“She wrote to me on Instagram at the beginning of my career,” says Spanish rapper Bb trickz of her first interaction with Charli XCX in early 2023. “She told me she was listening to my music and asked me if I wanted to do a track.”
Ever true to her word, Charli reached out to trickz (real name Belize Kazi) during Brat Summer and asked her to feature on the remix of ‘Club Classics’. The result was a riotous Spanish-language verse that featured wordplay like “I’m a Bratz, but I don’t contain any plastic” and playfully aggressive alliteration of “br-brat en el club”; injecting the song with the dark swagger integral to Kazi’s drill credentials.
Since dropping the track, Kazi has noticed a surge in followers, especially from Anglo countries: “I’ll see like TikToks saying, ‘I don’t know what she’s saying, but I speak c***’.”
Kazi first broke out with her debut EP ‘Trickstar’ in 2023, characterised by her assured flow and immense swagger. Drill track ‘Missionsuicida’ samples Law & Order’s theme song with Kazi coolly rapping: “I’m the baddest in Spain / I skip the queue when I get to the club / messing with me is a suicide mission”, while moody tracks like ‘Ah!’ are laced with venomous insults towards the likes of rapper Yung Beef.
Cocky, unafraid to make enemies, and racking up millions of views in the space of a few weeks, Kazi immediately ruffled feathers on the Spanish rap scene, earning her the title of “most hated rapper in Spain”. Her entrance was followed by spats with fellow Spanish rap heavyweight Bad Gyal, further showing that Kazi wasn’t in the game to make friends.
Yet she’s not interested in sticking to spitfire diss tracks to allure listeners – in fact, she’s already moving away from it. Her second EP ‘Sadtrickz’ was defined by confessional rap that navigated heartbreak: “You’re late replying to my messages / when you’re not there, I’m not hungry”, she whispers on ‘Paso’. Meanwhile, her new music is breezy and upbeat – latest single ‘Miss Racks’ is a cool self-assured reflection of where Kazi is now: “I keep it cool and make my money”. She tells NME she’s now “focusing on music that makes you happy.”
Kazi’s self-described mission is to shake up the rap scene in Spain. Below, she talks to NME about feeling like “the most hated rapper in the world”, her complex relationship with Spanish music, and her impact on the rap scene in Spain.
NME: Hey Belize! You made the remix of ‘Club Classics’ your own. How did you approach putting your mark on such an established song?
“I really related to the word ‘brat’. That’s a perfect way to describe my rap style, the way I dress and how people view me – they view me as a brat. It was just something fun; my verse is very me, very Bb trickz.”
Had you already listened to ‘Brat’ before you featured on the remix album?
“Of course! I think she did such a good job presenting it and I was so curious to listen to it. I had the same reaction as everyone – the production, the way she wrote and explained everything, it’s one of the best albums this year.”
You have a song called ‘Lo siento mama’, which is pretty much you asking your mum for forgiveness for being a brat, right?
“Yeah. I am truly am a brat! When I saw [Charli] named the album that, I thought, ‘that’s such a good word’.”
Your music is packed with references to Spain – from the King being “messy”, to not wearing Inditex or Zara, or insulting Madrid rapper, Yung Beef. What’s your relationship with your country?
“I’m super proud of my country. I think we have good weather, good food, good people, I grew up here. Everywhere has good things and bad things. I like to express that in my music ’cause it’s part of me. I want to make music that people could relate to over here.”
Your mum is Canadian. Has growing up in a bi-cultural family shifted your perspective on Spain?
“Definitely. I grew up with my mum – so my household wasn’t very Spanish. The way I was raised was not the Spanish way. There were a lot of things I didn’t understand, the jokes people would make; I didn’t have a television – I had the internet and was into other cultures.
“There was a point when I had a realisation. I love my [Spanish] culture – which is why I embraced it in my music.”
You’ve criticised Spanish beats and have said the music is behind on everything – and you’re here to make the scene stronger…
[Laughs] “Well I was definitely on my high horse when I said that! I still think Spain has pretty bad taste, so we’re still behind, yes. And yes, I think I can bring some freshness.”
Today we have a lot of musicians who are bringing traditional Spanish sounds into urban and pop music – like Rosalía, C. Tangana – but you seem like you’re not interested in doing that. You sample everything but Spanish music…
“I listen to traditional Spanish music but I don’t know how to tap into it!”
The samples you use are so broad – from the Law & Order theme song to bossa nova. You’re very versatile.
“I like doing everything ’cause I can make it very me. It’s fun to explore, you get to bring out different sides that you can’t with the same genre. You can tap into different emotions or different sides of your personality.”
Your first two EPs were defined by drill beats. What’s your relationship with drill?
“I’ve always listened to rap. But, in the time I started doing music, I was more into trap. But drill sounded fresh and it sounded different.
“Trap music has always had the same kind of formula. I think it made sense for me to make drill music. It was fun.”
Drill is very bass-heavy and also can be quite aggressive. Do you think it matched your flow and what you were trying to say?
“Yeah, and I liked the juxtaposition of a cute girl with an aggressive sound. I thought that was interesting.”
“Sometimes it feels like I’m the most hated rapper in the world”
Do you think you’ve had to prove yourself more because of being a “cute girl”?
“In rap, in general, you have to prove that you’re a good lyricist, that your flow is good. It’s always like you’re trying to prove ‘I have swag’, that you’re cool, blah blah…”
So how did you start rapping and finding that flow? Did you freestyle?
“Yeah. Everything’s off the top of my head.“
When did you first get into that?
“A couple of months before I dropped my first music video. I hadn’t been rapping for a long time. My friend told me I should rap, ’cause I used to sing. It clicked, it was fun. The first time I recorded a song, I realised, ‘I like what I’m doing, so I’m gonna keep doing it’.”
That’s incredible you blew up only a few months into it.
“I knew I wanted to create and entertain people. So, it was like stumbling across it, but it also wasn’t. It was always in my head.”
There’s also been a lot of backlash to your sudden rise – sceptics accuse you of being an industry plant. What are your thoughts on that?
“I embrace everyone’s opinion. There’s always that relationship. I don’t know if other artists go through this, to what extent and how many, but I feel like my character has always been questioned. People hate on it heavily.”
You’ve said you’re the “most hated rapper in Spain” right now.
“Yeah. Sometimes it feels like I’m the most hated rapper in the world.”
Why do you think that is?
“I think I’m polarising. I wouldn’t say I’m opinionated, I would say I express my opinions in a society where you can have an opinion but if you express it and it’s not the one they agree with is the correct answer, it’s kind of like… oh.”
Do you think there’s an element of sexism in that backlash?
“I don’t think it’s that. I think it’s that I say things people are scared of saying.”
Have you said anything you regret?
“No. Because if I create a conversation between other people about something that is not talked about, it’s interesting.”
Do you think you’ve impacted the Spanish rap scene for the better?
“Yes – I’ve definitely made an impact. I’ve also had a journey. My whole life I always wanted to do what I’m doing now. I’m starting to be a grown-up. I don’t know. Life is interesting.”