(SIRENS WAIL) - Come on, come on, come on! (ALARM RINGS, SIRENS WAIL) (HELICOPTER ROTOR WHIRRS) (SIRENS WAIL) Captions by Faith Hamblyn. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2022. (SPARE ECHOEY ELECTRIC GUITAR MUSIC) (DISTORTED, ECHOEY SINGING) - OK. So, here we are, Christchurch City. It's unrecognisable now. My cousin died here on a bus, and I can feel we've got a lot of sadness here. So, these are the names of all the people that passed away in the earthquake. This is the remembrance wall. And here's my cousin's name. - Jeff was a beautiful young man. He was such a beautiful soul. They were waiting for that bus together. They were at the bus stop. And then Malo left to go on a mission with a mate who'd pulled up, and Jeff got on the bus, and that's where he lost his life. - A building had collapsed on the bus. And I saw a picture of the bus ` it was like a sardine can. And my cousin was on that bus. And there was one survivor. It was an old lady, and she was sitting in the back. And I always sit in the back. So, you know, it always plays on my mind that if I went, I would have said, 'No, we're going to sit in the back.' And, you know. I don't know. It always fucks with me. - That's been a big part of Malo's story. But, yeah, I know the loss of Jeff... hit everybody hard. - The press actually covered the funeral. Which I think I was just in a delicate space, but I just felt really disrespected. I just felt really defensive when I saw the press there taking photos, and I didn't really understand ` I just felt like... taken advantage of... of my fame... in this tragedy. He's like my brother. He's like my best friend. He's like, knew me better than anyone. I knew him. He knew my secrets; I knew his secrets. When you lose someone like that, it... it's something that you can never recover from. The last 10 years of my life, as shit as it's been for me personally, in my personal life, it's given me the ingredients I needed to write some new songs. And this song in particular, I'm still finishing. It's really my one-song answer to all of the speculation, all of the judgement that I had during the time my addiction was so publicly covered. - Are you happy that the truth came out in there? - I'll give you a little something. - (DISTORTED, ECHOEY BEAT PLAYS) - Even this beat, like, as soon as it comes on, I just start getting goosebumps and feeling like... - (DISTORTED, ECHOEY BEAT CONTINUES PLAYING) - I've been waiting for a beat like this for a long time. # I just do. I just do. # - Hey, bro. - Yo, Zac. - What's up, man? - Hey, I was just wondering if it was cool if come over - and lay a demo down real quick. - Yeah, for sure, bro. - Is that cool? - What time? - I'll be there in about 30 minutes. - Sweet as, bro. - It's on one of your beats. It's fucking killer. That magnetic beat. Set that session up, G. I'm on my way. - The guy. My guy. Oh, my guy. - How are you, brother? - I'm fucking good. I'm really good. This is Zac. This is Infectious. - Yeah. - This is a genius at work. - (LAUGHS) - This is the man right here, the beautiful father of six. - I think that when Scribe raps, there's just... the room stops and listens to what he has to say. - I'm very lucky to be working with... with such a awesome young talent. - (CHUCKLES) - Eh? Well, you're young compared to me. - I'm 42. 42, all right? - I feel 42 some days. - (ALL LAUGH) - Well, with six kids, yeah. Oh, this guy! - (CHUCKLES) - Right. - Yeah, bro. - It's like, world class, G. It's like, I can't believe this fucking dude. - He will tell his story, you know, in whatever way he wants, and whatever he says, I think people will listen. - RAPS: # Back from the, back from the, back from the, back from the, back from the dead. # But I'm living now. Not attached to the things used to get me down. # Hit the ground every time that they let me down ` same people that are never round. # Hear it in my sound, there was never doubt. # - He kind of just came in and was, like, 'All right, bro, let's go' ` You know, one take. (CHUCKLES) - Here we are in Otautahi Christchurch at Electric Avenue. I mean, there's, like, 27,000 people here or something like that. I had a really good set, jumped up on stage with my old band, Salmonella Dub. We played pretty good for a bunch of old farts. So I'm proud. I'm proud, and I'm feeling good. And now getting ready for Scribe to hit the stage. I'm proud of him, man. In Aotearoa, you know, at the end of the day, all the haters can just go fuck yourselves. Scribe's the fucking man. Don't forget it. (BAND PLAY DUB MUSIC) - Infectious is here from the