Tere Veronica Rapley (born 1973), generally known as Teremoana Rapley, describes herself as a 'Black Moana Sovereign Storyteller'. Many consider her a hugely influential New Zealand hip-hop artist, musician, television presenter and television producer, best known for her rhymes and vocals in both solo and collaborative work and her significant roles in the 1990s with Upper Hutt Posse and Moana and the Moahunters. In the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, Rapley was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ...

, for services to music and television.

Biography

Rapley joined hip hop group Upper Hutt Posse in 1987, aged 14. She sang on the group's early tracks, including "Stormy Weather" and "Ragga Girl" and featured on the group's 1989 album ''Against the Flow''. In 1989, Rapley joined Moana Maniapoto's hip hop and pop trio Moana and the Moahunters. The group released two albums, ''Tahi'' and ''Rua'' and had chart success with many singles, including "Black Pearl", "A.E.I.O.U." and "Peace, Love & Family". Rapley's work with Moana and the Moahunters saw her awarded Most Promising Female Vocalist at the 1992 New Zealand Music Awards. Rapley has spoken of avoiding the commercial music drive to view people and their music as products. She has said "I'm not a product...I make music, music is part of me, there is no separation from self." In the 1990s, Rapley also provided guest vocals on tracks from other artists, including "Sitting by the Telephone" by Unitone Hi Fi, "Body Rhymes (Protect Yourself)" by MC OJ and Rhythm Slave, "Horified One" by Dam Native and "In Summer" by David Parker. In 1995, Rapley turned her attentions to a solo career, releasing the singles "Beautiful People" and a cover of the Nina Simone song "Four Women", and was awarded Best Female Vocalist at the 1996 New Zealand Music Awards. Rapley continued to work from her home studio she had set up since 1992 that started with a Fostex 4-track cassette recorder and Dr.T's music software on Atari 1040ST. She has composed title music for television programmes, commercial music work for Air NZ and Coca-Cola as well as working on tracks for her upcoming album. Rapley has worked with Bill Urale King Kapisi. She has featured on his singles "Saboteur" and "Lollipop". Teremoana and King Kapisi used to run The Plantation Store, which included Kapisi’ Overstayer clothing range. Rapley is also known for her television presenting work. In 1995 she joined long-running New Zealand children's television show ''

What Now What Now may refer to: Albums * What, Now? (Peter Hammill album), ''What, Now?'' (Peter Hammill album), 2001 * What Now? (Kenny Wheeler album), ''What Now?'' (Kenny Wheeler album), 2005 * What Now (Sylvan Esso album), ''What Now'' (Sylvan Esso al ...

'' as a field reporter. From 1996 to 2001, Teremoana was a presenter on TV2's Māori youth magazine programme ''Mai Time''. Around 2000-2001 she interviewed musicians working for Selector magazine. After the birth of her fourth and youngest child, Rapley moved permanently behind the camera holding many roles including director, camera operator, editor, scriptwriter, production manager and producer. In 2015, after 10 years of service, Rapley resigned as a producer at the Maori Television Service in Auckland, New Zealand having produced over 1400 television programmes for the station and gained over 3000 production credits to her name. In 2021, Teremoana Rapley featured in a Stories Seldom Told podcast about unconscious bias. In February 2022, Rapley was diagnosed with an aggressive autoimmune disorder, and later that year, in August and October, she was found to have two inoperable brain tumours. She publicly announced her medical conditions in an interview in April 2024. At the 2024

Taite Music Prize The Taite Music Prize is an annual New Zealand music award event. A prize of the same name (sometimes called the Taite Music Main) is one of five to be awarded. It recognises the best New Zealand album from the previous year. The prize is named ...

ceremony she was awarded the Independent Spirit Award.

Discography

Singles

As featured artist

Awards

, - , 1989 , Upper Hutt Posse , 1989

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 ...

– Most Promising Group , , - , 1992 , Teremoana Rapley (Moana and the Moahunters) , 1992

– Most Promising Female Vocalist , , - , 1996 , "Give it Up Now" (Moana and the Moahunters) , 1996

– Best Mana Maori Album , , - , 1996 , "Akona Te Reo '95" (Moana and the Moahunters) , 1996

– Best Mana Reo Album , , - , 1996 , Teremoana Rapley , 1996

– Best Female Vocalist , , - , 2014 , Teremoana Rapley , 2014 Tangireka Music Awards – Cook Islander in Mainstream , , - , 2024 , Teremoana Rapley , 2024

– Independent Spirit Award ,

References

External links

Facebook page

Twitter account
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Unsung Heroes Episode on Teremoana Rapley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rapley, Teremoana New Zealand women rappers 21st-century New Zealand women singers 1973 births 20th-century New Zealand women singers People from Upper Hutt Living people New Zealand women television presenters Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit