Wellington City Libraries

Te Matapihi Ki Te Ao Nui

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Upper Hutt Posse

Decade(s) active:

Elsewhere online:

On our catalogue:

Music we hold — on our catalogue

The majority of our Wellington CD collection is available from our Te Awe Branch in Brandon St, or able to be reserved for free from our Distribution Centre in Johnsonville.

We say:

Formed as a four piece reggae group in 1985, the Posse emerged at the forefront of the local response to emerging Rap culture to become the progenitors of Hiphop music in the South Pacific. Their unique fusion of Rap and Reggae (in both English and Māori languages) has been an inspirational injection into the national music scene, and continues to be a powerful vehicle for their revolutionary socio-political perspectives.

In 1988 they released this country’s first Rap song ‘E Tu’ (Stand Up) following a year later with the first Rap album ‘Against The Flow’, touring with impassioned performances that brought notoriety and respect.

Now with 6 albums and 19 music video clips UHP have just completed a Dubstep/Drum&Bass album titled ‘Tohe’ representing the electronica facet of the group. Simultaneously they’re recording their seventh album titled ‘Declaration Of Resistance’ which represents them proper as the nine piece live group they are today.

Current lineup is founding members Te Kupu (guitar/vocals), MC Wiya (bass/vocals) & Blue Dread (percussion/vocals) alongside newcomers Des Mallon (drums), Todd Parata (keyboards), Jeff Henderson (alto saxophone), Jeremy Coubrogh (tenor saxophone), Gerard Crewdson (trombone) and Isaac Smith (double bass/tuba).

The song writing vision of Te Kupu (The Word) and MC Wiya remains the solid backbone of this ever fresh, fluxing collective, with the renewed live band sound intensifying their arousing musical activism.

UHP embrace a kaupapa (objective/purpose) of consciousness-raising and are unrelenting in their momentum, addressing global imperial capitalist culture and enlivening peoples determinations towards progressive societal ideals. The perceptive scope of their bi-lingual lyricism and originality secure them a distinguished position in the local music industry.

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