Throughout NZ Music Month we’ll be hearing stories from young musicians about the local songs they love the most. Today, Third3ye's MeloDownz talks about songs from Nothing To Nobody, Lost Tribe and Che-Fu, as well as his favourite albums from Homebrew and P-Money.
MeloDownz. Photo: Julia Rahui
Auckland MC and Third3ye member, MeloDownz aka Bronson Price, released his debut album Beginner's Luck late last year. It's been a productive run of late, throwing together even more new tracks and popping up on guest verses that you'll find scattered throughout his Facebook page.
These are the songs that inspired him to make music and, breaking the rules, a couple of the most influential NZ hip hop albums that played a big role in his life.
Nothing To Nobody – ‘Born in September’
This is one of my favourite kiwi songs by the bro Lui Tui of @Peace. I really enjoyed the story he told, which paints a picture about an OG he use to kick it with, the shit they use to get up to, how the OG was a junkie and what he would do to get money. The whole package of the song hits home for me as I can relate to this shit growing up. I have an uncle who was hooked on the same shit, so yeah, this song's up there in my top five.
Lost Tribe – ‘Summer in the Winter’
Lost Tribe were one of the first hip-hop groups I heard out of New Zealand. I think I was like 5 or 6 years old when I heard this song. It’s just some raw ass Polynesians talking about the lifestyle they lived coming straight outta South Auckland. What I like most about this track is their unique flows which remind me of ODB and Wu-Tang with a Polynesian twist. The video tops this song off with a classic 90s vibe shot in the streets of South Auckland, which inspired my verse from a track I did with Rizván called ‘Let Me Loose’.
Che-Fu feat. Teremoana Rapley – ‘Waka’
This song’s tasty as. I didn’t discover it until I was like 16, but I really like the smooth 90s RnB style. It’s humble and classy, with the sound of subtle island drums in the background. Teremoana compliments Che-Fu with softly sung harmonies, which make this track fire. It’s definitely a song you could roll one up to.
Che-Fu – ‘Fade Away’
This was one of my all-time favourite jams during Intermediate school. I remember I went to the choir auditions just for fun after my bro dared me to audition, so I sung this song and made the choir haha. Just the groove to this song and Che-Fu's voice over P-Money’s beat was dope. This inspired me too wanna sing more, until I turned 12 and my voice started breaking so I stuck to freestyling and left the choir LOL.
Homebrew and P-Money
I don’t know a favourite so I’m gonna break the rules and do my two favourite New Zealand albums.
Homebrew's debut album, because, coming from Avondale, I can relate to most of the shit Tom Scott talks about. A lot of his subject matter is relatable to young Kiwis growing up and he’s probably the illest lyricist to come out of this part of the world.
And my other all-time favourite album is P-Money's Big Things. This album was what inspired me to start writing and making music, especially writing raps/bars and punchlines. This is no doubt one of the illest hip-hop albums to come out of New Zealand.