Scene

The Doqument are one of Aotearoa's premier hip hop groups, let alone musical acts and they are back at with their new LP '5:09'. Hailing from Auckland and consisting of $ikeOne, imaGe, Shaqles and Mac Major, the Doqument have already dropped numerous projects in a matter of years since coming together, quickly establishing themselves as a group who maintain the core values of hip hop that we love with a modern kiwi twist as well.

Songs

Georgio Armani - Nice all-round intro into Doqlife sound
Drive Thru - Piano, gloomy yet mellow
Can't Say - All about the bars, whack it on replay
Nothing Was The Same - Ominous vibes
Over The Head - Wobbly, flow flexing
Out - The party jam, in Doq style
Focus - Kinda scary, poetic
Cole - Example numero uno of bars
Bridge - Twists and turns
Can't Touch - Play it loud, with ya homies sitting on milk crates

Vibe

'509' is odd because it certainly feels like its risen from the concrete streets of Auckland with an underground aesthetic, highlighted by a grittiness that we rarely see in kiwi hip hop. With that however comes many modern sounds, this is far from boom-bap music and it strikes as more of a mix between a variety of different styles that have influenced the Doqument, along with that kiwi flavour thrown in as well.

Music

Musically, there's not much else that sounds like '5:09' in Aotearoa and certainly not around the world, plus it shows some nice growth in the Doqument's overall sound. It sounds as though Shaqles draws from a wider pool of instrumentation, which comes with more experience and great comfort with what they are doing. This also comes with plenty of variety in this LP alone as tracks like 'Out' operate with a quicker tempo, harder drums and the widely-used clap that builds suspense. Then Shaqles flexes his musical muscles on a track like 'Focus' which is much slower and has many eerie sounds flowing in the background, layered nicely to set the tone.

This is similar on 'Drive Thru' which has some dark piano use and takes the listener on a weaving journey as different elements of the production come and go. And then you've got a track like 'Bridge' that could start a riot if it got in the wrong/right hands to start with before sliding into this trippy lull (in a good way), before turning up again. Each track is like this in that there's enough changes in tempo, there's sounds coming and going and there's an unpredictable nature to the production alone that kept me intrigued, waiting for the next twist.

Usually, with international artists, there's lyric sites that serve me well as I grab some of my favourite raps and paste them in here. I can't quite do that with The Doqument, I can however celebrate a trio of rappers ($ikeOne, imaGe and Shaqles) who grace Shaq's production with raps which tick all the boxes of story-telling, straight bars, wordplay, craft while still maintaining a relationship with their kiwi roots as they spit what is familiar to the kiwi listener.

Recently I completed a review of the Flatbush Zombies' 3001: A Laced Odyssey, which I loved as it showed the value of a hip hop group. I feel blessed by Jah as that was backed up with '5:09' where a trio of kiwi spitters dished up another example of what a good hip hop group can do. $ikeOne, imaGe and Shaq all sound differently and go about their work with a slightly different style, each bringing their own unique artistry to the mic when it's their turn and you get the feeling that if one piece of the puzzle was missing, each song just wouldn't sound as good as it could.

Finale

The Doqument have been around for a minute and their quality is evident in the success they have earned thus far. '5:09' to me comes across as an LP that fits in after their breakout success and comes with an eye on reaching new heights, it serves as the perfect project to satisfy fans like me who jumped on the wagon a year or so ago, showing growth to keep me interested in their progression while also appealing to new fans.

Personally, I love where The Doqument sits in my own hip hop landscape. There's nothing worse than a kiwi musical act that sounds far too American, especially in hip hop but I also love the creepy funk that is being served up in America at the moment. The Doqument do have those dark elements to their music, there's no fluff which fills the void for me of a kiwi artist/group that represents the streets but oozes skill with their craft both with their raps and production.

'5:09' is the latest example of why you should pay attention to The Doqument. Bump it loud in your whip, take away your own inspiration from their raps, uplift yourself and enjoy something raw from Auckland's streets.