On a rainy night in Wellington, just a few hours before he jets off to Australia, Tapz arrives at the shoot at a small house on the outskirts of the city. It's a simple setup: just some lemon tea, a couple of friends and a polaroid camera.He won't often smile in photos, but when he does it becomes clear that this boy could get away with just about anything. Not shy of taking the reigns, Tapz is both a musician and a designer with a creative vision that goes in hand with his music. The guy is clearly living by the motto "those that don't ask, don't get" and by the end of the night the room is completely rearranged and he's somehow convinced the photographer to take off his sweater to add to the shoot.
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When asked what inspired the photos, Tapz says, "I want to capture myself through the eyes of the people that love me. I want to portray how they see me. They see me for who I really am".And the pink fur jacket? Tapz just laughs.
The 19-year-old is certainly on the rise. He has signed with US-based company G.O.O.D Management (headed by Che Pope, longtime Kanye West affiliate and chief operating officer at West's G.O.O.D. Music label,) and Winterman & Goldstein who are best known for working with Empire Of The Sun and The Avalanches.A Ricky Reed remix of his acclaimed track, "KILLA", premiered on Zane Lowe's 'Beats 1' show and the original self-produced/self-released song has over one million plays on Spotify and peaked at number two on the US Spotify viral chart.
Speaking about what inspires his creativity, Tapz draws on the Zimbabwe village where he spent his childhood. "Wedza inspires a lot of my new music. The distance from technology proved to be a blessing in disguise. It was an open playground for me to express my creativity. My imagination ran wild. On the way to school I would see giraffes and animals that people only dream of ever seeing. If I've ever been free in my life, it was there. And now I'm incorporating that same freedom into my music."It's been a busy year since Tapz released "Killa". Highlights including performing and snowboarding in Russia, performing with Hermitude on the ARIA stage and much travelling.
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The G.O.O.D management deal means that he's spending more timein the US where he's immersed himself in the music scene, meeting up with the likes of Zane Lowe and Doc Mckinney (who produced The Weekend's House of Balloons and who is considered a mentor to Abél Makonnen Tesfaye). "I went to the studio that they were recording Starboy. I showed Doc some new shit. Most people don't know that I produce, I'm excited to show that part of me in my coming songs. That's what stood out to him the most, my production. He said to me 'There's nothing I would change' in the songs he heard"."America was crazy. It was inspiring to be in an environment where the level of talent is undeniable. I was doing different sessions every day. A 9am to 9pm day was a short day at the office, some days I was working 9am to 3am, doing two to three sessions a day."
But the US also opened his eyes to extreme contrasts."After a couple of weeks of walking Sunset Blvd and spending time in Hollywood I began to notice the thousands of homeless people. It was sad to see, I would pass by a homeless person as a Ferrari drives past me, the contrast was depressing."This reflective quality and honest expression is what makes his music so relatable. On the topic of love, Tapz touches on how his personal experience has impacted his perspective towards traditional hip-hop culture. "Love changes a lot of things, especially my outlook on how I approach music. A lot of hip-hop now is quite comical, I don't relate to it. I just want to tell the truth to the kids. I honestly make music because I love people. I love making people feel something, it's not a selfishness for power, fame, bitches, money… It's deep".In an industry that's predominantly male-dominated, Tapz has a refreshing take on voicing his emotions and using them as a vessel to impact on those who listen.With aspirations that go beyond the hip-hop scene, the future looks bright for Tapz as he continues to develop creatively. As for his next release, Tapz says that he's looking forward to finally something. "It's been a crazy year and it feels right to start 2017 with a bang. I want you to know me before the world does."Nov 21 - 27 is NOISEY New Zealand Hip-Hop Week. Head here for more NZ hip-hop content.