David Dallas
David Dallas is a natural. From his prodigious first appearance on New Zealand’s biggest hip hop song “Not Many – The Remix!” to penning the award winning Frontline album Borrowed Time, it has been apparent that David has a knack for making this rapping stuff look easy… effortless even.
An eighties baby raised on a diet of pop, R&B and a strong helping of US hip hop. David Dallas’s sound combines his love of east coast lyricists of the ’90s with the melodic stylings and song-writing of their west coast counterparts. Interpreted through the voice and slang of a Polynesian New Zealander, and with stories grounded in the normality such a far off country affords. He brings a fresh take on Hip Hop which all can relate to.
Something Awesome – the debut solo album from David Dallas, sees the return of New Zealand’s smoothest rapper, with a soundtrack for anyone who has aspired to be something more. Put simply: If “awesome” was a sound, and you looped up that sound, then put bangin’ drums behind it – the result would be this record.
In a time when popular hip hop records sound less and less like the songs that attracted David to the genre, Something Awesome is unashamedly vintage in its approach. Overflowing with soulful samples, raw drums, organic instrumentation, cuts, and hooks that don’t sound like they were sung by robots. And devoid of trance influence and the word “shawty”.
David Dallas wowed US hip hop critics in 2009 with impressive performances at the influential SXSW and CMJ Music Marathon music festivals and received a standing ovation at LA’s infamous Viper Room. The US hip hop blogosphere has been buzzing about David Dallas ever since!
David himself sums up his sound, “You know that happy feeling you get when you win something? It’s like that. With an edge.”
For further information please contact che@daviddallas.co.nz
