Maybe you’ll be able to get into The Siren that way…
Before Scribe, before Dawn Raid (although its roots are here), before Chains, before the Otara Millionaires Club, there was, contrary to common wisdom, a huge hip-hop scene in South and West Auckland going back to the early 1980s. There was even an album (cassette only) AK89: In Love With These Rhymes (which seems to have disappeared – does anyone have a copy? I’d love one.) put out by Simon Laan and bFM in 1989.
And if any further evidence is needed, here is some archive footage, newly discovered, of the 1989 Hip Hop Battle of the Bands, held in Manukau City Centre, which is quite brilliant. I was a judge and was fairly heavily involved with a few of these acts on and off. I’ll try and find the photos and scan.
Meanwhile.…
Thanks to Grant ‘CRC’ Kearney, who really was as young as he looks in these back then…
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Yes! I went out to that contest at Manukau City to recruit talent for the first Housequake.
We eventually put several of the acts onstage, including the American woman whose name I can’t remember.
The best name — if not the best crew — on the day of the HHBOTB was … Run FOB. Gotta love that.
Her name was Koi-Ski, I recorded her as part of Sistermatic, the released for two days only single I did for the Newmatics-go-acid-hip-house band http://www.discogs.com/Sistermatic-Million-Dollar/master/244028
I would have been about 5 years old then (sorry, not trying to make anyone feel old!), but can testify to how thoroughly hip hop was part of Mangere’s fabric by the early 90s. This makes me feel very nostalgic for a time and place. I’d love to see more.
Fabulous clip. I remember seeing some of those hip-hop battles, and DJ champs, awesome!
Russell, those two Housequake events were amazing! I remember them well. The second one sold out with a queue all the way to Symonds St. Dang! Still got a couple of those posters.
wow… spotted pete mclennan’s total effect post — http://dubdotdash.blogspot.co.nz/2012/09/total-effect-88.html — and ended up here on a memory lane trip. awesome to see that there’s stuff documented. voodoo rhyme syndicate was my intro to that whole scene — enemy productions, boy c and the bb3, semis, sisters underground… plenty of memories!