64 Bars - PN

The set-up is elegantly simple: three MCs, one mic, one studio. 64 Bars, a project formulated by David Dallas and Red Bull Studio Auckland, will see handpicked MCs hit the booth and lay down, as the title suggests, 64 bars. Straight raps - no hooks, no bells or whistles.

Dallas’ thinking behind 64 Bars is equally economical: “Let’s keep it real. We’re going to have rappers come in and rap, no Hollywood shit mate.” 64 Bars essentially takes things back to basics. A chance to hear established artists flex the skills that got them there, and to locate who’s next up on NZ’s rap radar -  presenting them with a raw, undiluted format to have their voices heard.

“I’ve always liked hearing an artist go into a radio show - kick a new verse on air, and just kill it. Overseas there’s things like Sway’s 5 Fingers of Death freestyles or Charlie Sloth’s Fire in the Booth sessions. We don’t really have an outlet like that in New Zealand anymore, so we wanted to create one.”

“I think it’s important that MCs coming up have a standard they can look to and a platform to showcase it. This is strictly about the craft of rapping - not songwriting, or music videos, or dressing like ASAP or Kanye on your Instagram. We’re going to throw a beat on and they’re going to spit. Plenty of people could muck around and come up with a 16 - but you’ve got to be serious to come with a 64, you have to be good to carry that.”

Dallas’ long-time collaborator PNC, Papatoetoe’s Lukan Raisey from MASO Gang, and newcomer Josh Lane form the starting lineup - setting the bar in what will be an on-going series at Auckland’s Red Bull Studios.

“Hopefully there’ll be people who see these and want to surpass them. We want it to become an institution - so that when you see someone’s name attached to 64 bars you know they’re coming with their A game.”

RedbullStudios