I first met this young king when I was a judge for a high school poetry slam a few years back. Since then, I’ve watched him grow into the artist and street poet he is today, a refreshing young voice for the hood. He legit reminds me of a Polynesian Tupac, you can hear the struggle and intention in his voice. His words and flows are authentic and he raps from the heart. Attached is my favourite song of his and you’ll know exactly what I mean after listening.

Like Ranui Marz, I met these dudes when they were still in high school. We were all part of a local collective hub called The Grow Room located in the heart of K Road (Karangahape Rd) a couple of years back and this is where I first got to hear their music. LSJ’s beats are very distinctive, soulful and nostalgic. Shiraz’s witty flows and effortless raps and melodies are easy listening and when you combine the two as Shiraz and LSJ, no one is touching their sound or style of hip-hop.

I love Paige and her whole aesthetic. I’m lowkey one of her biggest fans and could legit listen to her sing on her guitar for a lifetime. She’s got a cool vibe about her and I’m happy to jump on the bandwagon before she blows up. Mark these words. Billie Eilish even gave her the co-sign,  c’mawwwn!

I tried not to pick any of the homies from my circle but it’s hard not to when they just dropped the hardest body of work to come out of NZ in recent times. One of the hardest rappers to come outta NZ and everyone’s about to find out why real soon. If you’re late to the party, start with ‘Keke Boy’.

These Usos are the first Polynesian metal group and their latest song/video titled ‘Le Manu’ just hit over 1 million views. They fuse traditional metal with Samoan and Polynesian traits and language which I don’t think has ever been done before apart from when Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. were popping off. They are very unique, I’m so happy for them blowing up in Europe and Canada.