Melodownz
Bronson Price,[1] known professionally as Melodownz, is a New Zealand MC, rapper and urban poet from Avondale, Auckland. Debuting in 2013, Melodownz has released solo projects including Beginners Luck (2014), Avontales (2017) and Melo & Blues (2018), as well as collaborative extended plays with Angelo King, IllBaz and Raiza Biza.
Bronson Price | |
|---|---|
| Born | Avondale, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels | Liiightside |
| Associated acts | Third3ye, Israel Starr, Bailey Wiley, IllBaz, Raiza Biza, Rizván, Tom Scott, Jay Knight, Diggy Dupé, Choicevaughan |
Biography
Melodownz was raised in Avondale by his Samoan Catholic grandmother, English grandfather and his mother.[2][3] He has Samoan, Pākehā and Ngāpuhi heritage.[4] Melodownz debuted as a musician in 2013,[5] composing reggae/hip-hop songs inspired by his upbringing.[4] He released his debut album Beginners Luck in 2014,[6] and followed this with an extended play as half of the Young Gifted and Broke hip-hop duo Third3ye alongside Angelo King, 3P (2016).[6]
In 2017, Melodownz released the hip hop EP Avontales,[7] and in 2018 released two projects: a collaboration EP High Beams with IllBaz and Raiza Biza, featuring musicians including Teeks and Che Fu,[8] and the double-EP Melo & Blues.[9] Melodownz won the award for Most Promising Artist at the 2019 Pacific Music Awards.[4]
In 2020, Melodownz began Kava Corner, a YouTube interview series where Melodownz interviews New Zealand media personalities and celebrities such as broadcaster John Campbell, boxer Joseph Parker and musician Benee while sharing kava.[10][11] He was nominated for the Breakthrough Artist of the Year award at the 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards.[12]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Beginners Luck |
|
Extended plays
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ Artist [14] | |||||||
| 3P (among Third3ye) |
|
10 | |||||
| Avontales |
|
— | |||||
| High Beams (IllBaz + Melodownz + Raiza Biza) |
|
13 | |||||
| Melo & Blues |
|
17 | |||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | |||||||
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ Hot [19] |
NZ Hot Artist [20] | ||||||
| "8Ight 2Wenty 8Ight"[21] | 2016 | — | — | Avontales | |||
| "The Anthem (Intro)"[1] (featuring Bailey Wiley) |
2017 | — | — | ||||
| "One More"[6] (featuring Israel Starr) |
— | — | |||||
| "$on of a Queen"[4] | — | — | |||||
| "Live Stream"[8] (IllBaz + Melodownz + Raiza Biza featuring Teeks) |
2018 | — | 16 | High Beams | |||
| "Outchea"[22] (IllBaz + Melodownz + Raiza Biza featuring Dirty) |
— | 20 | |||||
| "Red Wine"[23] (IllBaz + Melodownz + Raiza Biza featuring High Høøps) |
— | 11 | |||||
| "Peace $igns, Gang $igns"[24] | — | 15 | Melo & Blues | ||||
| "$moke"[25] (featuring Villette) |
— | 8 | |||||
| "No Mercy"[26] (featuring Denzel Curry) |
2019 | 19 | 6 | Non-album singles | |||
| "Fine"[27] | 2020 | 16 | 1 | ||||
| "Big Deals"[28] (featuring Diggy Dupé) |
35 | 8 | |||||
| "Money"[5] | 2021 | 11 | 1 | ||||
| "Pray for More"[29] (featuring Lisi & Mikey Dam) |
2022 | 21 | 1 | ||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | |||||||
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ Hot [19] |
NZ Hot Artist [20] | ||||||
| "Indigenius"[30] (Jono Das and Angelo King featuring Melowdownz) |
2014 | — | — | The Lion & the Lotus | |||
| "Bad Luck & Handcuffs"[30] (Jono Das featuring Melodownz & Badcrop) |
2015 | — | — | Non-album single | |||
| "Pull Up"[31] (K+Lab featuring Melodownz & Mustafa Akbar) |
2016 | — | — | The Worldly's | |||
| "Lips"[32] (Noah Slee featuring Melodownz) |
— | — | Otherland | ||||
| "Under the Sun"[33] (Latinaotearoa featuring Melodownz) |
2018 | — | 17 | Influencis Et Collabis | |||
| "Good Juju"[34] (K+Lab featuring Melodownz) |
— | — | The Booty Galactic | ||||
| "Let's Kick It"[35] (Poetik featuring Melodownz) |
— | 15 | Hamofied | ||||
| "Take Me to Your Leader"[36] (Yoko-Zuna featuring Melodownz) |
— | — | Voyager | ||||
| "Out Here Alive"[37] (Kings featuring Melodownz) |
37 | 5 | Two | ||||
| "Sugar"[38] (Bailey Wiley featuring Melodownz) |
— | 6 | Bailey Wiley EP | ||||
| "Spend It"[39] (TY featuring Melodownz) |
38 | 4 | Non-album single | ||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | |||||||
Promotional singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ Hot [19] |
NZ Hot Artist [20] | ||||||
| "Let Me Loose"[40] (Rizván and Melodownz) |
2013 | — | — | Non-album singles | |||
| "Cool Like Dat"[41] (Rizván, Melodownz and Diggy Dupé) |
2016 | — | — | ||||
| "Hot $auce"[42] | 2017 | — | 14 | ||||
