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Fighting the System

‘E Tu – stand proud’
Upper Hutt Posse

The best rap music is intensely political and incarnates what Herbert Marcuse (1964) described as ‘the great refusal’, refusing to submit to domination and oppression.1

Hip Hop has been called the ‘thorn on the rose of media culture’ – ‘a frequently embarrassing reminder that all is not well in the home of the brave and the land of the free’.2 It has also been claimed that the Hip Hop generation has the power to really change countries for the better. ‘It has already had a tremendous impact… Hip Hop has already permeated the social fabric of [America], now it can also change politics; it can also change social policy. People in power would have to listen because their children are also walking around at home with the baggy shorts, the baseball caps, and the sneakers with no laces.’3

Yet for many inside the Hip Hop scene, the pressure to conform is huge. It takes courage to stand up for one’s beliefs, especially if those beliefs are at odds with ‘mainstream’ thought. Rap revolutionaries, like New York's Immortal Technique, find themselves under the scrutiny of the FBI, and in danger of being accused of ‘inciting’ trouble. This type of charge – often levelled at the upholders of truth – is, sadly, seen repeated all around the world, and reflected in the need for organisations such as Amnesty International.

I know too much, the government is trying to murder me… If I back down now then forever I’ll burn… living the struggle… Remember that I’m just a man…
Immortal Technique – ‘Point of No Return’

Living the Struggle

‘We buy into all this stuff (rap music), not even thinking about what’s behind it… think about the power that we have. We can’t just sit back and think it doesn’t affect us. We have to do something about it. We have to be more choosy about the types of stuff we support.’
Spike Lee4

Many who focus on the politics of Hip Hop believe it addresses the leadership and mental colonisation issues within Black America… and beyond. ‘We become stereotypes that are not us… allow self-hatred to consume us, and we fashion silence to suit us…therefore, through every solo and group piece [we] perform, we seek to reinvent, repossess and relay the beauty of ‘Black Hair, Brown Eyes, Yellow Rage’ so Asian/Pacific Islander Americans can know what pride feels like, what strength feels like, what respect feels like.’5

These are the same core issues most commonly addressed in Aotearoa’s Hip Hop scene. Sara Tamati’s research claims that activism wasn’t a recognised or fully developed part of the Hip Hop genre in itself, but suggests if we expand our understanding of ‘activism’ to include movements for greater self-expression, achievement, and financial self-sufficiency, then local participants also view Hip Hop as a significant tool.6

E Ta bay none of that stuff that sounds American/ Nor the cliché of the typical Māori rock band/I’ll take every opportunity to talk some sense of Māori frame of mind/ Adding my own heritage to this music I know as Hip Hop.
Dam Native – ‘The Horrified One’

Alongside Dean Hapeta’s work, another important milestone for Māori identity in Hip Hop came with the 1997 release of ‘Kaupapa Driven Rhymes Uplifted’ from Dam Native. The album fused aspects of kaupapa (a 'platform' to air Māori issues) with traditional elements of Hip Hop and, although the message was more ‘low-key’ than some of Hapeta’s work, it earned rave reviews as an album that was indigenous, international and, at the same time, local.7

Despite this low-key approach, the album speaks of such issues as the struggle of Māori for rangatiratanga (absolute sovereignty) and contains warnings of Māori revolution. Through acknowledging Hip Hop’s American origins, they clearly identify Hip Hop as a foreign tool that has been adapted to express local situations… to speak of the burning social and political issues of the times.

Colonisation is not simply something that happened in the past but continues right here and now – one look at the Foreshore and Seabed Act tells us that… We are not ‘post-colonial’ – ‘They’ have not gone.8

Iwi Rap

The first-ever Hip Hop album recorded almost entirely in Te Reo Māori was produced in 1998 – self-titled ‘Iwi.’ The twelve-member crew were mostly from the same iwi (or tribe) and rapped in their tribal dialect on issues that are relevant to their particular tribe.9 These issues included colonisation, language revitalisation and sovereignty – mixed with references to ancestors and geographical locations important to the tribe.

Their track ‘Mo Ake’ pays homage to Ngā Atua (The Gods), Papatuanuku (the Earth Mother) and Ranginui (the Sky Father.) ‘Whakahokia Mai’ asks for the return of indigenous lands and independence, while the track ‘Kia Tupato’ warns other indigenous cultures to be wary of the continuing forces of colonisation.

