This is my favourite kind of hip hop – intelligent rhymes, old-school loops and samples, attitude, not ‘attitude’. Humility in hip hop can make people who claim to hate it sit up and listen, and here is a beautiful example of that sort of poetry put to music. ‘DOAPW’ stands for Dreaming Of A Perfect World, and this release is stylish and professional – soul / hip hop / jazz – even mellow dubstep backing, and pertinent lyrics. Though Adam Carter is Invercargill-based, a lot of the album does sound very Brooklyn, New York, but that could just be the vibe… He intends that his music should bring attention to social and political issues within our country, and ultimately even bring change. Produced and recorded by Carter himself, contributions come from Miharo Gregory, Raiza Biza, Sophie Leigh, J R Lee, Myra, Chance Beckett, Overstand and others. My favourite track (among several) is GCSB (“The GCSB wants to spy on me…”), with its very cool Billie Holiday sample. Stunning.