| "Infinite"[9] (featuring Coops) |
2018 | — | 12 | Melo & Blues | |||
| "To Live and Die in AD"[43] (Choicevaughan featuring Melodownz) |
2019 | 30 | 4 | Deuce | |||
| "Pai / Fine"[44] | 2021 | — | — | Non-album single | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | |||||||
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Other artists | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Run" | 2014 | Rizván, Tom Scott, Yané | Tō E La'ā (Sunset) |
| "Light Side" | Jay Knight, Raiza Biza | 1/8/94 | |
| "Stick Up Kid II" | Jay Knight, Bailey Wiley | ||
| "Stick Up Kid III" | Jay Knight, Bailey Wiley | N/A | |
| "Splended Tears" | 2015 | Yoko-Zuna | This Place Here |
| "Idfwu" | 2017 | Yayne | Simple Pleasure |
| "Attenchun" | Rizván, Freddie Bish | Neverland | |
| "One More" | 2018 | Israel Starr, NRG Siring | Israel Starr presents The Producers Chair, Vol. 2 (Neo90sfunkadelicsouldub) |
| "Ride Out" | JessB | Bloom | |
| "Off the Top" | SWIDT, Diggy Dupé, JessB, Rizván | Stoneyhunga: The Bootleg EP | |
| "How Much Fruit?" | 2019 | Troy Kingi | Holy Colony Burning Acres |
| "Heart on Fire" | Louis Baker | Open | |
| "Trust (Remix)" | Diggy Dupé, Rizván, Poetik, Redd x Rozay, Church & AP | N/A | |
| "Vailima Bottle." | 2021 | Poetik, Lucky Lance | Poetik Justice. |
| "Ain't the Same" | Diggy Dupé, Choicevaughan, P. Smith, Summer Vaha'akolo | The Panthers | |
| "Kong" | Diggy Dupé, Choicevaughan, P. Smith |
References
- Bulletproof, Jay (3 May 2017). "The Profile, Ep 1: MeloDownz - The Anthem (Intro)". George FM. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- Wicks, Sam (13 July 2017). "MeloDownz Is About To Become Every NZ Rapper's Favourite Rapper". Vice. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- McInnes, Laura (3 April 2020). "MELODOWNZ Guide to Liiightside (INTERVIEW)". Sniffers. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "Melodownz [Ngāpuhi, Samoa, Pākehā]". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- Herbert, Conor (15 March 2021). "Why We Like It: Melodownz's "Money"". CentralSauce. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- Kelly, Roisin (3 May 2017). "Is this the NZ hip-hop album of the year right here?". George FM. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- Kunin, Abraham (2017). "Melodownz: Avontales". NZ Musician. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "IllBaz + MELODOWNZ + Raiza Biza Drop Single 'Live Stream' Ft. TEEKS". Under the Radar. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- McInnes, Laura (14 December 2018). "Avondale meets North London in Melodownz 'Infinite' music video featuring Coops". Sniffers. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- Brooks, Sam (23 April 2021). "Bottoms up! The best moments from Melodownz's Kava Corner". The Spinoff. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- Southon, Delilah Pārore (5 October 2021). "CARETAKER — The quiet power of rapper, poet and YouTube talkshow host MELODOWNZ". Metro. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "BENEE and the Beths win big at the Aotearoa Music Awards". Radio New Zealand. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- "Beginners Luck LP". Bandcamp. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- Peak positions for Melodownz's albums on the NZ artists top 20 albums chart:
- For 3P: "Official Top 20 NZ Albums". Recorded Music NZ. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For High Beams: "Official Top 20 NZ Albums". Recorded Music NZ. 30 July 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For Melo & Blues: "Official Top 20 NZ Albums". Recorded Music NZ. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "3P". iTunes. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "Avontales". iTunes. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "High Beams". iTunes. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "Melo & Blues". iTunes. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- Peak positions for Melodownz's singles on the NZ hot singles chart:
- For "Out Here Alive": "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Spend It": "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "No Mercy": "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "To Live and Die in AD": "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Fine": "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Big Deals": "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 21 December 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Money": "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2022.* * For "Pray for More": "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- Peak positions for Melodownz's singles on the NZ artist hot singles chart:
