Dig of this Week: Airliftz

By JUICE Malaysia • 12 Feb 2016 in Music

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Credit goes to JUICE homeboy Jin Hackman for introducing us to this 18-year-old, fresh off SPM, Kajang rapper-producer. Airliftz – equipped only with a “cheap ass earpod mic” – is indubitably still very raw, but that rawness and his lofi vocals add to the aesthetics of his brand of hip hop; a malleable, non-geographically loyal hip hop most millennials are accustomed to. No South-hating East Coast/West Coast elitism here – his sound is just as much influenced by Chi-drill, Southern 808s, and the stream-of-the-consciousness lyricism and hazy beats of cloud rap as it is the new gen of NY rappers (Joey, Ratking, et al.). Though considering his penchant for sing-songy raps, we’d say the closest analogue is Chance the Rapper. The young’un makes for a promising beatmaker too, with ‘GOODNGHT’ and ‘All Night’ reminding us of post-Salem production work frequently heard at the beginning of this decade. Sensitive listeners need to be wary though, Airliftz — much like Orang Malaya before him — casually uses the N-word in most of his tracks.

Listen to some of his tracks below: