Lil Dust | EP Xanny Paquaio Impresses
New Zealand is a hot bed for dope rappers as of late. Lil Dust makes a notable entrance into the game with his most recent EP ‘Xanny Pacquiao’, and like our favorite filipino boxing legend, this project hits. The 8 track EP is also a solo project. You really don’t see a lot of rappers doing that these days. It’s dope to see an artist who truly put his blood, sweat and tears into a project and to watch it grow, and materialize into a masterful vibe. Lil Dust executed this well, time and time again. From front to back, every track slaps and could be played at high volume. Don’t wake the neighbors with this joint.
The beginning of the EP in , ‘Xanny Pacquiao Intro’ will give you chills when you hear the iconic boxing voice of Michael Buffer hyping up the crowd right as Lil Dust takes the floor. Right in to the tape he makes his presence known. That chill, up scaled melody transitions into a confident and perfectly contrasted verse. Its truly a yin and yang moment, so to speak.
Fubu is another slapper. The chorus is super catchy and rowdy. “I just hit a lick, riding through the city got a hunnit on my wrist”, makes you low key feel like you just robbed a joint and you’re a huge baller. This is the type of track where you’ll escape reality for a few moments. Forget all those problems fam, pop this joint on and you’ll have a few moments to ball out, and then get back to your daily activities. This is the type of vibe this track is on.
This track is my personal favorite off the EP. Lil Dust boasts a hostile flow off of the track, “Pulled Off The Lot“. He enters the verse aggressively which contrasts the soft trap piano melody budding in the background. His style cohesively combines exhilarating energy matched with bouncy ad-libs. The track has been touched elegantly with sprinkles of reverb and delay notably on the chorus. This subtle details matched with the pauses in the chorus delivers for a dynamic and forceful delivery. He’s not afraid to speak his mind on controversial topics in his tracks, often mentioning his dislike for police and his distrust for them. The confidence within this track puts you in your bag. His skill lies within a braggadocios flow that contaminates listeners into sublime confidence.This is the type of track you rob a bank to. It will have you feeling as if you’re in real life Grand Theft Auto feeling invincible. If you feel like doing something wreckless, I wouldn’t listen to this song unless you’re absolutely down to go to jail. Chances are this track will have your adrenaline pumping enough to actually do it.
Check out our exclusive interview with Lil Dust, here at Rap Fiesta.
________________________________________________________________________
Lets jump in. Why dont you tell us a little bit about yourself and where you’re from?
My name is Lil Dust and I’m a rapper all the way from the South Island of New Zealand, born and raised.
How did you come up with the name Lil Dust and what does it mean to you?
The name actually started as a joke when I wasn’t really taking music seriously. I was playing around with some names and my bro PJ suggested ‘Lil Dust’ which comes from the word ‘dusty’ which is what we use to describe being hungover or feeling unwell here in New Zealand. I started posting songs everywhere as Lil Dust and I got good reception. The more music I made, the more I liked it, and the name just stuck. These days it’s just however you interpret it.
There is no shortage of rappers these days. What separates Lil Dust from another rapper?
I feel like I’m the last of a dying breed of rappers who can actually rap. I feel I have the unique ability to craft and spit bars without being boring or come across preachy or corny. I make music you can appreciate lyrically, and music to turn up to with your friends.
Unlike other rappers, you don’t sing too much and you actually spit bars with crafty wordplay. Why did you gravitate towards this style?
It’s just a style that comes naturally to me. It’s reflection of what I grew up listening to, which was guys like Big L, Wu-tang, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, and Three 6 mafia. I’m always down to evolve my sound and grow as a rapper which I think you will hear with the new EP.
Without a label, what is the hardest part about being an independent artist?
I would say the grind that’s involved. I never realized when I got into music how much work I would have to do other than actually rapping. Tt’s actually a full time job when you have to do everything yourself, but I enjoy every aspect of it so much, that it don’t feel like work.
You’re upcoming project is cleverly titled ‘Xanny Pacquiao” . Do you love xanax and Manny Paqauio?
Lowkey, yeah. I recorded most of the songs on Xanax and other Benzos. In my opinion, Manny Pacquiao is the best fighter on the planet which signifies the battle I had mixing songs for the EP. It’s also a nod to my Filipino heritage.
You’re Instagram feed is so entertaining. What inspires you to post pictures of your face near some titties?
Social media a bit of a joke to me. I don’t really take myself too seriously. I’m all about having a laugh, i just post whatever. More of a booty guy tho to be honest.
You posted a dope video of you spitting some swift bars over an acoustic guitar. How did that happen?
I was actually inspired by a video I saw of Comethazine spitting his song ‘Bands‘ over a grand piano, but I didn’t know anyone who could play like that so I linked up with a bro who could play guitar and we had a jam.
That track ‘Probably Right’ is hard as fuck, and the visual that goes with it complimented the vibe. What goes into you making a song like that?
Ayy thanks bro! I was actually blacked out off xans on full auto pilot when I made that and woke up with no recollection. I just checked my laptop in the morning and was like, ‘Wow, what the fuck is this’, and added another verse. We also filmed a really funny video where I wasn’t even saying the lyrics, and falling over everywhere, but yeah it was dope. The video was actually a mission me and my bro/cameraman ( @leolifer_667) filmed, and we ended up editing about 7 different versions of ‘Probably Right‘. We had so many different mediocre concepts, and it became really over complicated. That’s when I decided to just delete all the footage and start fresh. I came up with the idea to do the two song video with the VHS to HD switch up. I wanted to do something I hadn’t seen before.
Do you try and dabble in other sides of music such as producing, or do you really focus on rapping?
My main focus is rapping, but I record engineer and mix all my songs myself from my home studio. I would love to be able to produce beats, but I figured the time I am learning to do that could be spent rapping. Once I’m more established as a rapper, I will look into it. I also like to have full creative control over my visuals so I direct and co-edit all of my videos to make sure they are exactly how I want them.
Keep up with Lil Dusty by staying connected with his socials!
SoundCloud | Instagram | Spotify
