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Rap music and Hiphop's secret romance with pain, struggle and frustration has united all races, cultures, creeds, and sexes together like nothing before it. It's that pain and that struggle that personifies itself in Albino. The struggle of acceptance, of rebellion and of poverty. The pain of modern-day social ills like drug abuse, governmental and teacher neglect. The frustration of feeling no one will listen to you, that your opinion doens't matter and you cannot change anything aobut this world.
It's those things that have fueled some of the greatest movements and innovations throughout history. From Picasso and Einstein to Spike Lee and Malcolm X; it's been pain, struggle, and frustration leading to dedication, commitment and genius.
Steve McDonald - aka Albino - hails from Te Atatu North, West Auckland's 'forgotten' suburb. An area of Auckland where there's only one road in, and one road out. A haven of social and economic ills and achievements. A place where you can walk five minutes from poverty into luxury. Albino's music reflects it all and expresses it in such a way you can't help but be intrigued by it.
His debut single 'A-L-B-I To The N-O' is an introduction into Albino's life, his artistic introduction to what makes Albino - the take-no-mess alter ego of Steve McDonald, a 21 year old white-boy from West Auckland. It's minimalistic beat and erie harmonies create a perfect canvas for both the listener to get lost in the pictures Albino paints lyrically but also the perfect canvas for Albino himself to flex his lyrical muscle, which he does with ease.
With an established reputation for writing some of the coldest songs known to man with STEAM (Styles To Excite Any Motherf***er) - his crew consisting of: Dac Dastedly, Ryvalis and himself - Albino is eager to take his gift for 'keeping it real' to the world at large with his debut album 'Submerged: Part One' on 833 Records. The album serves as a catalyst to let the world know what Te Atatu North life is like, and what it means to Albino to be given this opportunity to take his message to the world, and find like-minded individuals that appreciate his words and the talent and time it took to craft his material.
So impressed with Albino's lyrical abilities and relentlessness New York bred hip-hop icon Killa Sha (Formerly Prince A.D of Mobb Deep) extended his hand to lace 'The Sequel' (A follow-up to the track 'Time For War' - also featured on the album) with Albino and Dac Dastedly on 'Submerged: Part One'.
Other guests on the album include Albino's mentor The Abbot of Sativa Souls on the Kinetic produced 'Tat North To Massey', his STEAM counter-parts Ryvalis and Dac Dastedly, and 4th Element on 'Here I Come'.
'Submerged: Part One' is set to take New Zealand's hip-hop scene to the next level, and leave a mark on the ears and eyes of the Hiphop community internationally as one of the most focused and innovative productions this decade.
Band Members:
Stephen McDonald
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