LIVE: King Kapisi: Dave Dow and the Human Groove - The Dreaming 2010

What is there to be said about pure artistic talent with a jam - mean baby mean! This clip is taken from the Sunday night at The Dreaming 2010 in Woodford, Queensland, Australia. Before this was a jam with Digging Roots from Canada - too slow on the video tip, then we hit the stage with Dave Dow and the Human Groove - the last appearance for the night was with Dubmarine - Will throw it up soon. Peace!

NEW SINGLE: Hip-Hop 4 Life feat. Ben Vai by King Kapisi

The first release off the Hip-Hop Lives Here Album from King Kapisi.
  Hip-Hop 4 Life feat. Ben Vai by King Kapisi

VIDEO: Black Glory - Scalper

What can you say about a brother like Scalper? He is raw, he is ill, he is like nothing you have heard or seen before. Our Pakistani brother from London now residing in Aucklands magical west coast Bethells Beach. Conscious and direct, poetic and fluid, deep and honest. Peep his clip! Ah yes...and while we on the topic don't forget to BOYCOTT BP!

VIDEO: maitreya - Sin City ft. AWA (Nesian Mystik)

This brother is like no other - one of the most hardest working cats we have had the privilege of working with. If you dig and celebrate unity, progressive originality you need to be following the pursuits of maitreya - raised in Otautahi, Te Wai Pounamu - representing the universe. This is his latest clip:

LIVE: Slightly longer Clip at The Dreaming 2010 - more to come!

Thanks to Scattah we have around a minute of the last track of our set - Underground featuring Voodoo Dred from Grrilla Step, Oni the Haitian Sensation, Ykson from New Caledonia and Brother Radical Son - Boh!

LIVE: Quick Update from The Dreaming - more to come!

Fresh off the plane - We found this overview of an incredible weekend we just spent an hour north of Brisbane, Australia at The Dreaming Festival. Met some dope people - made connections for life and became revitalized with all that warm energy that can only come from a festival like The Dreaming. I will be back at ya soon with more about the festival and the peeps we met. Meanwhile check out one persons collection of memories from Sunday (the festival ran over four days). Thank you scattah - Peace!

ALBUM UPDATE: Updating Beats and Pieces...

Had the privilege of dropping rhymes on an Annie Crummer track with beats co-produced by myself and another brother with ill skills Lasalo Elia, the track is sounding dope - Also
Dropping another track with my favourite Samoan emcee partner in rhyme Tha Feelstyle called Coconut Stomp...

Off to Samoa for Independence Day Celebrations to be held at Faleata Gym in Apia - its gonna be a goody with Ben Vai, Cornerstone Roots and more!
Pretty rapped about how the new tracks are coming along...only up to track 234 LOL enough for the next 10 albums...haha...but for real. Keep on grindin' ya'll!

RAKAA: Rakaa Iriscience – “Ambassador Slang” Preview

Rakaa Iriscience – “Ambassador Slang” Preview

Something ILL to look forward to! Peep this review and tweet the brother if you a twitter - Holla!

LIVE: A very rare find online...

King Kapisi and Teremoana Rapley’s Waitangi day performance - Sunrise - Video - 3 News

Had to throw this up - we did this last year as a last minute favour for the organisers since we had been involved with the Manukau City Waitangi Day Celebration for the past seven years.... Apologies for killing Mica Paris' track...have never been able to find the right lyrics PLUS the lady is an unequivocal mon-star herself, respect!

THAILAND: Sawatdee khrap People!

Back on Aotearoa soil now after a crazy nine days in Bangkok and its surrounding provinces from its city centre to Hua Hin to Ratchaburi to Kachanaburi - this journey has been by far the most exciting and interesting time I have had away from home.

We were there to play at the Honda Festival in Hua Hin where they were expecting around 100,000 people but instead there was 300,000 people. The venue is 1km long within a 10km beach with a variety of stages and music along the perimeter of the dance floor which happens to be the ocean.

