King Kapisi

Last updated

Bill Urale
Bill Urale MNZM (cropped).jpg
Urale in 2024
Background information
Birth nameBill Rangi Urale
Born1974 (age 4950)
Wellington, New Zealand
Origin Wellington, New Zealand
GenresRap, reggae, roots, soul, funk
Occupations Rapper, DJ, producer, clothing designer, screenprinter, music video director, television presenter
Instruments Vocals, turntables, keyboards, bass, guitar, drums
Years active1997–present
Labels Festival Mushroom Records
Quabax Wax
Website kingkapisi.net
King Kapisi (Bill Urale) performing "Raise Up".

Bill Rangi Urale MNZM (born 1974), known by his stage name King Kapisi, is a New Zealand hip hop recording artist. He was the first hip hop artist in New Zealand to receive the Silver Scroll Award at the APRA Awards for Songwriter of the Year for his single Reverse Resistance in 1999.

Contents

Career

King Kapisi signed as an artist with Festival Mushroom Records (NZ). In 2000 he released his critically acclaimed debut album Savage Thoughts, followed by a second album, 2nd Round Testament, released in New Zealand and Australia in 2003. Local sales for both albums hit the gold status mark. King Kapisi also achieved gold with his single U Can't Resist Us, featuring New Zealand hip hop icon Che Fu in 2003.

International acts

King Kapisi has performed alongside Afrika Bambaata, Janet Jackson, Moby, The Black Eyed Peas, Beastie Boys, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Red Hot Chili Peppers and many more. He has performed at almost every major music festival and event in New Zealand as well as tours to Australia, Japan, Fiji, Hawaii, Tonga, New York City, London, Toronto, Germany, Ireland, France and Norway.

In 2003, King Kapisi represented New Zealand at the Central Park birthday celebrations in New York City where he was also invited to play at the first old school hip hop reunion in Crotona Park, South Bronx. He played alongside legends such as The Furious Five, Cold Crush Brothers, Jazzy Jay and The Rocksteady Crew. King Kapisi was also given the opportunity to record a track with the legendary Kay Gee from the Cold Crush Brothers. The European leg of his 2003 overseas trip saw him perform a showcase at the international music conference POPKOMM in Cologne, Germany. He also spent time in Kaiserslautern, Germany recording with Germany-based American producer, Smitty K.

In 2004, Kapisi was invited by the German government as part of its new initiative scheme to promote cultural exchanges between New Zealand and Germany. Having supported German rap star MC Clueso in a New Zealand tour, Kapisi headed back to Germany to attend the POPKOMM music conference for a second time with Goethe-Institute playing host. Kapisi had the opportunity to record two tracks with German music producers Trickski and Slope from the Sonar Kollectiv record company. Kapisi also produced tracks for various local hip hop artists in Berlin, Amsterdam, Dublin, Toronto and Sydney.

Lyrics

King Kapisi's music and lyrics raise issues relevant to Pacific Island people living in New Zealand. He often challenges the role of Christianity and the church in contemporary Samoan society which is deeply devout. King Kapisi believes his music to be deeply connected to the culture of the Pacific people. [1]

King Kapisi attempts to keep his music "real" by rapping about his Pacific heritage and the hip hop scene. He uses hip hop to promote the message of "keeping it real" through your culture, learning your language, and knowing "where you are from." [2] Kapisi's lyrics and imagery have explored his complex post-Diaspora Pacific immigrant identity. He is a prime example of how New Zealand MC's are able to rap about their Diasporic identity in the text of their rap lyrics. Kapisi is now reaching out to the bigger global market. The transfer of Samoan hip hop identity to the US is something that already exists with artists who have settled and embraced their cultural heritage. [3]

Samoa

King Kapisi is from Samoa and New Zealand. His extended family is from the island of Savaii. His family are from the villages of Fagamalo, Matavai & Faletagaloa, Falealupo and Safaatoa in Lefaga district.

