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Tha Feelstyle wins 'Best Album Cover' for Break It To Pieces at the Tui Technical Awards and is announced as a finalist for 'Breakthrough Artist of the Year' and 'Best Urban/Hip Hop Album' at the 2005 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards to be held on 5 October. -------------------------------------------------- “Upon first listen it’s undeniably
evident that this brova is one soulful mo’f***ka! But you already
knew that right?? …....riiiiiiiight. Break it to Pieces is a bilingual
album (although the majority is in English) but don’t let the
fear of the unknown fool you kiddies. Feelstyle captures the beauty
of Fa’asamoa with personal rhymes and it sonically sounds beautiful.
This album is a genuine connection between the new and the traditional
and is an extremely feel good album”.
“So you could say Tha Feelstyle’s
debut album has been 17 years in the making. Lucky, then, that it’s
worth the wait, because Break It To Pieces is a bit of a summer stunner.
But it’s Tha Feelstyle’s flow that really stands out. He
switches seamlessly between English and Samoan, a skill that gives Break
It To Pieces a strong sense of tradition and timelessness. Then there’s
the excellent single ‘Su’amalie/Ain’t Mad At You’.
As catchy as the flu, it comes complete with a bass-heavy DJ Raw-produced
blast and a chorus sung by his family. Just try not humming along! It’s
the perfect soundtrack for a Kiwi summer. Let’s just hope Tha
Feelstyle doesn’t spend another 17 years making the follow-up”.
“Veteran Hip Hop exponent Feelstyle and
producer Submariner (Andy Morton) should be proud. For they have created
a landmark recording. It’s arrived late in the day, but Break
It To Pieces is one of the best local releases of the year. It sounds
clichéd to use words such as “sprawling” and “masterwork”
in a review these days, but, er… Break It To Pieces is a sprawling
masterwork. It really is. It was always going to take a truly visionary
recording to maintain New Zealand’s hip-hop golden era. This album
is it”.
“If you don’t buy this record now,
your children will never forgive you for letting a pivotal piece of
New Zealand music slip by. Without a doubt – and I may get nasty
things in the mail for saying this – Break It To Pieces is the
best produced and most original hip-hop album that has come out of New
Zealand. It’s done in such a stylish and subtle way it sounds
entirely new. It is impossible not to be drawn into each verse and,
even though I can’t speak a word of Samoan, it has me reaching
for the repeat button after every track. ‘Savagefeel’ –
an incredible collaboration featuring Savage, Shayne ‘Dimmer’
Carter and the sort of chunky lopsided groove that should devastate
dancefloors the world over. Scribe may have got there first, but Feelstyle
and Submariner have raised the bar so far they’ll probably be
tested by the IOC. If there is any justice in the world at all, this
will be huge”.
“The Samoan monster that is ‘Su’Amalie/Ain’t
Mad At You’. Like how good is that sublime mixture of Samoan battle
rhymes and that sweet English chorus? Surely single of the year. Great
vocals and smart word play all encased in a poly-funk wrapping from
Submariner that is his best work ever. Beats burning and swaying, its
intoxicating s**t from one of our best sound creators. This remains
Kas’ testament, his prodigy, his love object, and his masterwork.
A fantastic release that raises the bar in local hip-hop. Loving it
like a happy meal”. |