New Zealand\u2019s Onehunga has been nurturing\u00a0some of the best Hip Hop for decades, and the arrival of newly formed crew SWIDT is no consolation.\u00a0SWIDT, which stands for “See What I Did There?”, is a creative collective on the verge of cementing their name in the game. Comprised of six members: SmokeyGotBeatz, Spycc & INF, JAMAL, Boomer and AZA \u2013 the collective features names who have had their own wins in the last 12 months, alongside\u00a0new names to the canvas.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What are your earliest memories of music? <\/strong>
\nSPYCC: I think one of my earliest memories of music would have to be at my Grandma’s house. My uncle had one of those throwback boomboxes that had the built in mixer. He used to play the Rhythm Volume 10 cassette tape all the time.<\/p>\n

INF: My dad was always playing music in the house, classic rock & jazz. A mixture of everything really. I remember sneaking into my brothers room when he wasn’t home to play records. That’s when I discovered Noreaga. I was infatuated with the production by the Neptunes. (Noreaga – Super Thug) Think it was 98′<\/p>\n

Who were your musical influences coming up?<\/strong>
\nSPYCC: 2pac <\/p>\n

INF: I listened to a lot of east coast rap so of course Biggie, mobb deep, Wu tang, Rakim, Nas and Jay Z. I think it’s because my brothers listened to a lot of west coast hiphop I felt like venturing down another lane & I liked it. <\/p>\n

SMOKEY: Dre & Dilla mainly… Lot of West Coast producers (Battlecat, Quik, Khalil etc…) Dj Premier, Hi-Tek, Easy Mo Bee, Fredwreck… List goes on! I’m a beat-head at the end of the day, I could listen to one instrumental for days and not get sick of it. <\/p>\n

For those not familiar describe your hometown Onehunga how was it growing up there and what has it contributed to NZ Hip Hop?<\/strong>
\nSPYCC: Onehunga is like a time capsule that you can revisit whenever you want. There’s a lot of duality where we come from too. From even just the fact that there could be state housing on one side of the street and a million dollar property directly across from it. To the liquor stores that are directly across from Churches, from gangsters to law abiding citizens. It’s just one big multicultural \/ multi-ethnic melting pot. It’s got it’s own flair, the people here are weird in their own way & it adds to the lifestyle here. <\/p>\n

INF: Apart from the work we’ve done, Red Eye Mother fucking Society man. They had such an huge influence on not just the Onehunga scene but thru the whole of NZ. They really brought the aggression & technical rap to life with their own slang and energy. <\/p>\n

How did you guys meet and when did SWIDT form?<\/strong>
\nSMOKEY: All grew up together. Me and INF were raised under the same roof. Boomer lived behind our house. SPYCC lived a couple houses down the street. AZA lived up the road from us. And Jamal came out of nowhere…..<\/p>\n