Taiotims (Mataio Timaloa) is an Auckland Hip-Hop artist who has independently built a growing fanbase all over New Zealand. His music is known for his relatable story telling, nostalgic tone of voice and his soulful beats. Over the years Taiotims has perfected his craft by infusing the styles of his biggest influences (J. Cole, Andre 3000 and Kendrick Lamar) and molding it in to his own.
On his EP Thank You For Your Patience, you can certainly hear the influences coming through in slick sound that never sounds overly produced, keeping the authenticity of the music that he has studied. For example, in the opening track Throw It Up there are a few different vocal deliveries as he throws down his bars. The hooks are constantly consistent and easy to follow. The sound stage is big, wide and sounds crystal clear. There is a mix of later LA based rap along with the New Zealand rap sound I grew up with from groups like Deceptikonz, David Dallas and Scribe.
The production of the tracks for me is the highlight here. Tight bass lines, beautifully voiced chords, and progressions that will make musicians smile, but will sound amazing won't stir those who don't listen that closely to production like many of us do. I encourage people to really check out and pay attention to the detail in Yesterday which to me had the most Kendrick Lamar influenced sound, while not sounding like Kendrick. Even still, again, the delivery, the lyrics, everything....it oozes passion and dedication, something that proves why Taiotims been getting so much respect from other Hip-Hop artists.
There is not one song here that stands out as the best because the whole EP has a feel to it that sounds amazing. With the ending track Poly Way he wraps up with a shout out while also referencing back to the name of the EP. Even though he shouts "We Out" at the end, there is no way he is on his way out. It's only up from here. An excellent NZ Hip-Hop EP that you need to hear.
Taiotims (Mataio Timaloa) is an Auckland Hip-Hop artist who has independently built a growing fanbase all over New Zealand. His music is known for his relatable story telling, nostalgic tone of voice and his soulful beats. Over the years Taiotims has perfected his craft by infusing the styles of his biggest influences (J. Cole, Andre 3000 and Kendrick Lamar) and molding it in to his own. Taiotims engineers his own vocals, and has received recognition from Local artists such as Scribe, Tom Scott (Home Brew), Lucky Lance, Che Fu, Diggy Dupe, Rizvan and Poetik.