Torres Strait singer Christine Anu (‘Island Home’) both receiving deserved praise.

This latest album is stronger still, a solid collection of rhythmic, socially relevant raps championing personal empowerment, identity and culture. He's supported here by a variety of other indigenous hip-hoppers, including Marcus Corowa (‘Arrived’), Radical Son (‘Legends’), Jimblah (‘Tree of Life’) and Benny Walker on the title-track. The best track is the remix of Mau Power's 2017 ode to the late Torres Strait land-rights campaigner Eddie ‘Koiki’ Mabo, whose landmark 1990s court victory finally overturned the erroneous UK colonial proclamation of Australia as terra nullius (uninhabited land).