‘Get Up – Stand Up’

The single we just released (‘Su’amalie/Ain’t Mad At You) is made so that even if you don’t understand Samoan, you’re gonna nod your head to it and you actually feel the lyrics hitting you.10

While it’s a little dangerous to start listing artists (for fear of offence), it’s important to acknowledge some of the wide range of voices daring to be political! No Artifical Flavours, a Māori MC Crew, describe the realities of low-socio economic communities around Aotearoa; The Mau/Ruff Opinion (1990's) engaged the ideology behind the Samoan anti-colonial Mau Movement (Samoa for Samoans); Tha Feelstyle rhymes in both Samoan and English; the now defunct Samoan MC Crew Pacifican Descendants incorporated overt symbols of ‘islandness’ in their stage shows by bringing, for example, bush knives on stage; Footsouljahs, of mainly Samoan descent, encourage and promote being Samoan; King Kapisi, who speaks from the perspective of a New Zealand-born Samoan, is well-known for his criticism of Christian missionaries and their impact on the Pacific; Dubious Bros (a Māori MC Crew) spoke about domestic violence/abuse on their debut release Trade Secrets. Scribe is known for his honest lyrics about struggle, poverty and drug abuse, and Trillion for his staunchly ‘Kiwi’ delivery of angry political messages.

DLT, a Māori/European DJ/producer/aerosol artist, frequently uses Māori imagery and themes in both his musical and visual artwork – and also produced the 2002 anti-genetic engineering musical project ‘Public Service Announcement.’ Another artist, Daniel Tippet aka DT, also uses Māori motifs and images in his work.

Many Voices, Many Themes

At heart, Hip Hop remains a radical, revolutionary enterprise for no other reason than its rendering people of African American descent anything but invisible, forgettable and dismissible in the … twilight zone of digitised mass distractions we call our lives… Hip Hop is the only place we can see large numbers of Black people being anything other than sitcom window dressing… it maintains the potential to break out of the box at the flip of the next lyrical genius who can articulate her people’s suffering with the right doses of rhythm and noise to reach the bourgeois and still rock the boulevard.11

In other words, the 'in your face' attitude of Hip Hop means that those participating cannot be ignored, no matter how much the 'mainstream' would like them to be and challenges the 'token' stereotypes most often seen in media.

While, in this section, we have focussed mainly on the ‘politics of identity’, Hip Hop voices have been raised in many other types of protest. In all cases, there is a ‘connected-ness’ of spirit – the same spirit that first cried out for justice in the Bronx flies free to comment on injustices around the globe. Many have tried to stifle this spirit… and, with this in mind, we will look at the attempts to censor Hip Hop’s unique voice in the next topic.

Test your knowledge

• Why does the Hip Hop generation have the power to change countries for better?
• What is the name of the organisation that is watch-dog to political and human rights injustices?
• What does Sara Tamati suggest we expand our understanding of activism to include?
• What does ‘rangatiratanga’ mean?
• Why is the crew ‘Iwi’ so unique?
• Name four artists from Aotearoa’s Hip Hop scene who ‘represent’ strong political views.

Expand your thinking

In many countries people do not have the liberty to express their political beliefs. Think about your own country. Do you think everyone in your society has the same opportunity to voice his or her opinions? What means are open to you to protest against or question those holding the power in your country? Do you feel safe and free? Why/why not? Do you think those people in your country who have been colonised would answer in the same way as those who have not? Why/why not?

1 Best, S. & Kellner, D. Spring 1999, ‘Rap, Black rage, and Racial difference’: ‘Enculturation, Vol 2, No.2.

2 Ibid.

3 Sharpton, A. 12/27/02 ‘Hip-Hop Fridays: The Hip-Hop Generation,’ BlackElectorate.com,
http://www.blackelectorate.com/print_article.asp?ID=772.

4 Bowling, D. MSNBC ‘Hip Hop Forever’.

5 Myers, M. 2002, ‘Yellow Rage, Asian American Women Invincible’ AWOL Vol 2.

6 Tamati, S. 2004 ‘A window to our world’ ‘The Next – An Impression of Hip Hop Expression’ p47.

7 Mitchell, T. ‘Kia Kaha (Be Strong): Māori and Pacific Islander Hip Hop in Aotearoa-New Zealand. p288.

8 Bargh, Dr. M. Lecturer in Māori Studies, Victoria University, Wellington.

9 (Most members of Iwi are from a particular tribal group near the city of Wellington, Aotearoa.) Waiti, D. ‘Spotlight On: Angles on Global Hip Hop Culture’, in ‘The Next – an Impression of Hip Hop Expression’.

10 Kas Futialo interviewed by Gareth Shute for NZM/November 2004.

11 Tate, G. Jan 4, 2005 ‘Hip Hop Turns 30 – Whatcha celebratin’ for?’
http://villagevoice.com/news/0501,tate,59766,2.html .