In 1988 Dean Hapeta wove Maori culture, language and political demands into the musical style of Black American hip-hop in order to fight the injustices imposed on his Maori people.

Original lyrics, Dean Hapeta, 1988 Karanga, rangatahi, whakarongo, whakarongo We're nga tamatoa, so we must light te ahi Don't get led astray by Babylon, kia mau ki to Maori There's a lot of people who think they're tough today But chiefs like Te Rauparaha woulda blown dem away, Cher! Hone Heke he expressed his disgust by cutting down the flagpole, huh Pakeha killed Maori inna Matawhero So Te Kooti exacted it in a slaughter. Yes, the Maori battalion inna World War Two Staunch on the battlefield they had many clues Like Moana Ngarimu on hill 209, Victoria Cross so true so strong Yes the Maori was a bad warrior Strike fear in the hearts of the Babylon soldier Yeah its true, yeah its true, that's why I'm talking to you Kia kaha, kia kaha two one two two E Tu Stand Proud Kia Kaha Say It Loud Te reo Maori Lyrics, Dean Hapeta, 2002 Karanga, rangatahi, whakarongo, whakarongo Ko nga tamatoa matou, ka tahu te ahi Kaua e nukurautia, kia mau ki to Maori Te meho o te mana i te tokomaha Kei Te Rauparaha te toa me te kaha, Ana! Hone Heke, topea te pou haki Na te whakapairua o te mahi Ingarihi He mea kohuru i te tauiwi. Ka whakahoki-patu mai i Te Kooti. Te Hokowhitu-Maori i nga pakanga nui Pumau te whawhai kotahi Moana Ngarimu, rua-kore-iwa Au maro, te nguha, te ngana Horetiti! horetata! Ka mau te wehi, he rangatira! Ko Papurona, tere omanga Rangatu tupuna, mauriora E Tu Maranga Kia Kaha Rangatira The man who tried to kill him was Von Tempsky But he became a victim of his own folly Cause Titokowaru was too smart you see, Guerilla warfare, huh, Maori The British raided a Pa they thought it'd be a victory But Kawiti fooled the enemy The British raided the Pa yeah but they got shot down Cause Kawiti had a plan and it was sound, break down Te Rangihaeata believes in holding land Against the foe, yo, the British man To him land's essential to the mana of the chief And in the Hutt there were some hardcore feats In 1846 in the Hutt Valley I said Fighting broke out between the British and the Maori And more than one settler on disputed land Was killed when the Maori fought the British Plan Cause white rule and injustice go hand in hand So against that is where we stand Don't forget those who've fought before Our struggle continues more and more Yeah it's a struggle, it's a struggle The system's got us in a muddle So strive to get outta this puddle. I haere kimi-mate a Von Tempsky Koia te he koia te ngohi Ko Titokowaru he toa nunui Te whawhai mohio o te Maori Hi! Ka whakaeke hoia ki te pa Whakaaro nei ratou, te toa Ko te whakaeke ratou ka mate ka hinga Ko Kawiti tatai tikanga Ko Te Rangihaeata mau te whenua Te atetenga ki te hoia Ko te whenua, he pu, te rangatira I Awakairangi i tahaetia he taonga I te tau tahi-waru-wha-ono He pakanga na tenei mahi kino I hinga Maori i hinga Pakeha Ko ta tauiwi homanga, ne Te ture Pakeha e mahi i te he Ko matou e patu nei te koretake Kaua e wareware ou tupuna Te nonoke e haere tonu ake na Ae! He mea i karanga, he tino take Ka whawhai tonu matou, ake! ake! ake! Well I always put my mind to the rhyme Don't wear no gold chains cause we ain't that kind Don't neva rap and say I think I'm cool Just preach the truth with us that's a rule Yeah, rising inflation to me is a crime And sport is politics so don't mess with my mind They falsely own our land so they really don't We've been ripped off man so shut up I won't You gotta learn the history to know where ya truly are Learn it somehow this ignorance has gone too far Have self determination in what ya gonna do Kia kaha, kia mau ki to Maori Don't let no-one stand on you. E pumahara nei taku kupu Kare kau te moni te kaupapa Kare taku korero he pakiwaha Ka kii te pono ana te tikanga Ko Papurona me tana homanga te he Nga kaitorangapu he mate Kua tango o tatou whenua, e haere tonu Ko te korero nei ka paku Me mohio te hitori kia matau ai to tu Akohia! waiho te makuware Kia manawanui ki te nonoke nei Kia kaha kia mau ki to Maori Kaua e tuku te whawhai nei.

