Mr Walters, born in Te Kopuru and raised in Whangarei, started rapping at 14 but was not always a fan of rap music.
His rap name - Freeks the Amateur - represents that "we are all freaks of nature" and that he started as someone who "couldn't pull two sentences together", he said.
"My oldest brother Ron and best mate Dougs were rappers and they influenced me to try it out and now I just can't get enough. I always loved poetry and the messages you could give, but I would not say I was a huge rap fan," he said.
It was Michael Jackson who made him want to be a performer.
Mr Walters now loves rap and writing lyrics. But he does not have a notebook filled with songs because school put him off books. Instead he writes verses on his phone.
"You can tell stories, make a statement, dedications to everything. The beauty in music and writing is there are room for errors and sometimes the imperfections are what makes it perfect," he said.
Mr Walters has been performing on stage since 2014 and this year won a competition to open for international hip hop artist Rittz.
He said it's "cliche" but his main inspiration is his family, and winning the competition would be an "absolute honour".
"I'm completely nervous, completely excited. Just know I am going to freak out and what usually happens is I just let the freak come out of me."
