A concert being held in a tiny remote Indigenous community in northern Australia is about to make history as the first event of its kind to be livestreamed on TikTok.
Jacob Nichalof, better known by his stage name J-MILLA, will be performing on Thursday night in the small town of Wadeye in the Northern Territory.
While the local audience might be small, anyone around the world can tune in on social media.
The rapper's unique blend of social commentary and swagger has garnered him a large following online, particularly among Indigenous youth across the country.
Music inspired by pain creates hope
J-MILLA is a Mak Mak Marranunggu man, whose people are the traditional landowners of Litchfield National Park, south of Darwin.
He says he often felt disconnected from his culture growing up in Darwin.
"I was one of those kids that grew up not knowing much about my culture … we lost so much identity through the stolen generation," he says.
"Music allowed me to learn about other people's experiences in their own lives, and taught me about the history of Aboriginal people."
J-MILLA rose to prominence in 2020 with his track Unlock the System, about his experiences as an Indigenous man in the Northern Territory.
His songs deal with issues such as police profiling and breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma.
"The song was huge, it resonated with a lot of people across the country," J-MILLA says.
Since then, the rapper has made a career for himself travelling to towns and cities all over Australia.
He says he particularly enjoys visiting Indigenous communities.
"I've travelled to these communities which are sometimes 400 kilometres away from the closest town, and when I touch down, they all know me because of social media," he says.
"There's so much excitement, particularly from young kids looking for an Indigenous role model.
"The smiles on their faces kind of gravitates me to more communities and makes me want to keep doing it. I know I'm making a difference."
Excitement builds
J-MILLA performed in Wadeye last November, amid a troubling and difficult time for the town.
Kardu Diminin Corporation general manager Jake Clark says the community has had fractious times, but the concert was a healing moment.
"There's been issues and challenges facing the town, disagreements between different groups and social unrest," Mr Clark says.
"We're really looking forward to the performance, it brings out the best version of the people here and helps foster bonds between everyone in the community."
Wadeye local Rekeisha Chula, 20, says she is thrilled the rapper has returned to perform.
"There's not much happening here, so [I'm] very excited. It's the biggest party of the year," she says.
Bridget Perdjert, 23, who also lives in Wadeye, was especially looking forward to the event as she missed the concert last year.
"I saw photos of [the] night on Facebook, everybody loved him," she says.
"When I got up this morning, I had the biggest smile on my face."
Andrew Clark, chief executive of Murinbata Tribal Development, the event's main organiser, describes J-MILLA as a role model for children in the area.
"He's so popular everyone wants a piece of him," he says.
"J is very authentic, the kids think, 'If he can do it, so can I.'"
Murinbata Tribal Development's chairperson Margaret Perdjert says the rapper's performance is highly anticipated.
"It was an amazing concert and we're so excited," Ms Perdjert says.
"In scary times of violence this brings peace, helps people with looking forward."
J-MILLA's concert will be livestreamed tonight at 7pm CST (7:30pm AEST).
