DOPE

I know it’s a small detail but I love when artist decides to keep their album name short, sweet & to the point. After covering a handful of this man’s work over the years I can safely say he’s appropriately named this one! He’s a man who has the charisma of 10x people and he always brings that main character energy to the forefront! So with that in mind let’s talk!

This is the brand new album by MC -TAIAHA and Producer -Nebs with a collection of 8 tracks with
-NGB
-Jospeh Duigan
-Manaz Ill
-Mnops
As the features!

and I’ll tell you right now the main difference I find between this album and his last few is the direction change! In his last few he brought this beautiful New Zealand represent atmosphere that was mixed with melodic harmonies and rapping for one of the most unique listening experiences out!

Now it seems (for now) he’s traded that for a more traditional Aussie Hip-Hop sound! Now I can’t lie, I’m not a fan of most of the scene of Aussie Rap in the same sense I don’t fuck with Drill music but TAIAHA breathes new life into the cliche sub genre that made this album feel interesting, passionate and a buzz to listen to!
TAIAHA is one of those men that can turn any word or sentence spoken into a colorful display of vividness that you can swear you can feel in your heart and soul and the same happens again here!

I love on this one how he maintains a fluent flow structure where each bar feels like it’s an ocean wave surfing from one beat to the next in synchrony! On this one we hear him fuse the elements of brash, confident trash talk with his brand of spiritual wisdom and introspective honesty! It’s been one of the key factors why I’ve enjoyed his music so much up until this point! His verses don’t sound ‘mainstream’ or ‘manufactured’ instead they feel organic and from the heart!

If the mana of NZ was a living being and converted into Hip-Hop it would be this man! One of the most genuine people and artists we have and he brings a new perspective and optimism to the culture that is desperately needed!

When we discuss the production we talk about a man who is Aussie Hip Hop royalty! A man I’ve heard for over a decade now on various rappers songs and albums and one who definitely stands out amongst the rest (even if I’m not a big fan of the sub genre) you can tell who the stand outs are! And he’s one of them!
Across this project he crafts a sonic atmosphere that feels like a fusion of NZ Reggae meets Aussie Rap. I don’t really know how to explain the process but once you hear it you’ll understand!

Across 8 tracks he nails that luscious, grand vibe of mellow instrumentals that breeze through the listener and forces us to bop our heads in appreciation of the aesthetically pleasing sounds! For the longest part of my life I’ve known him for aggressive, in your face gritty type beats to make your face automatically mean mug! But this is a fantastic switch of pace, it proves how versatile this man is and how his experience in the game has switched his tastes, what he is able to try and how masterful he can handle the production and I gotta say it’s definitely up there!

My favourite beat on the album is -I Still Dream that is a fucking gorgeous track! Not only is this one of the few tracks we get the return of TAIAHA singing! But the instrumentation is next level! We’ve got those woven synth chords deep in the background alongside those ambient keys that feel otherworldly in execution! There’s also these echoing Jazz horns that stay hidden in the back and adds so much texture to the song!
We also have this minimal drum work to add a type of sonic skeleton to the instrumental! Every layer works in sync with each other and is handled masterfully! Also love those thick bass plucked strings!

Another solid album by TAIAHA and his chemistry with Nebs was next level! In just 8 tracks they revolutionised what ‘Aussie Rap’ can and should sound like! Take notes!