Words by Christopher Kevin Au // Image by Sean Pyke

There’s a lot of quality tunes bubbling from the Brisbane underground at the moment, and staking his claim on the frontlines is Z. Lewis, armed with his debut single ‘Don’t Speak 2 Me.’

It’s no wonder that many hip-hop heads are turning their heads up north for homegrown tunes, with the likes of I AM D, Gill Bates, Gallus, Erik Sanders and Travy P all making significant waves in recent months. Our mates from the Sunshine State have been causing such a kerfuffle that Midas.Gold even guaranteed us that Brisbane will be the national hub for hip-hop within the next two years, and his crystal ball prediction holds plenty of weight.

Today, it’s another Brisvegas talent who’s dropping the heat, with Z. Lewis debuting his first official single right ‘Don’t Speak 2 Me.’ It follows his gusty remix of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Levitate’ – premiered by our friends from Geedup – and as he originally hails from Hackney, the track displays Lewis’ rapid UK flow unapologetically. It’s a continuation of the blurred lines between grime and hip-hop that have occurred heavily in Australia for some time now, but seem to have amplified in the past few years.

“‘Don’t Speak 2 Me’ is a record about remembering that your time and energy is valuable. It is an expression of frustration and self-preservation in an age of users and fakes,” Lewis says. Well, you heard the man – quit wasting your day and give ‘Don’t Speak 2 Me’ a first spin below: