“I’m stoked – I feel really blessed to be representing Tairāwhiti and Tāmaki Makaurau in the final,“ Shaskey said.
“I’ve been working hard to get here and it feels like I’ve been given some respect now.”
Tairāwhiti hip-hop artist Shaskey will represent NZ at the Pass the Mic music competition in Sydney in October, competing for a shot at a $50,000 prize pool. Photo / Camden Jackson
Shaskey said he had his lyrics written out but he only put the song together on the day of the competition.
His winning track was a tribute to his late friend Jamil Weiss dos Santos.
“It’s a tribute to my friend Jamil who passed away and it’s about growing up in Gisborne and moving around the North Island.”
Shaskey has been making music since he was young and played drums in a band at Smokefreerockquest while he was a student at Gisborne Boys’ High School. A regular on the Smash Palace stage, he played for the first time at RnV last year.
He has been living in Auckland since 2023, where he works as a chef as well as a musician.
Shaskey said he loved the honesty of hip-hop.
“There’s so much emotional and sonic depth in it. Hip-hop can sound and feel like anything – it’s also a format to boost yourself and give yourself another level of confidence.”
Shaskey performs with producer AKL MADZ at the Pass the Mic music competition at Double Whammy Bar in Auckland.
Pass the Mic started in Sydney in 2022 as a grassroots online and live series. Since its inception, the platform has steadily expanded and now has a doubled grand prize pool of $50,000.
Bodega Collective added stops at Darwin and Auckland to the tour this year.
Two artists from every city will earn a spot in the Sydney final on October 24, where A$50,000 ($60,980 at the current exchange rate) will be split across three winners.
Recently, Shaskey has been collaborating with producer AKL MADZ, Madilyn Povey, and he plans to release an EP later this year.