Consisting of Wellington-based musician and rapper Young Gho$t, and renowned beat-maker Alphabethead, the duo have gained a reputation in creating hip-hop that’s both classic in sound, but modern and creative in lyrical nature.
Right after the previous song What's That Noise?, and as a prelude and shape of things to come, the twosome have busted out another fresh new single, Weird Weekends.
The irresistibly groovy hip-hop beat catches your ear right from the start, with the tempo bouncing along at a strolling pace. Not too fast, not plodding either. There’s an airy, jazzy piano riff that runs throughout the track, brightening the atmosphere.
Being someone who has never heard Young Gho$t’s tunes before, his voice took me by surprise. A pronounced English accent delivering some very relaxed rhymes, like some of the early 2000’s UK garage acts my friends used to listen to on weekends.
The topic of the lyrics? Judging by the chorus, it’s probably easy to simplify it as a song about kickin’ back, smoking a joint, and how it’s cool to do unconventional things once in a while.
“We don’t really know about normal, everybody came to have a weird one”
However, certain lines seem to go a little deeper, such as the verse:
“Think they oughta take a look inside, petty people wanna act real snide”
As though to indicate that every now and then, people get caught up in the image and lose focus of who they really are. Or something to that effect!
Alphabethead’s production is nice and clean, with instrumentals and vocals balanced masterfully. This is Kiwi hip-hop that’s both local-sounding, but brings in some very international flavours. It’s groovy, smooth and light-hearted.
Give Weird Weekends a listen on Spotify, and follow them on Instagram!
Bad Taste is the musical brainchild of Alphabethead and Young Gho$t. The two multidisciplinary artists joined forces in 2020 and have been creating cathartic, psychedelic hip-hop ever since then, putting their own spin on a range of classic sounds.
In 2021 their debut album, Bad Taste, was nominated for an SRN Award for best album. It did not win, but clearly people liked it anyway.
In 2023, they release their follow up - Bad Taste II. Let's see how that goes.