The story behind New Zealand's first ever hip hop track, 'E Tu by Upper Hutt Posse. Featuring members Te Kupu, DLT, Teremoana Rapley and Bennett Pomana.
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 1995 hit 'In the Neighbourhood'.
Kiwi-Samoan artist King Kapisi's 1999 hit 'Reverse Resistance' 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.
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.
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.
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.
Before Church and 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.
