This episode showcases 3 the Hard Way’s first debut single ‘Hip Hop Holiday’, the first single with a NZ On Air-funded video to reach No.1, where it solidly remained for three weeks in early 1994.

In 1995 OMC’s biggest track ‘How Bizzare’ was released and shot straight to the top of the charts in at least five countries. Pauly Fuemana and Alan Jansson collaborated on this classic kiwi track.

Self proclaimed ‘Pioneers of hori-fied hiphop’, Dam Native released their award winning track ‘Behold my Kool Style’ in 1995 with the aims of provoking reactions and conversations. In 1996, Dam Native’s ‘Behold My Kool Style’ made waves in challenging the ongoing effects of Pākehā colonisation and racism against Māori and Pacific peoples in Aotearoa.

MOS was first brought to life after an unexpected meeting between Yudhi and Steve in a clothes store in Auckland in 2000 and in 2004 released their life changing single Fools Love. Post-Y2K in 2004, with dial-up connections becoming commonplace, the song ‘Fools Love’ saw the Misfits of Science become one of New Zealand’s first bedroom producers to hit number one.

Tha Feelstyle created an abstract way of rhyming and rapping in both English and Samoan. The music video of his award winning single Su-amalie/Ain’t Mad at You was filmed back in Samoa. Rapped nearly entirely in Samoan, Tha Feelstyle’s 2004 single ‘Su'Amalie’ was a tribute to the islands of the artist behind the track, Kas Futialo, and helped inspire Pacific artists in Aotearoa to incorporate their native tongue into their hip hop.

SWIDT are a collective of mates who all grew up together in Onehunga, known as the voice of Onehunga. ‘312’ is named after the bus from their hood of Onehunga, which is the main focal point of their music. For the members of SWIDT, their debut track represented a new platform allowing them to comment on their own experiences with mental health, masculinity and authenticity from the Auckland suburb of Onehunga — otherwise known as the ‘312’.

JessB is a half Kenyan half Pakeha rapper from Auckland. Before she started her rap career she was a professional netballer and calls it ‘fate’ for being dropped from her team as it gave her the push to pursue her music. Focussing on her passion for hip hop saw her reinvent herself as a bold role model for thousands of fans with her 2018 single ‘Set It Off’.

The story behind New Zealand’s first ever hip hop track, 'E Tū' by Upper Hutt Posse. Featuring members Te Kupu, DLT, Teremoana Rapley and Bennett Pomana. In 1988, Upper Hutt Posse released Aotearoa’s first ever rap song, E Tū. Years later, the hip hop group stood on stage at the New Zealand Vodafone Music Awards, broadcast live to the nation, finally gaining the recognition they deserved for their landmark contribution to New Zealand music. Their belated induction to NZ’s Music Hall of Fame “didn’t mean shit” to Upper Hutt Posse member DLT. It is the song that means something to him, not the accolades but the message. And it was this sentiment that the song’s writer and lead rapper, Te Kupu, was still relaying, on live television, 30 years later. Thinking back to Te Kupu’s acceptance speech, DLT laughs, “We all knew he was going to go there so we didn’t prepare nothing.” Like his song, Te Kupu’s speech at the Music Awards drew lines between New Zealand’s colonial past and the struggle for Māori rights in New Zealand’s present. He called out power. He singled out the Prime Minister. He didn’t water anything down.

Teenagers Brenda Pua and Hassanah Iroegbu began their music careers after winning a grant from Manukau City Council. They were introduced to music producer Alan Jansson who helped them create their enduring 1994 hit ‘In the Neighbourhood’. Two teenagers from Ōtara, Brenda and Hassanah, were the voices behind the 1994 song, In the Neighbourhood. Released under the name ‘Sisters Underground’ their song made the NZ Top 10 on release, hit the charts in Australia, and went on to become an iconic part of New Zealand music history. And yet, the song’s success came as something of a surprise to the duo who, years later, are still coming to terms with the resounding impact ‘In the Neighbourhood’ had on Aotearoa. “When that came out, it was a very proud moment,” Upper Hutt Posse member Teremoana Rapley says. “It felt like I wasn’t alone, because up to that point, there were no sisters to the left or to the right of me.” Sarah Tamaira AKA Voodoo Child shared a similar experience: “You know, when you’re a young girl those kinds of things mean everything to you, seeing brown faces on the TV.” The song carries with it a strong sense of identity. It was funded by a Manukau City Council grant, and the music video was filmed in various locations throughout Ōtara, including their own homes, friends and families. Thinking upon her lyrics, Hassanah explains: “I was really trying to connect the hip hop that I admired to what we would do every day. I wanted it to reflect social inequalities… the true enemy in my mind at that time was, you know, the system.”

