While his identity has been shrouded in mystery since emerging in 2018, cult-favourite phonk rapper Sxmpra is an enigmatic force in the underground rap world letting his music speak forcefully for him.
Born in Hamilton and currently based in Wellington, New Zealand, SXMPRA's childhood was spent constantly moving between small-town New Zealand cities and Australia, but the one thing that remained steady for the artist throughout his formative years was the internet allowing him unlimited access to the underground rap and nu-metal worlds that would later inform his artistry today as Sxmpra.
Growing up, Sxmpra was raised on rock and metal passed down from his parents, as well as his own discovery of Eminem in his early years, before finding then-underground rappers including Odd Future and Denzel Curry in his teens, before working his way backwards to pivotal 90's acts like Three Six Mafia who have helped pioneer the new generation phonk sound of today's generation with their gritty Memphis sound. Today, he counts artists including XXXtentacion, Suicideboys, and Pouya as integral acts who have shaped the sound he's been refining since 2018; intertwining the energetic expression of both his respective backgrounds in rap and rock to create a crossover of sinister trap metal, gritty horrorcore, and distorted phonk music.
Beginning his journey on the DIY rap breeding ground that is Soundcloud, Sxmpra began making music in 2018 using an XBox headset to record songs onto free audio recording software Audacity via a Macbook he financed on a payment plan. Starting out sourcing production via Youtube "type beats," he describes his early music at the time as "an extension of the artists that I was listening to who weren't releasing enough music." SXMPRA's early music was made with the intention to fill the gap he felt was missing as a fan, and eventually one of his Soundcloud tracks (insert name) was commented on and shared by American rapper (insert name), who asked him to collaborate, and in turn opened the door for Sxmpra to break out into the international market.
After releasing a consistent series of singles since 2018, last year Sxmpra unleashed his biggest track to date, 'COWBELL WARRIOR!,' which today has garnered almost 30 million Spotify streams.
While he's currently the fastest streaming rapper in New Zealand, Sxmpra never saw himself pursuing music as a career, and instead was pursuing a career in film after studying the creative medium at university. While his priorities have changed in recent years, Sxmpra background in the visual world is deeply integrated into his art as a rapper, giving him a strong foundation of creative control with his own music videos while applying the dark, eerie, and ominous elements of old horror movies like Rob Zombie's Halloween into his own gothic aesthetics.
After embarking on his first trip to the United States earlier this year where he was able to link up with friends, collaborators, and personal heroes including Miami underground rapper Pouya, Sxmpra is focused on connecting with his fan base outside of New Zealand as he continues to work towards his debut full length project via 10k Projects. Sxmpra's stage name references the Harry Potter spell "sectumsempra," "sectum" being a Latin verb translating as "severed," while "sempra" is derived from the Latin word "semper," which means "continuously." Like his moniker implies, Sxmpra music is a razor-sharp, swift strike of underground hip-hop set to hex and haunt the world.
Wed Feb 15 2023
7:30 PM (Doors 6:30 PM)
$20.00
Ages 17+
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Kickstand Productions Presents:
SXMPRA + lilbubblegum - THE HOLY GUAP TOUR!
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While his identity has been shrouded in mystery since emerging in 2018, cult-favourite phonk rapper Sxmpra is an enigmatic force in the underground rap world letting his music speak forcefully for him.
Born in Hamilton and currently based in Wellington, New Zealand, SXMPRA's childhood was spent constantly moving between small-town New Zealand cities and Australia, but the one thing that remained steady for the artist throughout his formative years was the internet allowing him unlimited access to the underground rap and nu-metal worlds that would later inform his artistry today as Sxmpra.
Growing up, Sxmpra was raised on rock and metal passed down from his parents, as well as his own discovery of Eminem in his early years, before finding then-underground rappers including Odd Future and Denzel Curry in his teens, before working his way backwards to pivotal 90's acts like Three Six Mafia who have helped pioneer the new generation phonk sound of today's generation with their gritty Memphis sound. Today, he counts artists including XXXtentacion, Suicideboys, and Pouya as integral acts who have shaped the sound he's been refining since 2018; intertwining the energetic expression of both his respective backgrounds in rap and rock to create a crossover of sinister trap metal, gritty horrorcore, and distorted phonk music.
