Hailing from the poverty stricken neighbourhood of Otara in South Auckland, Bad1 has steadily grown a highly engaged underground following as one of New Zealand’s most recognisable drill rap artists. Bad1 first established a name for himself as a member of the 20th Boys, with many of their tracks depicting the difficult conditions and lifestyle that they grew up in going viral within the youth communities of New Zealand. Frequent collaborations with friends such as Nola, Nelz, YM, Jaxx, alongside producers Sprout and NTGotBeats, have helped continue to grow Bad1’s catalogue of tracks and his notoriety.
Accompanied by a music video directed by Sophia Kwon, Sprout, and Liam Suttie, and produced by 24K Media, No Statements is a grimey drill song fueled with descriptive lyrics of the dangers that Bad1 navigates in his daily routine. Produced by Sprout and NTGotBeats, the beat features a piano lead melody with heavy 808 drums over synths and guitar pads.
In making another stride towards building his brand and solidifying his status as one of the leading voices of his generation with No Statements, the story of Bad1 continues to expand and gives listeners a vivid image of his surroundings.
“I just tell the story of my life, through my own lens. I don’t know how to sugar coat over the trap that a lot of people my age from my neighbourhood are stuck in. This is reality, I couldn’t switch up even if I tried” - Bad1, on his music.
Putting together the hard-hitting production with lyrics that bring to life the South Auckland life that the Set 4 Life (S4L) artists live through, No Statements is due to leave an impression one way or another, on any listener.