journalist, manager & media personality | IG @24KARATKEV
Christopher Kevin Au is a Sydney-based journalist, A&R manager, artist manager and personality specialising in hip-hop. Over the past decade, he has written for global publications such as Highsnobiety, Complex and The Guardian, and interviewed high profile stars including Kim Kardashian, Post Malone and Kendrick Lamar.
Through his long-standing work, Kevin has become one of the loudest voices championing hip-hop from Australia, focusing on the more niche lanes of street rap, drill and grime. On his own platform Filter Zine, he conducted iconic interviews with flagship Australian acts such as OneFour, ChillinIt and HP Boyz. He channelled more mainstream attention to the underground scene as the host of MTV’s Call & Response, the first television show dedicated solely to hip-hop from Australia and New Zealand. Later, Kevin took the role of producer and host of A1: The Show, a Spotify Original podcast supplementing Australia's biggest hip-hop playlist, A1. He is currently a host on Australia’s most engaged hip-hop platform, Take Flight.
In 2018, Kevin delved into the world of artist management with Sydney supergroup Triple One, overseeing their Platinum single 'Butter' and Gold single ‘So Easy’, as well as their debut album Panic Force which peaked at #1 on the ARIA Hip-Hop album charts. In 2022, he ventured outside of hip-hop to manage Sydney hardcore outfit Speed. In an unprecedented milestone for homegrown hardcore, their Gang Called Speed EP debuted at #5 on the ARIA album charts. He oversaw their international tours to the USA, Canada, UK, Europe and South-East Asia; as well as longstanding partnerships with global brands like Vans. He is currently the manager of Melbourne duo Posseshot and Brisbane emcee/producer Nerve; whose credits include an official remix of Aitch’s chart-topping single ‘Taste’, and a verse on the official A-League anthem for the 2022 season, ‘Real Nice’.
In 2021, Kevin stepped into the world of major labels, becoming an A&R manager at Warner Music Australia and ADA Music. He has gone on to work with some of Australia’s hottest hip-hop prospects including KAHUKX and Wombat.
As a personality, Kevin has been profiled by GQ, Sneaker Freaker and The Australian Financial Review. In 2016, he was chosen by Nike as one of three ‘Masters of Air’ in Australia, becoming a spokesperson for his favourite sneaker, the Air Max 95. He also collaborated with Nike on a print magazine issued to customers in 2019. Since then, he has curated events for Champion, Lee Jeans and Parramatta Council; appeared in campaigns for JD Sports, Kathmandu and the Sydney Opera House; and lent his expertise to panels hosted by ARIA, Apple Music and The Betoota Advocate.
Behind the scenes, Kevin works extensively with other managers and labels as a copywriter, having crafted press releases and biographies for Australia-gone-global acts like Ruel, What So Not and Skegss, as well as most of the country’s hip-hop and R&B acts. He graduated from UTS in 2013 with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Communication, majoring in Public Communication.
