Diaz Grimm - Osiris

By Lisa Diedricks

Released Thursday April 30th, 2015

Dubbed as New Zealand's TYGA, Diaz Grimm is hitting Aotearoa's music scene with his debut album ‘Osiris' with a hard and powerful message to all. With the motto ‘Inspire it, Create it, Share it' Cambridge rapper Grimm, now only 25, brings his subtle controversial way of laying down his thoughts, in which he calls it "not rapping just speaking the truth".

Hip-Hop fans will enjoy the lyrical creativity and truth, in this newly sparked artist, "A lot of other rappers focus on their technical skills and their wordplay ... I'm not. I'm just trying to say something." - Grimm states in an interview he did a few years ago. With just a handful of singles to his name, Grimm marks his voice on the NZ radios with a mixture of echoing choirs and futuristic bangs that makes Kanye ask Kanye who this new voice is.

The album was recorded in a very intense 10 day session and spent 7 months in production, in the Red Bull Studio here in Auckland, and although it wasn't a long progress, Grimm had a lot of songs ready to be brought to life. With countless nights he spent sitting in his car writing story after story, he finally had a place to deliver his message. The album features Grimm's latest singles ‘Light The Flame' and ‘Quarterbacks' in which he speaks his mind about the industry and his determination to break through. That's what you can expect from this album, an everyday guy speaking about what's really going on in the world and not holding back. With his familiar slang that sometimes creep in on songs, it's making a lot of kiwis proud that there is finally an artist that speaks truth, and has a flow to him that doesn't sound like your typical NZ rapper. 

Grimm also introduces New Zealand listeners to local hip hop talent such as Sound Select artist Raiza Bizaand YBG affiliate, Louie Knuxx, who both proudly and supportively dropped their verses on ‘Osiris'. On which Diaz states, "...you can't do a great project on your own, unless you're a perfect genius - and I don't know there are perfect geniuses out there..."

Having supported internationally known acts such as TYGA, Baauer, Twister, Rusko, and Flosstradamus to name a few, and having worked with New Zealand artists in the likes of Mt Eden, Optimus Gryme, PNC andBeat Mafia on the electronic single ‘Motivation', Diaz Grimm is proof to everyone, that hard work, dedication, and passion can take you anywhere.

The album is an intimate look into Grimm's life and perceptions on all things in this world, and although ‘Osiris' only hold 9 tracks, it's just enough insight, and an impressive one at that, in the likes of a new artist finding his feet to tell his story.

Hip Hop has grown to be known for being aggressive, negative, close-minded perception of ‘making it', or its derogatory slurs toward woman. That's why I'm very thankful for an album like this, a refreshing piece of artistic creativity that's brings a positive and truthful outlook in a genre that has slowly lost its way to what it used to be about. In songs like ‘Clouds', ‘Isis' and ‘Sunset Hour', Grimm maintains an entertaining and respectfully produced feel throughout.

Diaz is only at his beginning, I'm sure we are about to get hit a star we didn't even see coming that about to make us love NZ hip hop all over again. I've had this album on repeat for the past few days! I'm hooked!

5/5