- For "Live Stream": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Outchea": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 23 July 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Red Wine": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 30 July 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Under the Sun": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Let's Kick It": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Hot $auce": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 17 September 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Peace $igns, Gang $igns": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Out Here Alive": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Sugar": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "$moke", "Infinite": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Spend It": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "No Mercy": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "To Live and Die in AD": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Fine": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 13 April 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Big Deals": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Money": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- For "Pray for More": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- McInnes, Laura (31 March 2018). "Melodownz marks spider-town territory on 8ight 2wenty 8ight". Sniffers. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "IllBaz, Melodownz & Raiza Biza release second single from High Beams - 'Outchea' ft. Dirty". muzic.net.nz. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "IllBaz, Melodownz and Raiza Biza share video for 'Red Wine' ft. High Hoops". muzic.net.nz. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- McInnes, Laura (18 October 2018). "Peace Sign$, Gang Sign$: The Gemini duality complex of MELODOWNZ". Sniffers. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "Melodownz shares second single from 'Melo & Blues' - '$moke' ft. Villette". muzic.net.nz. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- C.C. (6 December 2019). "Melodownz Drops Single 'No Mercy' Feat. Denzel Curry". Under the Radar. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "Melodownz - Fine". Flava. New Zealand Media and Entertainment. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- McInnes, Laura (10 December 2020). "MELODOWNZ shares hood anthem 'Big Deals' featuring Diggy Dupés". Sniffers. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- Johnson, Jacob (9 April 2022). "Kiwi MC Melodownz releasing gospel rap". 1 News. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- "Jono Das Releases 'Bad Luck & Handcuffs' Featuring Melowdownz & Bad Crop". New Zealand Music Commission. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "K+LAB 'Pull Up' ft. MELODOWNZ & MUSTAFA AKBAR". Base FM. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- Odutola, Tayo (28 June 2017). "Noah Slee & Melodownz seal the deal with "Lips"". Earmilk. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "Latinaotearoa share new single 'Under The Sun' feat. Melodownz". Libel Music. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "Good Juju feat. Melodownz". Stereofox. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "LET's KICK IT - Poetik ft Melodownz". thecoconet.tv. 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- "Yoko-Zuna + MeloDownz Share Sizzling Single 'Take Me To Your Leader'". Under the Radar. 2 November 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- Moses, Hussein (15 May 2018). "Kings Won't Stop Until He's the Best Artist Alive". Vice. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "BAILEY WILEY 'Sugar' (feat. MELODOWNZ)". Base FM. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "TY - Spend It (feat. MELODOWNZ)". Empire Records. 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "Let Me Loose - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "Cool Like Dat - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- "HOT $AUCE - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- Adams, Josie (29 November 2019). "Tom Scott just leaked his own album on WeTransfer". The Spinoff. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- Woolston, Dan (23 April 2021). "Waiata Anthems return for 2021, Melodownz shares te reo rendition of 'Pai/Fine'". Sniffers. Retrieved 19 March 2022.