A Maori warrior claims new territory

by Kerry Buchanan

Unesco Courier
July-August 2000.

"Nigger!" The biker's insult blindsided the eight-year-old boy, shattering his vision of both Maori and pakeha (white) society in Aotearoa, the original name of New Zealand. The verbal attack sharpened the boy's awareness of his society's colour lines. Afterwards, he couldn't stand the sight of his fellow Maori cast as the peaceful but subordinate native.

Nor could he look up to indigenous gangs in his working-class neighbourhood of Upper Hutt, outside the capital Wellington. Turning to white society, he felt oppression. So the boy began to look inward, to imagine a "new breed" -proud of his Maori past and committed to a radical break with the legacy of colonial domination.

Today, at the age of 34, Dean Hapeta will refer to himself as "one bad nigger" in reference to his hardcore politics as a rapper. Here lies Hapeta's strength and, for some, his weakness: the ability to weave Maori culture, language and political demands - from land and fishing rights to economic equality - within the style and context of black American hip-hop.

Indeed Hapeta and his group Upper Hutt Posse (UHP) have influenced a generation of hip-hop bands and fans across the country. Before these "warriors" stormed the stage, Maori music was generally marginalised like an exotic trinket of the past used in the "ritual" of entertaining tourists.By rapping in their language and incorporating the sounds, values and history of their people, Hapeta and like-minded artists shatter stereotypes of what it means to be Maori.

Hapeta's political consciousness did not flow from the "cultural awakening" of the 1970s when the Maori middle-class rediscovered its roots. He followed the learning curve of the streets, his whakapapa ("the place where one belongs"). Tuned into the liberation music of Bob Marley, Jamaica's legendary reggae musician, the songs of resistance rang true in his disadvantaged neighbourhood, where police confrontations were a rite of passage... MORE

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Dean Hapeta

Dean Hapeta, (a.k.a Te Kupu, a.k.a D Word) has been producing socio-politically charged rap, poetry, music and video since 1985.

1966 - born in Upper Hutt, Wellington, of Ngati Huia, Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Toa, Te Ati Awa and Pakeha descent.

1985 - The Upper Hutt Posse, his four piece reggae group is started. They later play rap.

1988 - he wrote and then released E Tu, the first rap recording to be released in Aotearoa.

1989 - Upper Hutt Posse debut album, Against The Flow, released

1990 - Upper Hutt Posse travelled to Australia, and then to the USA as guests of the Nation Of Islam. This made the group, which was already surrounded in controversy because of its outspoken political stances, even more notorious.

1993 -Upper Hutt Posse played at the first Polynesian Music festival in Rarotonga.

1996 to 1998 - Hapeta studied Maori Law and Philosophy at Te Wananga O Raukawa.

1996 - He performed "outernationally" in Canada at the Music West Conference, and then travelled to the US, surprising a few unsuspecting audiences with Maori language spoken word performances.

1977- spoken word performances at Womad in Auckland and Sydney.

1998 - Dean built a home recording studio and emerged a year later with his solo album. that is distributed through his company Kia Kaha Productions.

2003 - the fourth Upper Hutt Posse album - Te Reo Maori Remixes - received a "Tui" at the NZ Music Awards for Best Mana Maori Album. HAPETA'S WEBSITE

Hip hop music (also referred to as rap or rap music) is a style of popular music. It is made up of two main components: rapping (MC-ing) and DJ-ing (audio mixing and scratching). Along with breakdancing and graffiti (tagging), these are the four elements of hip hop, a cultural movement which began among African Americans and Latinos in New York City in the early 1970s. One form, gangsta rap, caused controversy over nihilistic, self-indulgent lyrics which promoted violence, promiscuity, drug use and hatred of women.

However Hapeta's rap is more "haka rap," a challenge to young Maori to stand up for their communal rights and fight exploitation, whether by capitalists or drug dealers. As Hapeta has matured, his perfomance has abandoned the adolescent imitation of Black American speech ("dem had many clues" has become "they had many clues") and his delivery has become more powerful, expressing his confident warrior strength.

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Published on the web on the 1st of May 2006