"Hip Hop Holiday" is the debut single from New Zealand hip hop group 3 The Hard Way. It reached #1 in the New Zealand singles chart and #17 in Australia. A mid-song reggae breakdown was provided by Bobbylon of the Hallelujah Picassos.

Background

The song was built around a substantial interpolation of "

Dreadlock Holiday "Dreadlock Holiday" is a reggae song by 10cc. Written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman, it was the lead single from the band's 1978 album, ''Bloody Tourists''. It was a number one hit in several countries. Composition The song was based on re ...

" by

10cc 10cc are an English rock music, rock band formed in Stockport, southeast of Manchester, in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians, Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, who had written and recorded togethe ...

. However, the rights were never cleared, resulting in the song being officially credited to "Dreadlock Holiday" songwriters

Eric Stewart Eric Michael Stewart (born 20 January 1945) is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer, best known as a founding member of the rock groups the Mindbenders with whom he played from 1963 to 1968, and likewise of ...

Graham Gouldman Graham Keith Gouldman (born 10 May 1946) is an English singer, musician and songwriter, best known as the co-lead singer and bassist of the art rock band 10cc. He has been the band's only constant member since its formation in 1972. Before 10c ...

, with all royalties going to the pair. The success of the song in New Zealand and Australia led to extensive touring of both countries and the recording and release of band's debut album, '' Old School Prankstas'' "Hip Hop Holiday" was nominated for Single of the Year at the 1995

New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

Music video

A music video was made for "Hip Hop Holiday", directed by Clinton Phillips. The video was filmed in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and features the group driving around the city in a convertible and hosting a house party in suburban Auckland.

Track listings

;CD single (DG016, D11633) # "Hip Hop Holiday" (Radio Mix) - feat Bobbylon # "Get Down" (First Up Mix) # "Hip Hop Holiday" (Freestyle Mix) # "Get Down" (Extended Mix)

Charts

"Hip Hop Holiday" was the first hip hop song by a New Zealand artist to reach #1 in the New Zealand charts. The song was also certified gold in New Zealand.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

"Hip Hop Holiday" at Discogs

"Hip Hop Holiday" music video
{{authority control Number-one singles in New Zealand 1994 debut singles Songs written by Eric Stewart Songs written by Graham Gouldman 1994 songs