Terror Squad was an American hip hop collective that was first established in 1998. Based in the Bronx in New York City, the members of Terror Squad collectively debuted on a song in member Fat Joe's albums Jealous One's Envy and Don Cartagena. Terror Squad released its debut album, Terror Squad: The Album, in 1999, with its first major hit "Whatcha Gon' Do", credited mostly to Big Pun, who died of a heart attack in 2000. After Big Pun's death, his longtime partners Cuban Link and Triple Seis left the group and were subsequently replaced by Remy Martin and Tony Sunshine. In 2004, their song "Lean Back" peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Fat Freddy's Drop is a New Zealand seven-piece band from Wellington, whose musical style has been characterised as any combination of dub, reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and techno. Originally a jam band formed in the late 1990s by musicians from other bands in Wellington, Fat Freddy's Drop gradually became its members' sole focus. Band members continued playing with their other respective groups—The Black Seeds, TrinityRoots, Bongmaster, and others—for much of their 20-year career. Fat Freddy's Drop are known for their improvised live performances. Songs on their studio albums are versions refined over years of playing them live in New Zealand and on tour abroad.
Shapeshifter are a live drum and bass act from New Zealand. They are known for their live shows and blend of heavy soul with drum and bass. They have made appearances at Glastonbury, The Big Chill, Big Day Out, Parklife plus sold-out performances across Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Urban Pasifika is a New Zealand subgenre of hip hop, that developed primarily among Pasifika New Zealanders in South Auckland. Drawn from alternative hip hop and R&B influences, it was quickly blended with Pacific Island or Māori instrumentation and traditional songwriting and singing and rapping in a variety of Polynesian languages, such as Māori, Samoan, Niuean and Tongan. The genre's genesis in the 1980s blossomed into a unique, globally enrapturing cultural scene in its homeland of Auckland, especially in the next decade. Urban Pasifika is one of the most popular music genres to arise from New Zealand, and helped cement Auckland's reputation on the world stage as a major cultural centre, and the most ethnically Polynesian city in the world.
The Nextmen is a UK production/songwriting/DJ duo consisting of Dom Search and Brad Baloo. They combine hip hop, drum & bass, dub, pop, soul, and other electronic and indie genres into their sounds, and have worked with artists from the UK and US.
TrinityRoots are a band based in Wellington, New Zealand. Although they are commonly associated with New Zealand reggae they also embody a stripped back, jazz and soul-influenced rhythmic sound, which often builds up to highly emotional drum- and guitar-led crescendos.
Hollie Smith is a New Zealand soul singer-songwriter based in Auckland, New Zealand. Her four solo albums Long Player, Humour and the Misfortune of Others, Water or Gold, and Coming In From The Dark have all reached number one on the RIANZ albums chart, making her one of the most successful female New Zealand artists of the 21st century.
Joseph Antonio Cartagena, better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper. He began recording as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992 until pursuing a solo career with the release of his debut studio album, Represent (1993) the following year. Cartegena formed the hip hop group Terror Squad and its namesake record label in the late 1990s, through which he has signed fellow New York artists including Big Pun, Remy Ma, Tony Sunshine, and Cuban Link, as well as then-unknown producers DJ Khaled and Cool & Dre.
"Wandering Eye" is a single released from the band Fat Freddy's Drop in 2005. It was their first publicly released single and had an excellent response from the public. This song features a multitude of instruments such as the trumpet, saxophone, guitar, vocals and a synthesizer.
Dallas Tamaira, occasionally known by the alias Joe Dukie, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician, best known for being the vocalist for the urban pasifika and dub group Fat Freddy's Drop. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboard, and is noted for his "handsome, pure tenor" voice. Tamaira is credited with helping bring New Zealand reggae to worldwide prominence.
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and vocalist Keith Flint, dancer and live keyboardist Leeroy Thornhill, dancer Sharky, and MC and vocalist Maxim. They are pioneers of the breakbeat-influenced genre big beat, and describe their style as electronic punk.
Frederick Schmid, better known by his stage name Freddy Fresh, is an American DJ, musician, and electronic music producer. Fresh has recorded for over 100 independent record labels, including major labels Sony UK, Virgin, BMG UK, and Harthouse Germany. He is also founder of the record labels Howlin' Records, Electric Music Foundation, and Analog.
Terror Squad Productions is an American Hip hop and Rap record company founded by Fat Joe in 1997. The label has been distributed by Atlantic, Virgin Records, and Columbia Records. The label's flagship artist was Big Pun.
Fat Freddy's Drop have released seven studio albums, two live albums, and several singles. Their songs have appeared on compilation albums both in New Zealand and internationally. In 2007, they released a DVD, Fantastic Voyages Vol. 1, with live footage from their 2006 World Cup Tour, music videos, and behind the scenes footage.
Karoline Fuarosa Park-Tamati, known professionally as Ladi6, is a New Zealand recording artist of Samoan descent. She spent six months living in Berlin and touring Europe in both 2010 and 2011. Her debut album Time Is Not Much debuted at number 4 on the New Zealand Top 40 Album chart. and her second album The Liberation Of... debuted at number 6 and was certified gold. Her single "Like Water" was certified platinum in June 2011. She has won many awards, including Best Female Solo Artist and Best Urban Hip Hop Album at the 2011 New Zealand Music Awards and Best Urban/Hip Hop Album at the 2009 New Zealand Music Awards. The current line-up of the wider Ladi6 group is Ladi6, her partner Parks and Julien Dyne.
The Liberation Of... is the second album by Christchurch-born singer-songwriter/rapper Ladi6, released in November 2010. It was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Urban/Hip Hop Album at the 2011 New Zealand Music Awards. It also won the 2011 Taite Music Prize and Best Urban Album at the 2011 Pacific Music Awards.
The bNet NZ Music Awards was an annual New Zealand music award presentation organised by New Zealand student radio network bNet from 1998 to 2007.
Mark James "Slave" Williams and Otis Frizzell are a New Zealand duo known as hip hop MCs and television and radio presenters. Together they are known for their musical work in the 1990s as MC OJ & Rhythm Slave and Joint Force, and their radio and television work in later years.
Blackbird is the third studio album by the New Zealand group Fat Freddy's Drop, released on 21 June 2013 on their own record label, The Drop. The album was a critical and commercial success, spending 4 weeks at the top of the New Zealand albums chart, and has been certified platinum.
Bays is the fourth studio album by the New Zealand group Fat Freddy's Drop, released on 23 October 2015 through their own record label, the Drop. The album is named after the band's own studio, Bays, in Kilbirnie in southern Wellington. Bays charted internationally and topped the New Zealand albums chart, where it was also certified gold.