Overstayer Label

In 2002, he started his own urban streetwear clothing label Overstayer Clothing. The name Overstayer refers to the infamous Dawn Raid era during the 1970s in New Zealand, when Pacific Islander overstayers were the prime target by the government using controversial means, even though the highest number of overstayers in the country at the time were Europeans. In 2003 and 2004, King Kapisi was awarded the Westfield Style Pasifika Designer Award giving the hip hop artist the opportunity to showcase his street label in the coveted international annual Air New Zealand Fashion Week in 2003. Overstayer Clothing was the first local street label to be sold in Farmers (department stores) in New Zealand. The label is now available through selected outlets and his web store, The Plantation Store.

Discography

Albums

YearTitleDetailsPeak chart
positions
NZ
2000Savage Thoughts
  • Released: 29 November 2000
  • Label: FMR
  • Catalogue: D 32110
  • Features: Overstayers from Kua (DJ Raw, Tha Feelstyle), Teremoana Rapley
9
20032nd Round Testament
  • Released: 5 June 2003
  • Label: FMR
  • Catalogue: 336412
  • Features: Che Fu, Spikey Tee
11
2005Dominant Species
  • Released: 10 October 2005
  • Label: Warner Music
  • Catalogue: 338765
  • Features: Savage, Adeaze, Scribe, Open Thought, Ben Makisi
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.

EPs

YearTitleDetailsPeak chart
positions
NZ
2011Salvation
  • Released: 27 February 2011
  • Label: Quabax Wax
  • Features: The Mint Chicks, Luciano
9
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.

Singles

YearTitlePeak chart positionsAlbum
NZ
1998"Vertikal Sequels"Non-album single
"Sub-Cranium Feeling"8Non-album single
1999"Reverse Resistance"21Savage Thoughts
2000"Screams from da Old Plantation"
"2nd Migration"45
2001"Saboteur"
2003"U Can't Resist Us"
feat. Che Fu
92nd Round Testament
"Stomping"
"Conversate"
"Elemental Forces"
2005"Raise Up"18Dominant Species
"Lollipop"
2009"Hip Hop 4 Life"Non-album single
"Stand"
feat. Luciano
Non-album single
2010"Safari"
feat. Dr Richard Nunns
Non-album single
"Superhuman"
feat. The Mint Chicks
Non-album single
2011"Salvation"Salvation EP
"Clap Ya Hands"Non-album single
"Won't Stop, Can't Stop"
feat. Teremoana Rapley
Non-album single
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.

Honours and awards

YearNominee / workAwardResult
1999King KapisiNZ Music Awards: Most Promising Male VocalistNominated
1999"Sub Cranium Feeling"NZ Music Awards: Best Music VideoNominated
1999King KapisibNet Music Awards: Male FoxWon
1999"Reverse Resistance"APRA Silver ScrollWon
2000"Reverse Resistance"bNet Music Awards: Best hip hop/reggae/dub releaseWon
2000"Reverse Resistance"bNet Music Awards: Best songWon
2001Savage ThoughtsbNet Music Awards: Best Cover ArtWon
2001"Screems from da Old Plantation"bNet Music Awards: Best Music VideoWon
2001King KapisibNet Music Awards: Best Live ActWon
2001Savage ThoughtsbNet Music Awards: Best Hip Hop ReleaseWon
2001"Screems from da Old Plantation"bNet Music Awards: Best SongWon
2001Savage ThoughtsbNet Music Awards: Best AlbumNominated
20042nd Round TestamentNZ Music Awards: Best Urban/Hip Hop AlbumNominated
2006Dominant Species Pacific Music Awards: Best Pacific Male ArtistNominated
2006Dominant Species Pacific Music Awards: Best Pacific Urban ArtistNominated
2014"Crush" Pacific Music Awards: Best Pacific Music VideoWon
2014"Crush" Pacific Music Awards: Best Pacific Urban ArtistNominated
2015"Welcome Back" Pacific Music Awards: Best Pacific Male ArtistNominated

In the 2022 Queen's Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours, Urale was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to music and the community. [4]

Related Research Articles

Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture and values typical of urban gangs, reality of the world and street hustlers. Emerging in the late 1980s, gangsta rap's pioneers include Schoolly D of Philadelphia and Ice-T of Los Angeles, later expanding in California with artists such as N.W.A and Tupac Shakur. In 1992, via record producer and rapper Dr. Dre, rapper Snoop Dogg, and their G-funk sound, gangster rap broadened to mainstream popularity.

