Cambridge rapper takes on world
A Cambridge hip hop artist is making tracks with the man who helped launch rappers Eminem and 50 Cent.
Diaz Grimm, who once performed at the Cambridge Town Hall, now performs on stages around the world.
The hip hop artist is back in Cambridge to promote new material and drum up New Zealand support.
On July 7 he is rolling out his new track Foreigners, produced by Mike Elizondo - the man behind Eminem’s The Real Slim Shady and 50 Cent’s In da Club.
‘‘Back when I was 11, I remember my best friend and I recording The Real Slim Shady off the radio.
‘‘And I think it’s the first song I learned all the words to,’’ Diaz said.
Opportunities in the New Zealand music industry can be limited but Diaz’s big break came when he met Elizondo through SongHubs, a camp for musicians.
It was where 10 up-and-coming artists were selected to work with a range of international producers with experience in different fields.
‘‘I specifically asked to be teamed up with Mike,’’ he said.
‘‘And I’ve been to his studios in Los Angeles, which is where Death Row Records was, so a lot of the new Tupac movie has been filmed there.’’
Most of his fans were in Europe or America, but he will be starting his tour in New Zealand in September before going through Australia, Europe and finishing in Toronto.
‘‘The creativity scene and music scene is just booming over there at the moment,’’ he said.
Diaz’s first performance was at the Cambridge Town Hall in 2008, where he performed the Cambridge Anthem, a song he wrote about his home town.
But performing overseas was always part of his long-term plan.
‘‘From a very young age I was naively confident, and that confidence is what I can give credit to over what’s been happening the past few years,’’ said Diaz.
Diaz attended Cambridge High School for third form (Year 9), then moved to Western Heights High School in Rotorua for a few years, where he became more serious about his music career.
He returned to Cambridge for his final year of high school.
He moved to Auckland in 2013 where he completed his first album, Osiris, which was released in 2015 when he went to the US.
The album topped the iTunes NZ hip hop charts, reached the official NZ top 20 album charts and was nominated for hip hop album of the year at the New Zealand Music Awards.
The success propelled his career further and he was invited to go on a nationwide tour with Kiwi band Six60.
‘‘It really felt like home in America because really I was raised listening to American hip hop.
‘‘It’s very conservative over here. I normally have braids in my hair and I have face tattoo, and in Cambridge it’s not the norm,’’ he laughed.
‘‘But in America, no one looks twice, and it’s nice not having to worry about other people.’’
He still adored his home town and was pleased to be back.
Last year he was invited to play SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, and became the first selfmanaged unsigned artist from New Zealand to do so.
Returning home to New Zealand, he completed his sophomore album 2077, which was met with critical acclaim and led Diaz to signing his first distribution deal with DRM.
Dates of his New Zealand tour have not been confirmed yet, but he hoped to play his final show at the Cambridge Town Hall, back where it all began.