Upper Hutt Posse (UHP) are a New Zealand

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

group formed in

Upper Hutt Upper Hutt () is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. History Upper Hutt is in an area originally known as Orongo ...

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, in 1985. Upper Hutt Posse are one of the earliest New Zealand hip hop groups, known for their fusion of

rap Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

in both English and

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

. Prominent members include DLT, Dean "Te Kupu" Hapeta and

Teremoana Rapley 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 ...

. After signing to Jayrem Records, Upper Hutt Posse released their first single, 'E Tū', in 1988, which paid homage to

Te Rauparaha Te Rauparaha ( – 27 November 1849) was a Māori rangatira, warlord, and chief of the Ngāti Toa iwi. One of the most powerful military leaders of the Musket Wars, Te Rauparaha fought a war of conquest that greatly expanded Ngāti Toa south ...

and the

Ngāti Toa Ngāti Toa, also called Ngāti Toarangatira or Ngāti Toa Rangatira, is a Māori people, Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) based in the southern North Island and the northern South Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Toa remains a small iwi with a population of ...

heritage of the

Hutt Valley The Hutt Valley (or 'The Hutt') is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Like the river that flows through it, it takes its name from Sir William Hutt, a director of the New Zea ...

. Their debut album ''Against The Flow'' was released the next year, which brought them international recognition. The group then became closely associated with Moana and The Moahunters, of whom their key member Teremoana was also part of. The group's single 'Ragga Girl' appeared on the soundtrack the film ''Once Were Warriors'' in 1994. A new lineup of live musicians produced the 1995 album '' Movement in Demand'', mixing their signature Hiphop style with their reggae roots. Subsequent albums increasingly featured the Māori language, such as '' Mā Te Wā'' in 2000 and '' Te Reo Māori Remixes'' in 2002, for which they won a Tui Award. In 2007 another 'live' lineup was formed including Maaka McGregor (drums) who had performed live with the group at various gigs since 1995. In November 2018, Upper Hutt Posse were inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame - Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa.

History

UHP formed as a four-piece reggae band in 1985. Since their inception, Dean Hapeta (also known as D Word or Te Kupu) and the Posse have been fighting racial injustice through their music. In 1988 they released the first rap record and music-video in New Zealand, ''E Tū'', through Jayrem Records. The song combined African American revolutionary rhetoric with an explicitly

frame of reference. It pays homage to Māori warrior chiefs resistant of British colonialism,

Hōne Heke Hōne Wiremu Heke Pōkai ( 1807 – 7 August 1850), born Heke Pōkai and later often referred to as Hōne Heke, was a highly influential Māori rangatira (chief) of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe) and a war leader in northern New Zealand; he was ...

Te Kooti Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki ( 1832–1893) was a Māori leader and guerrilla fighter who was the founder of the Ringatū religion. While fighting alongside government forces against the Hauhau in 1865, he was accused of spying. Exiled to ...

, and

.Mitchell, Tony. "Kia Kaha! (Be Strong!): Māori and Pacific Islander Hip-hop in Aotearoa-New Zealand." In Global Noise: Rap and Hip-Hop Outside the USA, ed. Tony Mitchell, 280-305. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 2001. Releasing their debut album, ''Against The Flow'' in 1989 through Southside Records, the group performed nationally and the following year in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and then

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. ''Against The Flow'' consists of sequenced/programmed rap and reggae songs and a political slow jam titled ''Stormy Weather'', the unique lineup of two rappers, a reggae toaster, a female singer, a male singer, and a DJ allowed main songwriter D Word to compose without having to use 'featured' vocalists outside the group. In 1990, the group toured ''

marae A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...

'' (Māori community centres), and supported

Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...

when they visited New Zealand, and performed with the ragga artist Macca B and the Zimbabwean group the

Bhundu Boys The Bhundu Boys were a Zimbabwean band that played a mixture of chimurenga music with American rock and roll, disco, country, and pop influences. Their style became known as jit, and is quite popular across Africa, with some international su ...

in Australia. October 1992 saw the completion of a music-documentary, ''Solidarity'', showing UHPosse's visit to the U.S., co-directed by Dean Hapeta and Rongotai Lomas, the music-documentary was aired on TV ONE's ''

Marae A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...

''. With the departure of Darryl Thompson around this time, and then

1993, who became a member of Moana and the Moahunters, and a presenter on television series ''Mai Time'', being joined later by MC Beware who had left the group in late 1989. D Word formed Kia Kaha Productions Ltd and continues up to the present day as the leader of UHP through various lineup changes. Upon the release of the movie ''

Once Were Warriors ''Once Were Warriors'' is New Zealand author Alan Duff's bestselling first novel, published in 1990. It tells the story of an urban Māori family, the Hekes, and portrays the reality of domestic violence in New Zealand. It was the basis of a 1 ...

'', the group's single ''Ragga Girl'' appeared on the soundtrack, with MC Wiya and D Word making cameo appearances. In 1993 UHP performed at the inaugural Polynesian Music Festival held in Rarotonga. A new lineup in 1994 of live musicians produced the 1995 album ''Movement in Demand'', mixing their signature Hiphop style with their reggae roots, and adding the distinctive raggamuffin rap of Wiya. In 2000 album ''Mā Te Wā'' saw the re-introduction of founding member Blue Dread, and also Katarina Kawana who had 'jammed' with the group in their formative years in the mid 1980s. '' Mā Te Wā'' is a digital reggae album completely in the Māori language. In 2002 UHP released '' Te Reo Māori Remixes'', a 10-track album of earlier favourites remixed and featuring only Māori-language lyrics. This album received a Tui Award at the 2003 NZ Music Awards for 'Best Mana Māori Album'. In 2005, the group released a double album titled ''Legacy'' which includes two tracks performed by Te Kupu's daughter Ātaahua, notably a Māori-language version of ''The Greatest Love of All''. Disc One, ''Ngāti'' is predominantly in English language, while Disc Two, ''Huia'', is all in Māori. In 2007 another 'live' lineup was formed including Maaka McGregor (drums) who had performed live with the group at various gigs since 1995, Dez Mallon (guitar) and Nathan Warren (bass), Te Kupu and MC Wiya made up the five core members at that time which also included additional musicians. In July 2008 the first recording session for a new 'live band' studio album commenced at Trident Studio and in September 2008 ''Ka Whawhai Tonu Mātou'' from this first recording session was released digitally (alongside a music-video) as a special song denoting 20 years since the release of debut recording ''E Tū''. While production continued for the live band album through 2009, production began also on a bilingual (Māori and English language) electronica album titled ''Tohe'' released in July 2010. Then in October 2011 the live band album ''Declaration of Resistance'' was released, featuring images on its front cover from Te Kupu's six-part rap documentary ''Ngātahi – Know The Links''. Supported by the most extensive touring by the band to date, with Te Kupu fronting the band on electric guitar and MC Wiya on bass (a significant revamp), performing with a fluid lineup of live musicians. In November 2018 Upper Hutt Posse were inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame , Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa. Te Kupu selected eighteen past and present band members, and additional musicians whose contributions to the group warranted their being recognised: Dean Hapeta, Matthew Hapeta, Aaron Thompson, Darryl Thomson, Bennet Pomana, Teremoana Rapley, Steve Rameka, George Hubbard, Earl Robertson, Kiki Marama, Taki Matete, Katarina Kawana, Ātaahua Hapeta-Taereau, Maaka McGregor, Emma Paki, Des Mallon, Jeff Henderson, Kevin Rangihuna. In January 2019 the first recording session for the next UHP album is held with Earl Robertson drumming to music sequenced by Te Kupu, followed by further sessions with drummers Ruben Das Gonzales, and then Riki Gooch, as well as recording sessions held at Matakahi Studio with various live musicians pulled in by Te Kupu, who himself plays bass, guitars, piano, synthesizer, alto saxophone and percussion, creating what he says is probably "the most musically-realised UHP album yet." 2021 will see ''Say Do Don't Do People'' the first single released prior to the album.

Upper Hutt Posse lineups

Discography

Albums

Singles

Awards

Aotearoa Music Awards

The

Aotearoa 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 ...

(previously known as ''New Zealand Music Awards'' (NZMA)) are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in

New Zealand music The music of New Zealand has been influenced by a number of traditions, including Māori music, the music introduced by European settlers during the nineteenth century, and a variety of styles imported during the twentieth century, including ...

and have been presented annually since 1965. ! , - , 1989 , , Upper Hutt Posse , , Most Promising Group, , , , rowspan="3", , - , 2003 , , Upper Hutt Posse (Te Reo Maori Remixes) , , Mana Māori , , , - , 2012 , , ''Declaration of Resistance'' , , Mana Māori , , , - , 2018 , , Upper Hutt Posse , ,

New Zealand Music Hall of Fame The New Zealand Music Hall of Fame , Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa is a figurative hall of fame dedicated to noteworthy New Zealand musicians. The hall was created in 2007 by Recorded Music NZ (then known as the Recording Industry Associati ...

, , , , , -

References

External links

AudioCulture profile
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Te Kupu
{{Authority control New Zealand hip-hop groups Musical groups established in 1985 1985 establishments in New Zealand Māori-language singers