How About Now?!

HOW ABOUT NOW?!

"That's the shit I'm talking 'bout though, like you changed up, you don't even fuckin' link nobody no more, you just dash me 'way like a cyattie. Yo, you cheesed me dog."

Always felt like my vision been bigger than the bigger picture
Crazy how you gotta wait until it's dark out to see who really with you
Crazy how even when it miss ya, shit'll come back around and get ya
Crazy like all my niggas, crazy like all my niggas
Remember I deleted all my other girls numbers out the phone for you?
Remember when you had to take the BAR exam, I drove in the snow for you
Yeah, you probably don't remember half the shit a nigga did for you

Ya, you ain't really fuck with me way back then girl, how 'bout now?
Cause I'm up right now and you stuck right now
Aw, you thought you had it all figured out back then girl, how 'bout now?
Cause I'm up right now and you stuck right now
Yeah, you thought the little effort that you put in was enough girl, how 'bout now?
Yeah, Girl how 'bout now? How 'bout now girl?
What about now girl? How 'bout now?

Yeah, Always been daddy's little angel
I bought your dad a bunch of shit for Christmas, he ain't even say thank you
I had no money, left from back when I was focused on the music
I used to always try and burn you CDs of my new shit
You be like "who's this?"
I be like "me, girl."
You be like "oh word, true shit?"
Then ask if we could listen to Ludacris
Them car rides made me feel like I was losing it
Yeah, made me feel like I ain't have it like that,
I was average like that
Started drinking way more than I used to
People form habits like that, girl
Yeah, man enough to tell you I was hurt that year
I'm not even Christian I still went to church that year
Guess I just had to pretend that year
I ain't even see my friends that year
Places that I should've been
You ain't really fuck with me way back then but how 'bout now?

Cause I'm up right now and you stuck right now
Aw, you thought you had it all figured out back then girl, how 'bout now?
Cause I'm up right now and you stuck right now
Yeah, you thought the little effort that you put in was enough girl, how 'bout now?
Girl how 'bout now? How 'bout now girl?
What about now girl? How 'bout now?

Spycc's "Self Progression" Mixtape: Holding Down Onehunga in WildStyle

Discovering the prodigious talent of Spycc was a real shock to my system. As an individual that went to Onehunga High I recognized his face and had no idea he was a much buzzed about rapper from that area. I have to admit that when I hear of rappers from NZ i've been somewhat blunted. Not withstanding the likes of Ddot Dallas the gangsta rap facade is something I have no time for. If a false reality is something your looking for smoke up tree because acting is sad if it's not at the very least on Shortland St.

To even contemplate being a gangsta rapper in Auckland, Nz is like a person trying to understand West coast gangsta rap without actually stepping foot in the U.S.A. One should really think about going to California or N.Y.C before rapping about all the hoopla that is associated with the gangsta genre that I do like, just not done badly. Inglewood and Brooklyn can really open ones eyes to where gangsta rap came from, and in all honest it came from desperation out of having nothing while being surrounded bt the wealth of Wall St or Hollywood. The streets are all the normal people have so why not song about and glorify them to the masses because thats where it's at.  In New York City even the smallest kid has a hunger that could eat most kiwi's alive it's one hell of a place to live thats for sure. 

Spycc in stark contrast to silly posers or NZ hardened criminals turned amateur rappers is a man that drops rhymes in every direction that resonate with the people, "the everyday New Zealander" as we like to say lol. I'd go so far as to say that he is 'the Proust' of Onehunga in direct parallel to Jay-z and his admiration of Brooklyn that offered the bulk of his inspiration for his raps. When I listen to Spycc zapping all the inspiration from the outskirts of the AK into his songs theres a genuine love for Onehunga that is hard not to like.

His free mixtape "Self Progression" offers amazing production value which I first heard on "The Young, Broke and Talented" underground physical mixtape made by Homebrew's associates. I've listened to the whole mixtape quite a few times blaring through my computer speakers and dig "Self Progressions" vibe. His raps don't stumble over themselves like most and his flow is immaculately complimented by his producer carving out some sick beats. If you want to cop something that is fire and the future of Nz rap check out his mixtape below and his awesome video that looks like it should have been sponsored by Woodstock if it wasn't.

