Music News - Raiza Biza releases new album 'Bygones'
04 October 2019 - 0 Comments
Undoubtedly one of the most anticipated local releases this year, Rwandan-Kiwi rapper Raiza Biza emerges with his new album Bygones, out today on Low Key Source.
Listen to Bygones here: Spotify / Apple Music / iTunes
A hypnotic culmination of hundreds of hard drive demos, eclectic musical inspiration and collaboration, enter Bygones - a record striking the balance between the intricacies of electronic production and at times, melodic half-sung poetry, delivered
with raw intensity.
The nine track record features cameo appearances from Sudanese-American rapper/producer extraordinaire Oddisee, along with AmmoNation collaborators Blaze the Emperor, Embher and producer
VULC, and more.
Speaking with a sense of urgency in his flowing baritone voice, Biza’s work has always carried a socially conscious heart, backed up by honest storytelling and captivating jazz/soul infused production as the aura
to his words. His new material follows a new sound arch, and with those changes comes a newly found freedom.
On Bygones, Biza found inspiration in the deeply written metaphors of the Marvin Gaye-era soul and the heart-hitting
rhythms of 1970’s funk groups like Gapp Band. Binding his grounding in socially conscious thought and observational storytelling, he studies the human condition and the world around us - from his own experience. Though this time, he admits, the record
finds the balance between fun and seriousness. Rather than be ruled by the lyrics, the music plays an emotive part.
“I wanted to create space for emotional interpretation of the audience,” he reflects. “I’ve tried to find a balance between
the things I’ve released in the past and the further left-sitting things on my hard drive.”
The newest generation of hip-hop has forced him to just do; and overthink less. “Being able to take that fun within the music and combine it with
raw melody, you hopefully connect with people.”
He tells the angles of the human condition through high octane moments, the party life, through to the low, self-reflective moments found in tracks like Stolen Youth and
Trouble where he teams up with Oddisee and Zenyth. Both tracks have gone onto become student radio
network hits, sitting in the top 10 of the Radioscope Alternative Airplay chart in New Zealand for consecutive weeks.
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A humble titan within the antipodean isles and Aotearoa’s underground scene, Biza has firmly planted roots, supporting the up-and-coming generation of local MCs and hip-hop producers. As the hearty driving force behind AmmoNation, Biza believes in the power of community and the sharing of knowledge. A voice from within the African-New Zealand diaspora, Biza has strived to bridge the gaps of understanding and preservation of his experience in New Zealand, while also supporting his fellow artists on the same mission.
“We, the African diaspora, we are no longer toddlers in the places we immigrated to. We have an identity and a growing presence.”
Listen to Bygones:
Spotify / Apple Music / iTunes
Out today on Low Key Source, worldwide
Follow Raiza Biza
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