French hip hop or French rap, is the hip hop music style developed in French-speaking countries. France is the second largest hip-hop market in the world after the United States.

Turkish hip hop refers to hip hop music produced by members of the Turkish minority in Germany, and to a lesser degree by hip hop artists in Turkey. The Turkish minority, called the Turks, first drew inspiration from the discrimination and racism they received while living as migrant workers in Germany in the 1960s. Turkish hip hop uses Arabesk music, a folk style that finds its roots in Turkey during the 1960s, and is influenced by the hip hop music of America and Germany. Album artwork, lyrical content, and the Turkish language are used by hip hop artists to express their uniquely Turkish identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scribe (rapper)</span> Musical artist

Malo Ioane Luafutu, also called Jeshua Ioane Luafutu, and better known by his stage name Scribe, is a New Zealand rapper of Samoan descent. He achieved two solo number ones on the singles chart from his debut album, The Crusader, which was released in 2003 in New Zealand and later certified four times platinum. He also reached number one as a featured artist on P-Money's 2004 song "Stop the Music", and in 2010 on R&B singer J.Williams' single "You Got Me".

Australian hip hop traces its origins to the early 1980s and was initially largely inspired by hip hop and other urban musical genres from the United States. As the form matured, Australian hip hop has become a commercially viable style of music that is no longer restricted to the creative underground, with artists such as Onefour, Hilltop Hoods, Kerser and Bliss n Eso and having achieved notable fame. Australian Hip-Hop is still primarily released through independent record labels, which are often owned and operated by the artists themselves. Despite its genesis as an offshoot of American hip-hop, Australian hip hop has developed a distinct personality that reflects its evolution as an Australian musical style. Since the inception of the Australian hip-hop scene, Australian Aboriginals have played a prominent role.

Korean hip-hop, also known as K-hip-hop or K-rap, is a subgenre of the South Korean popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Che Fu</span> Musical artist

Che Kuo Eruera Ness, better known by his stage name Che Fu, is a New Zealand singer, songwriter and producer. A founding member of the band Supergroove, as a solo artist he has gone on to sell thousands of albums both in New Zealand and internationally. Che Fu is considered a pioneer of Hip hop and Pasifika music in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Samoa</span>

The Music of Samoa is a complex mix of cultures and traditions, with pre- and post-European contact histories. Since American colonization, popular traditions such as rap and hip hop have been integrated into Samoan music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israeli hip hop</span>

Israeli hip hop refers to hip hop and rap music in Israel. Israeli hip hop artists have mainly emerged from the populations of Mizrahi Jews, Ethiopian Jews, and Israeli-Arabs, though there have also been numerous artists from Israeli Ashkenazi Jews especially Hasidim. Israeli hip hop artists enjoy wide popularity in Israel and have succeeded in appealing to international markets particularly the United States.

New Zealand hip hop derives from the wider hip hop cultural movement originating amongst African Americans in the United States. Like the parent movement, New Zealand hip hop consists of four parts: rapping, DJing, graffiti art and breakdancing. The first element of hip hop to reach New Zealand was breakdancing, which gained notoriety after the release of the 1979 movie The Warriors. The first hip hop hit single, "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang, became a hit in New Zealand when it was released there in 1980, a year after it was released in the United States. By the middle of the 1980s, breakdancing and graffiti art were established in urban areas like Wellington and Christchurch. By the early 1990s, hip hop became a part of mainstream New Zealand culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urban Pasifika</span> Music genre

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.

