The follow up to last year’s African Giant sees the breakout Afrobeats star attempt to surpass his own high bar. We run through a few of its highlights. After close to a decade of grinding to achieve a steadily bubbling success, Burna Boy entered the final year of the 2010s as an artist on the … Read more
American R&B artist Kehlani released her long-awaited sophomore album just before the weekend – here’s why you need to start paying attention. If you’re even the slightest bit invested in modern R&B, there’s a good chance you’ve already had Kehlani on rotate for a while. One of the genre’s most respected contemporary proponents, with a heaven-sent … Read more
Like Benee, BBNO$ and about a thousand other acts that suddenly became superstars in the last 18 months, Ashnikko is blowing up off the back of a TikTok craze. But dig a little deeper and you’ll see that there’s much more to this blue-haired rapper than Miley Cyrus memes. Barely a second into the intro, … Read more
Auckland rapper JessB has just released a new EP and wraps up a national mini-tour tonight in her home town. Jogai Bhatt talked to her about her world travels, performing at Ihumātao, and how her community and her music intersect. It’s only been two years since JessB entered the public radar as the first woman … Read more
Charli XCX has just released her latest album, Charli. The futuristic musician is always looking ahead, and so are her fans. We’ve paired each star sign with their perfect Charli XCX song. Charli XCX burst onto the scene in 2012, when she co-wrote and performed electro-pop headbanger ‘I Love It’ with Swedish duo Icona Pop. … Read more
He’s the artist who launched a million memes and over a billion streams. Sam Brooks picks out Bazzi’s best moments so far, from his career-making breakthrough to his mature new mixtape Soulsearching. 1. ‘Mine’ “You’re so precious when you smile.” It’s the line – including an extra word that we can’t print here – which … Read more
Poetik is a fresh talent in the Auckland hip hop scene, but he takes a very retro approach to his music, creating G-funk bangers and selling CDs direct to fans as if the internet hadn’t been invented. Gareth Shute caught up with him to talk about his old-is-new approach and why it’s all part of … Read more
OG fangirl Tayi Tibble reviews Tommy Genesis’ new self-titled album. I’m the OG Tommy Genesis fangirl. It’s just a fact. Sometimes it just be like that. I’ve loved her since she was on her dark-wave Atlanta trap kick with Father and Awful Records. I loved her when she was pulling big school-girl x military general … Read more
Brockhampton are a new breed of boyband who have quickly risen from a Kanye messageboard to a multi-million-dollar record deal. Reilly Hodson reviews their new album, documentary and concert in Auckland last night. “I think that we wake up every morning and think about what we can make to make people happy,” says Kevin Abstract, the … Read more
The Spinoff’s trap correspondent, Tekashi09, reviews one of the biggest albums of the month, Travis Scott’s Astroworld. Esskeetit!
Hussein Moses speaks to Majid Jordan, the Toronto duo making noise thanks to one hell of a co-sign from Drake. While Drake might be experiencing whiplash right now after getting owned in a rap beef he started then breaking records with his album Scorpion, the Canadian superstar has put together an impressive roster of artists … Read more
XXXTentacion, a controversial rapper, was awaiting charges of aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment and witness tampering when he was shot and killed yesterday. Excusing his behaviour and showing support for him because he has passed away tells survivors in your life that you don’t care, writes Pearl Little. Content warning: … Read more
Martyn Pepperell talks to R&B and neo-soul singer-songwriter Villette about making it from the Mad Butcher to Los Angeles. “You have to decide what you want out of music,” says Villette Dasha, better known under the mononym Villette, when we meet in Auckland on a warm afternoon in April. A Samoan-Chinese singer, songwriter and producer … Read more
To mark the 10th anniversary of The Truth, the debut album from Sid Diamond (FKA Young Sid), Sam Wicks talks to Sid and the team that helped capture his Otara state of mind. In September 2007, Young Sid released his landmark street rap album on Move the Crowd Records, a label set up by ex-pat music executive … Read more
Lukas created his first buzz on Soundcloud before crossing over to a wider audience with his track ‘Comfort Clouds,’ which has quickly reached 120,000 streams on Spotify. He explains to Gareth Shute why he sees himself as part of a new wave of downbeat hip-hop acts poised to rise up from the underground. “I wouldn’t … Read more
Miriama Aoake listens to Jay-Z’s new album 4:44 and finds the rapper full of introspection, self-criticism and, ultimately, black empowerment. A couple of weeks ago, Jay-Z was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame by Barack Obama, unanimously nominated by his industry peers. He was the first rapper to receive the honour. The following week, … Read more
Montell2099, whose debut single ‘Hunnid on the Drop’ with Savage 21 is released today, reports from his trip to LA to perform at Red Bull Sound Select. Auckland-based, Katikati-raised producer Montell2099 is on a meteoric rise, from making beats in his grandparent’s rural home to collaborating with rapper 21 Savage (who has worked with Drake, Future among … Read more
$UICIDEBOY$ are a New Orleans rap duo whose songs have millions of plays on Soundcloud and who sold out their first Auckland show in mere hours. Kate Robertson was there. $UICIDEBOY$, a white rap duo from the US, sold out Auckland venue The Studio in 24 hours. An act that doesn’t get mainstream radio play, … Read more
Over lunch at Balmoral Chinese restaurant Spicy House, Henry Oliver asks David Dallas about how growing older, getting married and watching Roger Federer all influenced his new album, Hood Country Club. This has been the longest gap between albums for you, right? Everyone’s saying that. It doesn’t seem as long as it is, but when … Read more
Futurehive member Miriama Aoake guides you through the world of prolific rapper and chart history-maker Future. Nearly eight months has passed since Future’s last release, Project ET: Esco Terrestrial, a project alongside longtime producer, collaborator, and fellow ATLien, DJ Esco. The post-Ciara era of 2014-2016 saw Future at his most prolific and hungry: Monster, Beast … Read more
While walking through the Volume: Making Music in Aotearoa exhibition at the Auckland Museum, Henry Oliver thought to himself: which decade had the best music? Rather than telling you his answer, he’s asking for yours. We, as both high-functioning mammals and low-functioning music fans, love to categorise things. Years, decades, generations, eras and genres are … Read more