Outback Down Under - Indigenous Hip Hop

Outback Down Under

Aboriginal and Maori
Indigenous Hip Hop

Thursday 30th October 2003
Bar Bodega, Wellington

Friday 31st October 2003
Galatos, Auckland

Doors open 9 PM.
$15 on the door.

Featuring:

ABORIGINAL ARTISTS

Local Knowledge
Gudabah
free.B

MAORI ARTISTS

Upper Hutt Posse
Native Sons
Nat Rose
Medical Clan feat. MC 11
MCB.Me & Jamila

Outback Down Under - Aboriginal and Maori - Indigenous hip hop

An indigenous uprising will hit Wellington at Bar Bodega on Thursday 30th October and Auckland at Galatos on Friday October 31st, when Aboriginal hip hop crews Local Knowledge, Gudabah, and free.B, along with Maori hip hop revolutionaries Upper Hutt Posse and other assorted conscious artists take to the stage to celebrate indigenous resistance to colonisation.

"As the warmongering against indigenous peoples continues, and as our perspectives and ideas are continually trivialised…, events like this are happening for us to celebrate our existence, for us to strengthen the resolve to end racism and to end oppression…”
- Dean Hapeta (aka D Word, aka Te Kupu) of Upper
Hutt Posse

The gig celebrates indigenous resistance to colonisation and coincides with the week that the Declaration of Independence 1835 was signed at Waitangi.
The Declaration of Independence, signed in October 1835, was a pre-runner to the Treaty of Waitangi, declaring Aotearoa an independent country. It stated that all sovereign power and authority would reside with the Indigenous tribes.
The Declaration's signatories agreed to meet at Waitangi in the autumn of every year to frame laws for the peace and good order of the country.

The organisation spearheading this cultural and political exchange is Te Kawau Maro:

"The gig is an indigenous conscious kaupapa between Aboriginal and Maori, continuing a long tradition of politically and actively working together. It is also an opportunity for the two indigenous groups to collaborate more closely, and to raise our struggle by utilising those skills and talents that we have been gifted. It is an opportunity to focus energies on indigenous peoples down under, therefore it is a kaupapa gig, politically focused and motivated by political people."
* Tauni Ngatai-Sinclair

About the groups

Local Knowledge

Local Knowledge was conceived in March 2002, and is composed of lyricist brothers Abie and Warrick (Wok) Wright alongside turntablist and producer Joel Wenitong-Rios (aka DJ Weno).
Their party rockin’ hip hop carries a message of pride, identity and self-determination, and Local Knowledge are as well known in their local community for their involvement in Indigenous causes as they are for their music.
Aiming to teach people about Aboriginal issues through intelligent rap, Local Knowledge "tell it like it was, how it is and how it should be".

Gudabah

Fresh Murris from the Cairns scene; Astro, Allan, and Mo make up Gudabah, an Aboriginal reggae-rhythm-rock-rap crew.
Also skilled in traditional Aboriginal dance and song, the trio have performed around Australia and Asia, with Astro recently appearing in New York.

free.B

A Goori actor/rapper of Dunghutti nation, free.B is also a traditional dancer and has performed live locally, as well as at national Australian festivals and in Japan.

Upper Hutt Posse

Since their inception as a reggae band in 1985, the Posse have been fighting racial injustice through their music.
In 1988 they released Aotearoa's first rap record, 'E Tu' and with it they defined themselves as one of Maori youth's most relevant voices, and more than that, a voice for the youth of Aotearoa, and all those who see the need for change. 3 albums, 11 singles and 11 music video clips later, Upper Hutt Posse have performed throughout Aotearoa and the world always bringing a strong political consciousness combined with some of the most innovative music heard from this country.
See www.tekupu.com for more info.

Native Sons

Established in 1994, the 8 piece band play reggae flavours with a hip hop baseline while an MC and DJ take care of business.
Their lyrical content is focused on the struggle for Maori Independence and Sovereignty.

Nat Rose

Starting out in 1999 - Nat and her Crew now blend fresh hip hop with soulful melodic rhythms.

Medical Clan feat. MC 11

Born in the new millennium, their phat'n heavy hip hop
beats strike home the socially and politically conscious message of Rangatahi Maori.

MCB.Me & Jamila

Singing and rhyming from politically conscious sista's enhanced by smooth blues and lounge harmonies.

THE ORGANISERS

Te Kawau Maro was conceived in 1993 on the Tamaki Auckland Campus and is comprised of global thinking, local acting, grass roots, student activists.
Their influences are Rewi Maniapoto - Te Kooti - Che Guevara, the Zapatistas and any other revolutionary comrades raging against the machine.
Indigenous rights activists, social economists, legal advocates, forum & event organisers, global networkers of Indigenous Peoples – are all strong components of this specialist membership.

TKM

For further information contact

Tauni-Ngatai Sinclair
021 181 2942

or

Dean Hapeta aka Te Kupu
matakahi@paradise.net.nz
021 129 5531

Ends.

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