1300 has its sights set on South Korea and the rest of the world through a new deal struck with Universal Music Korea.
For the past several years, the Korean-Australian hip-hop act that has been making waves in the land down under, where they’ve completed two sold-out national tours and performed live for the 2025 ABC New Year’s Eve concert, beamed out from the Sydney Opera House.
Blending rap, electronic music and wicked humor, 1300 has shared stages with the likes of Jay Park, Audrey Nuna, Genesis Owusu, and Confidence Man, and graced the pages of the NME, Esquire Australia, Billboard Philippines, The Guardian, PAPER Magazine, Hypebeast Korea, and more. On the festivals front, they’ve appearing at SummerStage’s Aussie BBQ in NYC in 2023, and featured in Netflix’s viral reboot of Heartbreak High.
Critical and commercial success has poured in. Along the way, the lads have been shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize (2022), won the triple j and Rage Australian music video of the year for “Oldboy” and earned artist of the week nods from several broadcasters, including triple j Unearthed, and been awarded the Australia Council’s Arts Project and Contemporary Touring grants.
Comprised of rappers DALI, goyo, rako, and producers Nerdie and pokari, 1300 formed in west Sydney in 2021. Since then, they’ve amassed a catalog that includes fan faves “Lalaland,” “Brr,” “No Caller ID,” “Smashmouth,” “Oldboy,” “Rocksta,” and “Steve Jobs” featuring Kwame, along with the mixtapes Foreign Language and GEORGE, plus their Valentine’s Day EP <3 (pronounced “less than three”), (pronounced “less than three”).
The major-label deal signals “a significant next step” for 1300, reads a statement, as they continue expanding their global reach and introducing their “genre-defying sound” to audiences around the globe.
To celebrate the new arrangement, a debut album ILLSAMGONGONG will drop next month through UMK.
“We’re delighted to welcome 1300 to UMK,” comments Calvin Wong, CEO of Universal Music Group Southeast Asia and Korea, & senior VP of Asia. “They combine a fresh, alternative, sound with a dynamic energy that resonates instantly. I look forward to helping them create new opportunities, connect with fans, and together take their music across Asia and the rest of the world.”
Ahead of the new album release, 1300 will unveil the first pre-release single on next Wednesday, June 24.