studio, when you've seen us ` we've taken that song, and we're doing it today. So we're doing a brand new fucking song today. I'm nervous about it. - I came in, um, I saw my brother pacing,... which is weird, cos he only does that when he's quite nervous. - You know, I've been through a lot, coming from this city ` the, you know, the press here, you know, they've reported a lot of shit on me. I've been to court here. A lot of people, my people in this city, seeing me go through my shit. - I feel that he's gone through probably the lowest and darkest and heaviest shit you could possibly go through. And now he's powered up, and he's stepping into his power, and he's just gonna unleash. - This is like a redemption. This for me is redemption, and this is, for me, a statement performance, where... I let everyone know that I'm back. - # Oh. Oh. (STRING MUSIC) # Oh. Oh. # Ooh. - (MUSIC CONTINUES) - # Oh. # Ooh. # Ooh. # Oh. Ooh. - Louisville Slugger. (LAUGHS) - RAPS: # Destiny. Destiny. Destiny. # I got my eyes on my destiny. - (CHEERING) - # Some things in life were just meant to be. - (CHEERING) (BAND PLAYS FANFARE) - (DJ SCRATCHES RECORD RHYTHMICALLY) - # Yeah. No one like me. - (BAND PLAYS MARCH CRESCENDO) - # No one like me. - (CHEERING) (BAND CONTINUES PLAYS MARCH) (CHEERING, WHISTLING) (DJ SCRATCHES RECORD RHYTHMICALLY) - # Yeah. # - (CHEERING) (CHEERING CONTINUES) # Scribe's here, so give it up. I rip it up so dope this year. # Everybody want a hit of us. But y'all need to breathe, because you're hiccing up. # We refuse to leave ` you can't get rid of us. Yo, they think I'm on drugs because I come in the club. # And I be dancing by myself like I don't give a fuck. What? What? # Scribe on the mic, I write and elegant flow, even drop adagio for the lyrically slow. # Not hypothetically, physically letting you know. I got my rhyme packed tight, and we're ready to go. # Made some mistakes in the past ` that was yesterday. Today I'm on my way to a better way. # Forever bringing together what you separate. So whether you like it or not, I'mma elevate. # You know this rhyme is taking time to celebrate. Relax and take a breath, y'all! # - (CHEERING) - Whoo! - (CHEERING, WHISTLING, APPLAUSE) (CHEERING, APPLAUSE CONTINUES) - How are y'all feeling? - (CHEERING, APPLAUSE CONTINUES) - I'm feeling that way too. - (CHEERING, APPLAUSE CONTINUES) - Except I ain't fucking doing drugs. - (CHEERING, WHISTLING) - This shit right here is my fucking drug, and I forgot about that. - (CHEERING, WHISTLING) - I fucking love this city. - (CHEERING, WHISTLING, APPLAUSE) - This song is brand new one. I've never fucking performed it before. - (CHEERING) - Appreciate it. RAPS: # Back from the, back from the, back from the, back from the, back from the dead, # but I'm living now. Not attached to the things used to get me down. # I hit the ground every time that they let me down ` same people that are never round. # Hear it in my sound, there was never doubt. If there's one thing that I've been about, # I was down and out, never for the count. Cos I'm coming back from the black. I got it figured out. # I'm sending this out to the lonely and the lost souls, anyone who can't cope cos you lost hope. # I know the road full of detours, potholes. I thank God my enemies never got close to my whereabouts. # And media try to air me out, put my business up on Facebook and share me out. # Your opinion's something I could never care about. You didn't wanna listen ` # no choice but to hear me now, cos I don't give a, # give a fuck about your feelings, bitch. I just do me. # I already know who the realest is. # I just do me. I put my mirror on the ceiling, # cos I just do me. And I'mma kill it, cos I just do me. # And I'm the realest, cos I just do me. # Yeah. Me. Me. Me. # Me. Me. I just do me. # Me, me, me, me, me. I just do me. # Me, me, me, me. - (CHEERING) - # I just do me. I just do me. # I just do me. # Fuck the TV. # - (CHEERING) (APPLAUSE, CHEERING) - Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. Did you like our new track? - (CHEERING, APPLAUSE, WHISTLING) - Peace! - (CHEERING, WHISTLING, APPLAUSE)) (SCREAMING, APPLAUSE) (CHEERING, WHISTLING) (APPLAUSE) - Being up here tonight and feeling everyone's love and energy made me feel like it was worth it. You know, cos there was times when I wanted to give up. - Scribe! - Scribe! - ALL: Scribe! - Scribe! - ALL: Scribe! - (APPLAUSE) - (BAND PLAY FANFARE) - It's the best drug in the world. Beats crack, beats fucking any drug you got, being able to do that and connect with people. It's a real, like, privilege to be able to do that.