Iranian hip hop, also known as Persian hip hop, refers to hip hop music in the Persian language developed in Iran and the Iranian diaspora. It originated from American hip hop culture, but has developed into a distinct rap style that draws on Iranian cultural concepts and engages with the modern issues Iranians are facing today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indonesian hip hop</span> Music genre

Indonesian hip hop is hip hop music created in Indonesia.

Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. is an American hip hop band from Carson, California, consisting of the American Samoan brothers Paul, Ted, Donald, Roscoe, Danny, David and Vincent Devoux. They are known for combining funk and metal influences, with gangsta rap lyricism.

Samoan hip hop includes hip-hop music, artists and culture in Samoa. At the root of hip hop culture in Samoa is a focus on dancing, stemming from the importance of dance in traditional Samoan culture. According to Katerina Teaiwa from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, hip hop culture is important for Samoan youth and the arts are transforming Samoans, including those outside of Samoa. This is especially visible among Samoan youth in California, Hawaii, and other communities in the Samoan diaspora. In Los Angeles, Samoan youth often engage in a style of hip hop dancing called popping-and-locking.

LGBT representation in hip hop music have existed since the birth of the genre even while enduring blatant discrimination. Due to its adjacency to disco, the earliest days of hip hop had a close relation to LGBT subcultures, and multiple LGBT DJs have played a role in popularizing hip hop. Despite this early involvement, hip hop has long been portrayed as one of the least LGBT-friendly genres of music, with a significant body of the genre containing homophobic views and anti-gay lyrics, with mainstream artists such as Eminem and Tyler, the Creator having used casual homophobia in their lyrics, including usages of the word faggot. Attitudes towards homosexuality in hip hop culture have historically been negative, with slang that uses homosexuality as a punchline such as "sus", "no homo", and "pause" being heard in hip hop lyrics from some of the industry's biggest artists. Since the early 2000s there has been a flourishing community of LGBTQ+ hip hop artists, activists, and performers breaking barriers in the mainstream music industry.

Kas Futialo, known by the stage name Tha Feelstyle, is a New Zealand hip hop artist of Samoan descent. His first album was Break It To Pieces in 2004. Tha Feelstyle was born in Samoa and moved to New Zealand in the 1980s. He raps in English as well as the Samoan language.

Sima Urale is a New Zealand filmmaker. Her films explore social and political issues and have been screened worldwide. She is one of the few Polynesian film directors in the world with more than 15 years in the industry. Her accolades include the Silver Lion for Best Short Film at the Venice Film Festival for O Tamaiti (1996).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makerita Urale</span> Samoan dramatist in New Zealand

Vaosa ole Tagaloa Makerita Urale is a documentary director and playwright, and a leading figure in contemporary Polynesian theatre in New Zealand. She has produced landmark productions in the performing arts. She is the writer of the play Frangipani Perfume, the first Pacific play written by a woman for an all-female cast. Working in different art mediums, Urale also works in film and television. She is the director of the political documentary Children of the Revolution that won the Qantas Award (2008) for Best Māori Programme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teremoana Rapley</span> New Zealand rapper

Tere Veronica Rapley, generally known as Teremoana Rapley, describes herself as a 'Black Moana Sovereign Storyteller'. Many consider her a hugely influential New Zealand hip-hop artist, musician, television presenter and television producer, best known for her rhymes and vocals in both solo and collaborative work and her significant roles in the 1990s with Upper Hutt Posse and Moana and the Moahunters.

References

  1. The Space Music Feature: King Kapisi & the rise of Samoan hip hop
  2. Zemke-White, Kirsten. 'How many dudes you know roll like this?': the re-presentation of hip hop tropes in New Zealand rap music' Issue 10. The Visualization of the Subaltern in World Music. On Musical Contestation Strategies (Part 1) http://www.imageandnarrative.be/worldmusica/kirstenzemkewhite.htm Archived 13 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Henderson, April K. "Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora." In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180-199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 200
  4. "The Queen's Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours List 2022". The New Zealand Herald . 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.