Next Up: Aotearoa is a 10-track compilation album led by New Zealand-based music producer Daz, who brings together a host of hip-hop artists spanning the length and breadth of New Zealand. From Christchurch to Auckland, the project collates the best of the underground and is anchored in a communal effort and the spirit of pure collaboration.

The project starts with “Any Means,” a soulful and reflective tune that is spearheaded by rapper Bhozy, who laces the track with insightful bars with a touch of melodic flows. Bhozy breaks down his antecedents and experiences and underpins it with lines like “I never felt it when the pressure’s on/These are the conditions I grew up in and where I’m from” to seal the deal. A solid introduction, if you asked us. The next track, “OTHR33,” is a modern drill-grime track that features FR3QUENT , who delivers a fiery performance. He brings that extra ammo with his machine gun, double-time flow and vivid bravado-laden lyrics into the mix as well. BigDylz steps into the ring on the aptly titled track “Subtle Brag.” At just under 2 minutes, the rapper wastes no time in letting the audience know that it’s go time as he sends verbal shots to his competitors. Next up is “Spray,” a hard-hitting modern grime banger which has the duo of Stanza Blade and Joe The Freakshow at the forefront with raw energetic bars.

Bhozy returns on “You Don’t Want It,” with Leejun ,who joins the fray, and together they deliver a smooth cinematic boombap banger that bumps in the whip. The track evokes a 90s-styled R&B/hip-hop combination we all love but with a modern twist. The fun continues with “Danger Zone” and “Extraterrestrial,” featuring Event, Tacaveli and Big Guts Billy respectively. The former is a tribute to the duo’s stomping grounds, while the latter is a sci-fi-inspired piece that sees Big Guts Billy as the eponymous alien who crash-landed on Earth to be met with opposition from all angles. Bhozy reappears once again on the aspirational “Right Now” and delivers a stunning, engaging story about his trials and tribulations. The next track, “Warrior,” is a bass-heavy emo-trap track that is led by Ash Supé, who talks about battling inner demons and the never-ending life struggle we all go through. The final track, “Tuck Your Ego,” is a bouncy electronic dance track featuring College Rd, and the result is a smooth, playful summer jam that helps close the project on a bright note.

The project is entirely produced by Daz, who brings a wide range of sounds and styles to the forefront. From classic boombap, trap, Cloud trap, R&B and dance, the compilation traverses different generations and eras of hip-hop and in our opinion, quite refreshing and innovative.

About the Artists:

Daz is a multi-genre music producer and DJ based in Australia. His break on the electronic music scene came in 2020 with his Rap House remix of Dodge & Fuski’s 2014 hit ‘Wobble Back’. His single ‘All About Bass’ which was released in October 2020, received mass acclaim, being streamed more than 100,000 times in the first few months of release and entering at #23 in the House charts on iTunes.

Bhozy released an underground classic album, which went semi-viral in NZ, called The Misguided Adventures Of Winnie The Fuu – this has amassed over 5 million streams on Spotify without mainstream exposure.

Stanza Blade featured on Red Bulls 64 Bars series and Joe the Freakshow is his brother and they are both NZ grime pioneers and well known in the grime scene across the UK, Australia and NZ.

Keep up with Daz | Links: Instagram

Keep up with Bhozy|  Instagram

Keep up with Stanza Blade|  Instagram

Keep up with Joe The Freakshow |  Instagram