Kiwi-Samoan artist King Kapisi’s 1999 hit 'Reverse Resistance' raised the standard for music. It sent shock waves through Aotearoa’s underground hip hop scene and with it, Kapisi became the first-ever hip hop artist to win the coveted Silver Scroll songwriting award. In the words of Auckland hip hop duo Eno x Dirty, “he exudes hip hop and Pasifika as well.” Kapisi grew up in Wellington but maintained a strong connection with his ancestral home of Samoa. He found inspiration in Samoan hip hop group The Mau, which fused hip hop with Samoan culture. For Kapisi, The Mau expanded the realm of what was possible in music. “I have a very strong cultural roots connection to my home of Samoa,” Kapisi reflects. “The difference between most rappers and me was that I was going to represent me and my hood, my country, and the area that I’m from. And so I make South-Pacific hip hop.” This South-Pacific focus shines through. In his lyrics, rapped over stripped-back guitars, drums, and even an orchestral string section, he speaks of combating colonialism. He focuses on the religion it brought into Samoa and the lives it “fucked up”. The song stands in resistance to colonial power calling for its reversal. Even Reverse Resistance’s music video, filmed on Savai’i, in his village of Fagamalo, works to this end. Directed by Kapisi’s sister, Sima Urale, it shows Samoa not as a commercialised holiday destination or a page out of National Geographic, but as a living place in its own right. It moves hip hop from the hood to the Islands. NZ hip hop artist Melodownz recalls watching the video with his Samoan grandmother: “I’d never been to Samoa, so she was telling me about where things were and stuff in that video... It made her happy.”

When New Zealand’s first all-female hip hop crew, Sheelahroc, dropped their track ‘If I Gave U Th’ Mic’ in 2000, they were propelled onto the national stage. The crew consisted of three members: Ladi6, Voodoo Child, and Tyra Hammond. They were rappers, writers, performers, singers, and MCs. In short, they were, as hip hop artist Randa describes them, “dope, talented woman.” Voodoo Child thinks back to the birth of Sheelahroc: “everyone else that was MCing the time that I was around were all male. But I heard from somebody else that there was another chick in Christchurch who was also writing raps.” That chick was Ladi6. They joined forces, and soon after Sheelahroc picked up their third member, Ladi’s cousin, Tyra. The teenagers treated their band like a business, holding weekly meetings and even keeping minutes. The vision was clear. Ladi saw all-female rap crews overseas and wanted that same representation here in New Zealand. “There are definitely attitudes out there that women should be a certain way,” Randa says, “like, gentle or low key. But when you see a woman with mad skills, you cannot deny the power there.”

Scribe and P-Money tell the story of their record-breaking hit ‘Stand Up’, which knocked international artists off the top of the charts and spent 12 weeks at number one. In 2003, a track off the debut hip hop album by rapper Scribe rocketed to number one on New Zealand’s music charts. The song, ‘Stand Up’, beat out artists including 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake, the Black Eyed Peas and R Kelly. With it, Scribe became the first-ever Kiwi to have a number one single and a number one album – at the same time. DJ P-Money worked with Scribe from the beginning, swapping beats in the form of cassette tapes through the NZ Post. There was a feeling in the air of comradery within New Zealand’s hip hop community, “and Scribe wanted to create the anthem for it,” P-Money says. ‘Stand Up’ was that anthem. In it, Scribe name-dropped a raft of players in the Aotearoa music scene: Nesian Mystik, Footsouljahs, Time Bandits, Deceptikonz, Four Corners, and more. He included not only hip hop artists and breakdancing crews but rock bands as well. “It was important to roll call everyone because, to me, hip hop is everyone,” Scribe says. “It’s about participation. It’s about including people. It’s about acceptance.” Scribe’s success was unprecedented. Almost immediately after ‘Stand Up’s release, he went from writing raps in his cousin’s laundry to getting mobbed by fans at the petrol station. The fame shook him. “It was actually quite scary. Like, I didn’t like it… I’m getting fucking screamed at. People, like, yelling out, surrounding the car, banging on the windows,” he recalls. At the time, no one in New Zealand could compare to that kind of fame. Scribe’s youth, anxiety, and natural introversion did little to help. It was the cost of being the first to the top. Scribe brought Aotearoa hip hop to the forefront of Kiwi consciousness, and swept himself forward with it. This episode covers Scribe’s ambitious journey to fame, the shape of Aotearoa’s early 2000s hip hop scene, and the pushback he received from the music industry and features rare behind the scenes footage of the ‘Stand Up’ music video shoot.