DL Self Progression EP for Free HERE

David Dallas' "Buffalo Man" Mixtape -- Is He Crazy

David "D-Dot" Dallas recently dropped his mixtape Buffalo Man. 

His latest release since "The Rose Tint" is inspired by the undisputed funky white brother from another mother Jamiroquai, and seriously to even mess with J's songs puts anyone on thin ice even Dallas. The reason being that Jamiroquai never really fell of the "bandwagon of quality" as hits have consistently been dropped by the English born native. From the earlier days off Jamiroquai's career to recent times seeing him pile up a healthy amount of tickets in his Lambo the mans a legend. Although the singer may also drive to fast in his Ferrari's for the long arm of the law one may also feel a little bit racy listening to the mixtape from NZ's leading hip-hop head. Undoubtedly David's snap back is well and truly off and motioned in the direction of Jamiroquai in a gesture of respect.

First of all i'm a fan of David Dallas. He's pretty cool as he represents Samoa with class. Just don't count on him tweeting you back lol. I tried many times to get a retweeted to no avail haha. The stand out tracks off the album are easily discernible being; "Put it on the line", "Trouble" and "Never Let you Down". If you consider for a second that the release only has six songs thats it's a really good average of quality dope tracks. Having said that its not all rosy I wouldn't go giving "Buffalo Man" an A+ just yet. Instead I'd give it a solid B+ the reason being he is sometimes off key, falls over his own rap flow and is generally full of too much bravado all we need is substance. 

I don't mean to be overly critical because I really like D-Dot to me he arrived on Something Awesome and laid his claim, forever in the NZ history books.
The reason being his open hearted in his lyrics to the ups and downs of life.
The Buffalo Man i "fuck you" laughs .But, with tracks like the lead single "Ever Get The Feeling" his raps also lack a strong groove as the beat either goes to slow or fast for his rapping. But I can forgive this because David is hyped and I can hear it in his voice, their is some serious cash to be made if he blows up over the Atlantic. Drake the Canadian raptor banked a slick   $14 milli of one smash album, so yeah, theres a reason he's gigging crazy over there with his crew. Lets face it Davids odds are far better than blowing up than a bum off the street hitting the Big Wednesday bankroll. 

I'm gonna stress if Dallas can get his flow under control, bolster up his lyrics with some honest lyrics and smash a hit production with P money he could end up with a platinum plaque stateside. All he has to do is really channel all his potential into his next record. David Dallas is a star definitely on the rise and I ain't surprised.

Moss Bioletti

Lady Hawke's Anxiety :Recorded on The North shore and in England-- And Yes its giving me anxiety ...Not!!!

An album that delivers a groovy, upbeat, feel-good vibe in which the mix of instruments and modern sounds in the songs work well with Pip Brown’s smooth, strong voice.

Her songs tend to start off with a contagious beat and calming vocals, and then build up into catchy choruses you would sing along to when pottering round your house or cruising in the car. Though your body starts with a toe tap, before you know it you are giving a good old Kiwi head bang (though it's more of a side to side than the classic rock up down motion). That being said, Anxiety doesn't feel repetitive. The separate elements in each song make for a full and successful album, and the lyrics portray messages about life, relationships, questions asked, and stories told.

 In the album's titular song, Ladyhawke sings, 'Take me on a ride, show me how to hide the voice in my head', and is a personal favourite. 'Quick and the Dead' has a kind of army march beginning that is repeated in the second verse, and quickly gets stuck in your head. Songs like 'Blue Ryes' and 'We'll Find You' allow the listener to imagine how much of a good performer Ladyhawke would be live – and we'll get to see for ourselves when she comes to Perfect Storm in July. 

As a young singer/songwriter myself, I find Ladyhawke very inspiring – and I look forward to her developing and growing. Even the album cover is interesting, featuring a drawing of Ladyhawke with miniature Ladyhawkes entangled in her hair, alongside bugs, feathers and other bits. Perhaps it reflects ideas and symbolic pictures for the meanings she holds in her head, or entangled in her hair? I think it reflects her simplistic yet multi dimensional album, which I very much recommend is worth getting your hands on. Support New Zealand artists.

Written by Laura Hunter