WATCH: Channelling Frustration into Positivity, Rapper Airliftz Dives Into Pop-Punk With New MV

By Karissa Lund  •  14 Mar 2022 in Music

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Particularly in the past few years, rap and punk have formed a cohesive bond – just look at rapper Machine Gun Kelly‘s recent album and even artists like Vic Mensa, who shifts through a wide range of genres seamlessly in one song.

As this shift happened, some strict rock artists have begun expanding into other realms, such as hip-hop and vice versa.

While this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a mixture of these specific two genres in Malaysia, local rapper Airliftz dipping his toe into pop-punk in his latest music video, ‘Not Today’ is definitely worth a listen.

“I wrote ‘Not Today’ based on my own story. Being physically different, music gave me the opportunity to really just let out my emotions during the times when I felt like giving up.

“It gave me the tools to really express how tough it was to be looked down upon; navigating people telling you that you’re not going to make it, feeling worthless, and channelling those frustrations into something positive,” the KL-based artist said.

While the emotionally-charged track promotes individuality and self-worth, it also marks a broadening of Airliftz’s horizons – a strong first showing of his musical sensibilities outside the realms of Hip-Hop & R&B.

Its influence on punk bands of the early 2000s shines through the song’s vocals, chunky bass tone, and rhythm-centred guitar riffs. However, his predominantly Hip-Hop background still remains present in his signature cadence and slick lyricism.

The use of trap drum sounds and hi-hat fills in conjunction with the primarily pop-punk rhythm carves out a unique lane for Airliftz’s exploration as an artist.

Watch Airliftz’s ‘Not Today’, here:

Find Airliftz on Spotify, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter and even Facebook.