Urban Pasifika

Urban Pasifika (also known as Urban Pacific and Urban Pacifika) is a subgenre of hip hop which combines American style hip hop or R&B rhyming and beats with Pacific Island or Māori instrumentation (such as ukulele samples) and Pacific Island or Māori language singing/rapping.

History

Māori music, and Māori cultural in general, went through a renaissance in the early 1980s, both in terms of revival of traditional styles and political self identity. Many Māori came to identify with the politics and rhythms of the reggae music of the Caribbean, leading to the development of a distinctly New Zealand reggae style, led by groups such as Herbs and Dread Beat & Blood. In 1982, Māori singer Dalvanius Prime recorded a song, Poi E, with kapa haka group Patea Maori Club combining breakdancing rhythms with traditional Māori music, which became a surprise hit - the biggest hit in Te Reo Māori for 25 years.[1]

In the late 1980s, Upper Hutt Posse became the first New Zealand band to record a bilingual rap song, "E Tu", which combined western pop-rock styles with more obvious Māori influences.[1]The influence of Upper Hutt Posse's music, and that of other bands experimenting with cross-cultural popular music, led to increasing interest in hybrid Pacific/western pop and rock, particularly among urban Māori.

The new genre's name, and a more solidly defined style, date from the 1994 release of the compilation album Proud, assembled by Alan Jansson, which merged hip-hop beats with acoustic instruments.[2] A track from the album, "In the Neighbourhood" by Sisters Underground became the first top ten single in the style, gaining it a wide audience in both the New Zealand Pacific and pakeha communities. Other breakout acts to appear on the album included OMC and Semi MC's.

Phillip Fuemana and Urban Pacifika Records

The sound developed further in 1998 with the release of the album Urban Pacifika Records - Pioneers of a Pacifikan Frontier on a short-lived Auckland based record label started by Phillip Fuemana called Urban Pasifika Records.

Phillip Fuemana's influence on NZ music was significant, he started a music movement that continues today, he on worked and produced many albums and singles and directed a number of music videos. He was also influential in the development of the independent South Auckland label Dawn Raid Entertainment.

Phillip was one of the founders of the band OMC. Phil started OMC as an outlet for his instrumentals but passed it on to his younger brother Pauly Fuemana who then went on to work with Alan Jansson, as a partner, creating the song How Bizarre. OMC went on to sell over 4 million records.[3]

Urban Pasifika artists

Main artists active in the Urban Pasifika subgenre include:

Other New Zealand bands, such as Fat Freddy's Drop, TrinityRoots, Katchafire, Shapeshifter, and Salmonella Dub include elements of Urban Pasifika in their style.

References
  1. Bourke, Chris "Māori and Pacific music, 1980s and 1990s," Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. 22 October 2014. Retrieved accessed 20 June 2020.
  2. Alan Jansson
  3. huh! Records
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