Coming from South Auckland, I was wrapped up in my own southside bubble to worry about the history or modern problems of those living in the inner-suburbs. In all honesty, I barely knew that there was a community like mine smack, bang in the middle of a area of Auckland that felt like a different planet. So when Diggy Dupe's K.O.T.I.C swings into action with 'Intro', the storytelling beings and I'm transported to a place I recognise but damn sure don't understand.

Kids Of The Inner City is a succinct project from Dupe that explores the gentrification of Central Auckland after Polynesians migrated there for work. 'Intro' lays that theme out on the carpet, although what struck me and kept me intrigued throughout the eight song project was how Dupe wove a bunch of ideas together underneath that overarching concept. I've heard South Auckland raps and storytelling before, but listening to Dupe spit about similar situations or thoughts from a more err, 'hip' perspective was different and reminded me of New York where various housing projects are surrounded by urban culture, trendy culture, artsy-fartsy culture that only being close to the city can provide. 

After 'Intro', Dupe ventures down some rather impressive storytelling intertwined with typical lyrical gems that we come to expect from such artists. There ain't too many songs on this project, yet there's enough to set a structure in place and the next three songs have Dupe reflecting on youthful times, antics, shenanigans and general mischief that comes when you're in that zone. 

Rizvan and Revrse join Dupe on 'Old' which has all three telling stories of their growth, most notably how failings or misgivings become lessons. 'Midnight Cruise' and 'Move'then take a more aggressive tone, while offering great depth and underlying tones. 'Midnight Cruise' for example zones in on night time activities, juxtaposed against going to church on Sunday morning while 'Move' appears to be simple, but comes packaged in a rather complex fashion;

"First person we come across, we gonn' rob him,
First person look at me wrong, we gonn' drop him,
More money, more power, more problems.
There were four of us, mad as hell, mad at my girl, mad at the world,
'Cos nobody ever thought of us, 
Jealous of another man's wealth, that was poor of us"

That represents the level of introspection, insight and thought Dupe offers, in conjunction with some raw street tales (no more though 'cos Dupe offers far too many and you gotta listen to catch them). I could listen to all these songs again and again, with different thoughts on the same bar popping up each time and with 'EddyP Interlude' bridging the project together, the depth of Dupe's raps shines in a more sombre but powerful last three songs.

'City' has Dupe reflecting on his area, after a night out, after the opening stanza of K.O.T.I.C. After 'City' comes 'Black Sheep' and this is were the idea of not just the 'minister' being responsible for the woes, but also the family structure, especially Polynesian families. I don't need to get into who's responsible for what (we know the answer dummy), I was just impressed in the way Dupe portrayed all aspects of the struggle. Whether it's feelings, emotions or Dupe's observation that the condensation at the pub is making him sick, or the lack of support at his graduation or simply the idea that if you aren't making money then you're a bit of a failure; Dupe explores all angles.

And that's all thanks to experience, allowing Dupe to get introspective and share those experiences in a creative fashion. Defining 'flow' isn't easy and Dupe is a fine example of this as he's able to share all his experiences with a delicate flow, by that I guess I mean there's well-timed pauses, there's quick-fire delivery and the right words are used at the right time. 

For me, kiwi hip hop is best when it's relate-able through using common language and not busting out slang that has been imported or his popular right now; Dupe's technical ability and his simplicity of language allows his stories to shine on K.O.T.I.C and his technical ability is what demands that you rewind to catch it all again. 

That leads me to my favourite track 'Nightwing/KOTIC' which does exactly what a final track, or conclusion should do in encapsulating all of the above. This comes in the form of Dupe summing up much of the ideas of the project with a sense of purpose, a sense of comfort with where he's at and where he's going. Apart from the storytelling, this is my favourite lyrical performance as Dupe attacks the beat with greater tempo, throwing an arsenal of words together while maintaining a cohesive vibe to follow. 

This is just the beginning, so I'll for sure enjoy K.O.T.I.C and let it simmer in my loins but there's that beautiful feeling of anticipating for what's next. Lyricism can offer some level of intrigue as to what's next but the stories, perspective and even just the idea of a wholesome 'project' of work is what gets me most excited. Where will Dupe go next? What themes will be roll out next? What sound will come next? That's something that I feel with the best hip hoppers in the world right now as you're left waiting to see where their creativity takes them.

K.O.T.I.C will stand alone for a long time and it's the sort of project that you can always come back to, to re-fresh, as there's little restricting the listening experience to 2017. This will however be one of the most slept on musical projects out of Aotearoa in 2017 and I'm here to tell you not to sleep, enjoy the stories and skill coming from the kids of the inner city