Reverse Resistance

Coming in hot with the line “I'm an atheist, glad to meet ya”, King Kapisi's 'Reverse Resistance' is a punchy hip-hop track that won the Silver Scroll in 2000. The song comments on the colonial and Christian repression of Samoan people, including those who migrated to Aotearoa, as his own family did. The video is a family collaboration: King Kapisi (aka Bill Urale) enlisted his sister, award-winning director Sima Urale, to direct, and filmed in their home village of Savai’i. It features idyllic scenes of Samoa — lush crops, serene beaches, charming locals — undercut by an uneasy tone, with decaying Christian churches.

This South Pacific focus shines through. In his lyrics, rapped over stripped-back guitars, drums, and even an orchestral string section, he speaks of combating colonialism. He focuses on the religion it brought into Samoa and the lives it “fucked up”. The song stands in resistance to colonial power calling for its reversal.

– The Coconet.TV website on 'Reverse Resistance'

Key Cast & Crew

Sima Urale

Director

Bill Urale (aka King Kapisi)

Performer