24 June 2022 - 0 Comments

Who Shot Scott is the musical project of Zaidoon Nasir (he/him), a producer and experimental hip-hop artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland).

Who Shot Scott's production packs a punch, with heavy 808s intertwined with bass that make promises to make subs groove. Lyrically he finely balances bravado and braggadocio with vulnerability and introspection, resulting in a brave creative philosophy that is present throughout his entire catalogue.

Today Who Shot Scott share their new single Loners Anthem, along with a music video directed by long term collaborator Connor Pritchard.

WHO SHOT SCOTT
LONERS ANTHEM
out June 24, 2022

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APPLE MUSIC

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Loners Anthem brings a frantic energy at max volume, promising to soundtrack your next bedroom mosh pit.

“I wrote this song after I experienced a really intense episode of social anxiety," says Nasir.

"In late 2021, right after Auckland had made it out of lockdown, I found myself at a fairly large gathering engaged in a whole bunch of extremely awkward encounters with people. Feeling as if I had lost all of my social skills after being isolated for so long, I simply couldn’t relate or find any common ground with anyone I was talking to - It made me feel so alien. I ended up leaving out the backdoor shortly after when no one was looking. Once I got into my car and removed my N95 face-covering, I thought to myself how ironic it was that I was taking off both a literal and metaphorical mask. I knew I had to write about it.”

"For me, Loners Anthem is extremely exciting because it pushed me into a production territory that I haven't ever touched before. I was strongly channelling my inner love for the 90's alternative scene as well as incorporating some UK garage groove. My whole belief and purpose in being an artist is to fearlessly express, fuse genres and try new things out that I feel have never been done before in hip-hop. I believe that the potential for rap music goes far beyond what already exists in the world currently, and that there are so many boundaries yet to be broken and explored. This track is my odyssey into being the change I want to see in music."

Loners Anthem fuses genre styles on Who Shot Scott's own terms, and is paired with an energy matching music video directed by long-time collaborator and friend Connor Pritchard.

"When I first heard Loners Anthem I just knew it was gonna be a hit!" says Pritchard. "There's so much energy in this song and it's something I haven't heard before so it got me excited. With our music videos, we basically do a video for each track in the EP. We've gone from red to green and now this new one it's all blue themed. Although there isn't much blue in this one, I wanted him to simply be in a room throwing/smashing stuff and going crazy with his performance. We slowed down the song to 50% so when we bought it into post it would go twice as fast. One of my favs."

Who Shot Scott is set to quench the thirsts of listeners who are itching for new music unlike any they’ve ever heard before. An honest one-of-one.

A boy fled Iraq in the arms of his mother when he was just two years old. Due to the dangers in his home country, they were forced to journey to Moscow, Russia. After some time in the Russian capital, they once again packed their few belongings and travelled to New Zealand. In Aotearoa, Zaidoon Nasir found comfort in a friend at age 8 and they were joined at the hip. Their shared love for hip-hop resulted in an internationally performing duo with big plans for the future. In 2019 however, his partner, citing new-found religious belief, abruptly announced he will no longer make music, moved overseas and left his closest friend with no goodbye. After some gruelling months, experimental hip-hop artist Who Shot Scott was born from the ashes of that personal and professional apocalypse.

Who Shot Scott has since released two EPs to great acclaim. International music media celebrate his “filthy and frantic experimental sound” and “fearless expression”. Songs on Mercy and Mercy II have been played on the radio in Europe, Australia and NZ, playlisted by MTV and on editorial playlists by Spotify, synced by TV networks and featured by some of the most popular YouTube creators. The single Love We'll Never Know reigned at #1 on the NZ Student Radio Network charts for three consecutive weeks in Oct/Nov 2021 and his explosive and engaging live performances have seen him featured on some of NZ’s biggest festival stages.

The upcoming release of Who Shot Scott’s third EP Mercy III, starting with single Loners Anthem in June 2022, is excitingly anticipated by fans, media and industry professionals alike.

Photo Credit: Connor Pritchard

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