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Kiwi hip hop pioneer, poet and videographer Dean Hapeta (aka Te Kupu) delves into his Hutt Valley childhood and his deep connection with Māori self-determination in this Kete Aronui excerpt. Hapeta says he was "colour conscious" from a young age, and while violin lessons and an "embarrassing" stint as a choir boy didn't stick, he was always drawn to making music. Hapeta and Upper Hutt Posse exploded onto the Kiwi music scene in 1988 with the punchy E Tu, a single and a music video that was proudly political and marked the birth of Aotearoa hip hop.