When South Auckland trio Smashproof released 'Brother' in 2009, it created controversy. The song’s music video depicted the events leading to the tragic death of Pihema Cameron, who was stabbed for tagging. “It had to be said in a song and it’s unfortunate that some people got offended,” Smashproof member Tyree says. “It definitely stirred some huge topics that we face in society today and that’s, pretty much, racism.” The topic hit home. Brother quickly shot to number one, and now holds the record for the kiwi song which has spent the most consecutive weeks topping Aotearoa’s charts. The hit, with its unusual vocals, catchy beat, and verses depicting life in South Auckland, critiqued systems of crime and poverty in New Zealand. On it, Smashproof spoke about loss, about inequality, about the challenges facing their community. Hip hop artist Tipene explains Bother’s impact: “in terms of the timing, when they came through, that was speaking to the hearts of people, man. And I understand why that song went on to do what it’s done. It broke records, but it also mended hearts.” After the single’s release, the crew felt like “the Beatles of New Zealand” when performing. Smashproof member Sid Diamond was surprised at the popularity of such a personal song. They were a group of three South Auckland teenagers speaking about what South Auckland was like for them and the racism they encountered. But the song stretched beyond this focus. “You know, it happens everywhere, it’s not just South Auckland,” explains Smashproof member Deach. “Even though we use brother as a metaphor for South Auckland, ‘brother’ is just a metaphor for a small community, or for someone that’s struggling, that needs help.” And just as the song speaks to places beyond South Auckland it also reaches beyond the time it was written in. The problems Smashproof highlighted in brother are still relevant to New Zealand today. “It was a really good insight into what was happening at the time, and I guarantee not much has changed.” says Sid Diamond. In this episode, Smashproof grapple with issues of inequality, racism, and grief. The episode tracks the creation of brother, the controversy surrounding the music video, and the resounding impact of the song, both in hip hop and in the wider New Zealand society.

Before Church & AP's 2019 hit 'Ready or Not' was even released, it had been picked up by Mai FM, played at Childish Gambino’s Pharos festival, and been the most Shazam-ed song in New Zealand. 'Ready or Not' was set to become a phenomenon. And its success wasn’t limited to Aotearoa either – this homegrown hit made it big internationally too. Radio BBC 1Xtra discovered the song, and soon the boys were on a flight to the UK. Ready or Not, with its falsetto hook, banger chorus, and fresh vocals, was being played on repeat. Speaking about Church & AP’s international acclaim, hip hop artist Dirty says, “because of the internet, people aren’t just looking left and right and trying to be the best rapper on their street, you know. It’s like you’re actually competing with the world.” Church & AP’s rise to the top didn’t come out of nowhere. The duo found a mentor in kiwi rapper Melodownz at a music program in their local community centre. He was one of the people who pushed the pair to continue with their music. Straight from school, still in their uniform, Church flicked AP the hook for what would become Ready or Not. “These kids are like, so driven in what they know they ant to do and how they want to do it,” says DJ ILL BAZ. “It’s just their first, like, they’re not even getting started yet.” The song, perhaps, crests a new wave in New Zealand hip hop which has been rising for some time: artists who take the history of Aotearoa hip hop, of international hip hop and build on it. As Scribe says “I wanna hear what else they got. I wanna hear stories. I wanna feel it… I’m looking forward to what they’ll do. I’m looking forward to what the next generation does because I think it’ll be big.” This episode tracks Church & AP’s speedy rise in the hip hop world and explores where the new New Zealand hip hop sound is heading. Because, ready or not, the future of Aotearoa hip hop is already here.