Fresh off a monumental 25-date North American tour alongside Los Angeles-based rapper Haarper, Aotearoa’s SXMPRA is back with his latest arena-ready anthem, “BANDS!”
The explosive track is set against a thumping bassline that drills straight into your psyche, showcasing SXMPRA’s signature “phonk” rap—a genre that traces its roots to the SoundCloud era with wide-ranging influences including metal, funk, jazz, and drum ‘n’ bass.
The lyrics boast rapid flows at triple speed, embodying SXMPRA”s unapologetic attitude towards increasing wealth, as heard in lines like, “Wallet gettin’ bigger, need a belt to keep pants up,” as well as a refusal to be held back.
Complementing the release is an animated music video crafted by Philadelphia illustrator Tristan Zammit which includes artwork by New Zealand artist (and frequent collaborator) Ethan du Plooy. The video adopts a lo-fi video game aesthetic that intensifies the track’s gritty and confrontational references, targeting those who stand against him.
SXMPRA extended an invitation to his fans via Instagram, urging them to embrace his latest track with the short and sweet message: “YOU KNOW THE DRILL GO RUN IT.”
After securing a deal with LA record label 10K Projects last year, SXMPRA, the artistic moniker of Hamilton-born Kalem Tarrant, has amassed millions of Spotify streams, cementing his status as one of New Zealand’s most exciting streaming artists.
“BANDS!” succeeds his recent tracks “GUTS!” with 1nonly, “Army of Dead” with HAARPER, and the chart-topping track “COWBELL WARRIORS!” which has garnered over 150 million Spotfiy streams and featured US rapper Ski Mask the Slump God. His recent release, “LET’S RIDE!”, sampled The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, securing a place on the Fast & Furious: The Fast Saga soundtrack.
SXMPRA’s “BANDS!” is out now via 10K Projects, marking another bold chapter in the artist’s meteoric rise. Listen and watch the video below.
