Some collaborations feel like experiments. Others feel like a return to form.
Deadforest and Dera Meelan’s new EP, aw true? yeah nah, doesn’t do too much. It doesn’t shout — but lands with a quiet authority. Consisting of five precisely measured tracks, it’s a statement that shows the duo have picked up exactly where they left off.
It’s been six years since their first collab on the 75 EP: Deluxe Edition and four since Deadforest’s Plastic in 2021, yet there’s absolutely no rust. It might be the best New Zealand rap project of 2025, despite being barely a week old.
Each track feels deliberate, confident, and unbothered.
No chasing trends, no industry validation, just South Auckland energy filtered through clean Dera Meelan beats and sharp Deadforest bars that land with humour, grit, and bite.
While previously released singles “Bar4Bar” and “No.ID” with AP set the tone, the EP peaks on “Lynx Africa”.
Dera’s production is uncluttered and allows Deadforest the space to do what he does best: say a lot in few words, the mark of any great rapper.
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Every line lands. Whether he’s stamping his authority on “Okay” or reaffirming his place in the scene on “1trick”, it’s the “I know these guys don’t really like the sound, still gonna bite the sound” bar — echoing across “Lynx Africa” and “No I.D” — that acts as a simple mantra and a declaration of independence.
Deadforest is untouchable in his place as the only rapper who can lace Kiwi slang into bars that have style, hit hard, and sound authentic, never cringe. It’s way harder than it looks, but Deadforest has an elegant way of never landing awkwardly or off-balance. Over the years, his style has matured without losing its core; direct, digestible, and impossibly sharp.
He’s has stayed loyal to a sound that wasn’t always well-received, and now with Dera’s help, he’s perfected it. Beyond skill, he’s carved out a path in NZ hip-hop that now feels foundational.
Not only is he unafraid to stay true to his sound, he’s set a standard and offered a blueprint for the next wave who’ll inevitably look to him for how to blend local identity, style, and authenticity without compromise.
Across the EP, the mood stays locked. One-liners and small observations sit alongside confrontational bursts, all threaded through Dera’s intricate yet understated production.
The result is a sound that’s deeply local, yet immediately engaging. The EP is a project made for community, but clear enough for anyone paying attention to catch on.
The visuals, designed by Auckland-based graphic designer naik2g, mirror the EP’s grounded attitude, rooted in minimalism with an unapologetic edge.
Nothing here screams for attention, it doesn’t need to. Deadforest and Dera’s presence does all the talking.
Their EP is a statement, a Kiwi rap project rooted in place, confident in its lane, and sharp enough to be heard, and respected, anywhere.
Deadforest & Dera Meelan’s aw true? yeah nah is out now.