Met some of the most beautiful people I have had the opportunity to meet on my travels. Big ups to Cha-Cha and Gaz from Shanghai (we will be seeing you soon!), Dan 'the mad Irish' Monaghan (simply picturesque bruv)

Words cannot express the gratitude and thanks to the Thailand Massive especially the Kinetic Spectrum Crew DJ Orawan and DJ Dusty Grooves, Dragon (monsta tracks bruv), Thaitanium (wassup Khan, Day, J, Gow, keep on grindin'), AWhatUp Radio, Paulo (you Philipino crazy ya'll!), Petchy and Sander (who would've thought from Welly to Bangkok?!?) Nut and Blah (thank you for everything), Brother DJ Seed (thank you for the opportunity and hip-hop love), Dom (thank you once again for the hospitality), to anyone I may have missed because of the lack of sleep and mad work ethic me and my crew had to have to pull this all off - did I mention that I shot a music video while we were there too??? Yep - to hit your screens soon.

Here are a few pictures from the Sor Vorapin Gym off Jakkrapong Road in Bangkok where we shot the video Superhuman Emcees featuring The Mint Chicks....Big Ups to Chalermphol, Black Tiger, Black Diamond, The Prince and Jakee.

Also shout-outs to 808 (the illest sound system I have ever heard in a club! Dubstep ill) and Cosmic at RCA (thank you for the opportunity to play, enjoyed the band before us too!)

Khorb koon khrap - Thailand Massive, we will definitely be back soon!
 

EXHIBITION: Hip-Hop Lives Here NZ

Finally... I hear you saying. This is a short clip of the highlights from the very first NZ Hip-Hop Lives Here Exhibition! Thanks to all the artists who supported the night and continue to as we travel around the world with these works - Fa'afetai Lava, Thank You!

TATTOO: Nesian Tattoos - Big ups to the Uso Joe Brown!

If you want a dope tatau (tattoo) and you are in the Auckland, NZ vicinity come and check out my bro Joe Brown from Nesian Tattoo, based in Mangere. He specialises in Polynesian derived tattoo, but also excels in other styles too. Thanks Uce! www.nesiantattoo.com

UPDATE: Big Ups and Thanks - REO FM and Hope Bros.

Giving a shout out to Tipi and the crew at Reo FM for their mad support of our Saturday night gig at Hope Bros in Wellington on the weekend. Hip-Hop Love goes to the peeps that made it out - we (me and the crew) had a ball - thank you to the kitchen staff for the mean feed - good sustenance for a long-ass night! Also special thanks to the peeps at MusicWorks in Ghuznee street for the loan of the drum kit -much appreciated! Fa'afetai Tele Lava! Have a dope week people..get your work on ya'll.

GIG: Come and Support TWO nights of Dope Local Talent!

Got a spare $20?
Come along and support the Aitutaki Fund Raiser at Manukau City's Premiere Live Performance Venue - Telstra Events Centre.
We will be jumping up with our band on Monday night - big ups to Josh Sorensen, Ben Turua, Mark Baynes and Jo Anderson.
Dedicated to bringing you a good time.
See you there!

FIJI: From Suva City, Fiji

Talofa lava or more aptly from the country that I am in right now Bula Vinaka! I am on my way back to Aotearoa but thought I would hit you with a brief update from my time here in Suva City, Fiji. I came here to participate in the Miss South Pacific Pageant 2009. Miss Fiji was crowned the Queen and a fantastic Ambassador she will be for our South Pacific Nations. Congratulations also to all the beautiful Pacific Sisters who participated in the pageant.

I need to make special mention of two day trips that were organised for us - The first trip was to Bau Island, where we were hosted by the local High Chief, his family and the heads of each of the households on the island. We were given a tour of the island including Fiji's oldest church. We also had time to give a quick beatbox lesson to the children of Bau District School.

The second trip was to Naboro Prison and organised by Mrs Ateca Williams, an advocate of the Yellow Ribbon Rehabilitation Programme originally from Asia and now in Fiji. Amongst many other productive activities and initiatives the Yellow Ribbon Programme carries out, Mrs Williams and others volunteer their time to teach inmates the Kip McGrath way of learning. Both the inmates and the prison officers were very inspirational you should read here to get the full story on the work that they do. Something I think other prisons could take a page from in order to make a better society. Truez Up!