Beginning his journey on the DIY rap breeding ground that is Soundcloud, Sxmpra began making music in 2018 using an XBox headset to record songs onto free audio recording software Audacity via a Macbook he financed on a payment plan. Starting out sourcing production via Youtube "type beats," he describes his early music at the time as "an extension of the artists that I was listening to who weren't releasing enough music." SXMPRA's early music was made with the intention to fill the gap he felt was missing as a fan, and eventually one of his Soundcloud tracks (insert name) was commented on and shared by American rapper (insert name), who asked him to collaborate, and in turn opened the door for Sxmpra to break out into the international market.
After releasing a consistent series of singles since 2018, last year Sxmpra unleashed his biggest track to date, 'COWBELL WARRIOR!,' which today has garnered almost 30 million Spotify streams.
While he's currently the fastest streaming rapper in New Zealand, Sxmpra never saw himself pursuing music as a career, and instead was pursuing a career in film after studying the creative medium at university. While his priorities have changed in recent years, Sxmpra background in the visual world is deeply integrated into his art as a rapper, giving him a strong foundation of creative control with his own music videos while applying the dark, eerie, and ominous elements of old horror movies like Rob Zombie's Halloween into his own gothic aesthetics.
After embarking on his first trip to the United States earlier this year where he was able to link up with friends, collaborators, and personal heroes including Miami underground rapper Pouya, Sxmpra is focused on connecting with his fan base outside of New Zealand as he continues to work towards his debut full length project via 10k Projects. Sxmpra's stage name references the Harry Potter spell "sectumsempra," "sectum" being a Latin verb translating as "severed," while "sempra" is derived from the Latin word "semper," which means "continuously." Like his moniker implies, Sxmpra music is a razor-sharp, swift strike of underground hip-hop set to hex and haunt the world. -
Lil Bubblegum is redefining what it means to be a global act in 2022. The 18-year-old
underground artist is New Zealand's highest streaming rapper with over 135 million Spotify
streams and 165 million YouTube views, driven by a cult-like fanbase that stretches across
continents. With no radio or mainstream media support, Lil Bubblegum's blinding success has
broken all of the rules of the music industry, and even more remarkably, he's barely two years
deep into what promises to be a generation-defining career.
Hailing from West Auckland, Lil Bubblegum grew up in a musical family and was raised by the
Internet. On a steady diet of Adventure Time (his name is taken from the character Princess
Bubblegum) and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, he also consumed music from non-conventional
hip-hop artists like Lil Peep, Night Lovell and Trippie Redd. At 13 years old, he began recording
some rough songs into his phone via the BandLab app, and like many of his heroes, he soon
began dropping songs exclusively on SoundCloud.
But it wasn't until the lockdowns hit New Zealand in 2020 that he began taking his craft
seriously. "One day, I made a little song called ‘guap’ and it took me 100 tries to get the perfect
hook down," he says. "After that, I posted it on YouTube and it started going crazy." Two years
later, 'guap' has over 40 million plays and became a pivotal turning point for Lil Bubblegum. "Up
until that point, I was just doing music for fun, but now I realised the power of the Internet and
how anyone's life could change in a second," he says.
Following the runaway success of 'guap', Lil Bubblegum found himself on the forefront of the
'aesthetic rap' movement - a group of Internet-savvy artists who took influence from the moody
sonics of SoundCloud rap, as well as glitchy, kitsch visuals snatched from 2000s online
archives. Lil Bubblegum's woozy, monotone delivery and bleak instrumentals struck a chord
with fans worldwide, with the vast majority of his listeners based in the United States - a
notoriously difficult feat for a New Zealand hip-hop artist. He followed up 'guap' with a relentless
release schedule that included viral hits like 'e girl', 'billie eilish' and 'double tap'. He also
dropped out of school to spend three months in the United States, working with world-class
producers like FNZ (Kanye West, ASAP Rocky) and Jimmy Duval (Ski Mask The Slump God,
Rich The Kid).
While he has some significant accolades under his belt, Lil Bubblegum is still firmly in his growth
stage as an artist. "Earlier on in my career, I liked to talk about Internet culture like e-girls, guns,
expensive chains, Air Force 1s, just stuff which was cool to me as a Polynesian kid in New
Zealand," he says. "Since then, I’ve grown and expanded my craft, improving over time to write
more meaningful lyrics that people can relate to." He's also recently taken his songs from the
online sphere to IRL stages, performing at festivals like Rolling Meadows and SoundSplash.
Come 2022, Lil Bubblegum has inked a deal with Listen2TheKids (Interscope), in a move that is
sure to solidify his global presence as one of hip-hop's most unique success stories; one that
has many chapters yet to be written.
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