Dharmarat hits the ground running with apocalyptic debut album
The most honest rapper in Aotearoa delivers beautiful brutality on ‘He Said; Still Running’.
We had to let this one mellow for a bit before delivering a write-up.
After releasing Jesus and featuring in David Dallas’ 64 Bars series in 2018, Dharmarat set some pretty high standards for himself. And the South Auckland rapper just keeps new music coming, starting 2019 off with a brand new album. The hotly anticipated He Said; Still Running is a great introduction to for the curious listener and is, beating the high standards, his best work yet. It’s deeply personal, challenging, at times confronting, and paints a beautiful picture of his own apocalypse.
It’s a thought that keeps many of us awake at night; How would I feel if this was it? Thoughts often wander to our relationships, and for this reason the track funeral was a standout. The piano and percussion paired with an immense chorus tears at your heartstrings. By highlighting a turbulent relationship; the repeated “no, you won’t be at my funeral” prompts you to consider the people that surround you. Credit to producer Dera Meelan for an unexpected switch on funeral too. One of the hottest beat-making properties in Kiwi hip-hop right now.
The caliber of outside contributions to this LP is standout too. It’s mostly kept in-house on the production side with VSB producers Hor and Almac, but SmokeyGotBeatz delivers a beautifully medley on the final track, aptly titled medley (one more). To have an internationally recognised producer like Smokey in your corner is as good of a co-sign anyone can get.
The catchy production of some time brings a little light to the album. A song of appreciation, it’s a refreshing contrast to funeral. At the end of the track Dharmarat speaks about the reoccurring dream that inspired him to straighten himself out, which then prompted him to think about the importance of doomsday.
The snowball effect has enabled Dharmarat to create an incredible album. Some of the lyrical content is questionable in 2019, but it’s supposed to be — it’s intention is to be raw and realistic. Anyone using that as an argument against He Said; Still Running will come to regret it — bet. It’s only January but shit, this one’s a contender.
