Almost Famous

The history of Holy Hip Hop in New Zealand

by MC Choirboy.
Chapter One;
In the beginning.

Hiphop Culture in New Zealand was always

influenced by America, firstly by break dancing, graffiti
and djing.

Rhyme came a little later, groups like Upper Hutt

Posse and DJ Kerb influenced everybody else.

This book is different in that I will attempt to

document the subculture within the culture which
was the holy hip hop MCs.

The term "Holy Hip Hop" was first coined by DJ Dove

from the group S.F.C who influenced me early in the
day.

Back ground.
In 1992 I was a skater, I spent most of my time
listening to cassette tapes of my favorite groups
trespassing into carpark buildings and schools to
skate with my mates.

I was one of the first to import albums from the group

NWA to New Zealand, I was a real angry kid who was
into heavy metal and rap.

One day I injured my leg trying to pull a 180 kick flip,

and this guy asked to do a karakia (prayer) for me, I
was sceptical because I wasn't into "God stuff" but
after he prayed the swelling went down and my leg
was healed, from that moment I wanted to make
some changes in my life.

Around that time I was given some "Holy Hip hop"

tapes such as S.F.C ,
idol king, LPG, freedom of soul, Tbone, preahas, and
gospel Gangstas.

What appealed to me was the beats and djing was

phat, lyrics and rhymeing was up there with other
groups that weren't faith based, it was real positive
with no swearing.

In New Zealand at the time (early 90s) I hadn't seen

groups that were hiphop but Christian.

One night I attended a concert in Wellington and saw

the group "straight up" who were metal fused with rap
kind of like when Anthrax colabed with Public enemy.

I was a big fan of public enemy, so "Straight up"

appealed, my friend perry was wanting to form a band
in 94 and we couldn't decide the styles, so ended up
fusing reggae, heavy metal, funk with live rhyming and
freestyle.
This was the first time I had the opportunity to rhyme
in front of crowds, I also started rhyming at churches
and youth groups, old welli heads like Kurst1

From Wainuiomata were around at that time.

One day I got asked to rap at the university where I

met the group "Strange Tounges" they were like the
Christian version of the fugees, Swerv, Tweek (the
first female MC and breaker I met that was christian)
Tweek also organised the "Respect" hiphop festivals
in the hutt and welli, and also faienza another Wainui
Mc was a member.
The OGs.
So from my view one of the first "Christian MCs" I met
was Fraze from the group "Straight up" there was
another rapper Nathan, but he was more of a hype
man on stage kind of like flava flav from PE.
The very first was Paul burchanan (The Mighty
Asterix)

I have been honoured to share the stage with him at

One Love reggae festival, The Dowse Gallery, mighty
mighty bar, he is now the new lead singer / rapper for
salmonella Dub, also originally from Upperhutt he
feat on Che Fu: "Chains the remix" on the nz film
"Once were Warriors"

I started in 93 at that time I was just learning it wasn't

till 94 when I was getting serious with it, the first holy
hiphop single that entered the NZ charts 95 (that I
recall) was "grovealation" by igelese Ete featuring;
Afagasi MC, (dean umu) Igelese is more known now
for writing the soundtrack to the hit movie "Moana".

Afagasi MC was from porirua, I used to jam with his

brother Tama and cousin Paul at the train station as
they were mean as beat boxers.

Rapture ruckus were also from porirua and quickly

gathered a big following, the original group was Doug
and brad, I preferred the original group as there
recordings were more hood when Doug left it kind of
went more pop.

Fraze from straight up and I opened for the original

Rapture Ruckus in Wellington where we met a "fill in"
singer Brooke Fraser, (who later became quite
famous)

Early years.
Being a Christian MC in the mid 90s was hard
because people in the church judged you for rap
music and hiphop in general, in the mainstream
studios they didn't like to much mention of God.

In 1998 I entered my first MC battle, this was the

turning point, I won, it was broadcast live on Awa FM
it went about 12 rounds.

Shortly after this I was invited by south gate

entertainment (now house of Shem) to record 2
singles, "2many and pure design" in Auckland with
John chong nee, who had just worked on the Che Fu
debut album "2bspecific" which was arguably one of
nzs most successful hiphop albums.

The Name Choirboy.

During the studio session I was waiting for this girls
rnb group to record there single "Summer Breeze"
One of them turned to me and said;

"Well what do you do?"

I was like;

"I'm a rapper"

They responded;

"You don't look like a MC, you look like a Choirboy!"

I thought this sounded like a cool MC name and from

98 I took this as my artist name.

I was buzzing out from that, but it wasn't till 2003 I

worked on my first full length hiphop album "get
inside the headphones"
Chapter Two.
Mixing with the Famous.

Back in the 90s as mentioned I was rhyming with

Tribal Groovers, we got to the semi finals of smoke
free rock quest and 2nd at CTC at the Michael fowlers
centre in wellington.

This opened the door and we had gathered a

following.

We opened for the now U.S based group "The lads"

and also "The Newsboys" at parachute music
festival,Back then in that scene rap groups were a
novelty.

When ever DJs were playing or events happened I

would try an get on a mike, tribal groovers even
played some bars, even though we were actually
under age, like most bands it was short lived.
I auditioned for a touring band "Certain Sounds" many
top artists came out of that including Jay Lagaia (lion
king) and Philip Fuemana who is arguably one of New
Zealands greatest producers.

At the time we were the hardest working band in

Aotearoa, 3 high schools a day, 5 days a week with
big concerts on the weekend.
What was new was that I brought the hiphop
elements to the group, with the track "family" (from
tribal groovers) , covers of Urban Species and coolio.

We played in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and

throughout nz for 11 months.
Get inside the headphones.
One day I was sitting on the bus from Taita to the
Hutt when I saw this Graf artist drawing a mean as
piece in his sketch book, I paid him fifty dollars to
design the album cover.

It took about 3 months to record, it wasn't like these

days where you can edit on a computer, I made my
first beats on "Music 2000" on a ps1 and rec on to a
CD demo then took them to the studio in Wainui.

James Davis was a country music producer who had

never recorded a "rap album" before!

But it sounded cool I was influenced by the fugees at

the time so I was playing gat over my 808 style beats,
sessions were 20.00 an hour.

You had to rhyme from beginning to end, if you made

a mistake you have to start from the top!

Record labels.
About 2003/4 just after "get inside the headphones"
was released in local record stores the session bass
player Nate wanted me to meet one of NZs dopest
producers "Doughboy" the thing I liked about him was
his production was mean.

Highly influenced by timberland and Dre.

Dough listened to my album but wasn't feeling it, he
gave me a week to write a new song.

I felt the pressure but came back with the single

"Inside of me" which was influenced by the Beastie
boys style of rhyme, it was written about the seabed
and foreshore treaty claims and was the first of my
political protest rhyming.

It was after this dough agreed to produce the 2nd

album stories.
Chapter Three;
The industry.
What I didn't know at the time was that doughboy had
submitted my track along with others to Philip
Fuemana, he liked the track and it appeared on the
original pressing bonus disc of "gifted and Maori
volume two"

You have to remember that "Get inside the

headphones" was the first Christian full length rap
album in new Zealand, rapture ruckus e.p came about
a year later, "inside of me" was the first time a
Christian rap artist appeared on a non Christian new
Zealand compilation.

I was now "an artist" the stories album wasn't

complete till the end of 2009, the album feat "The
mighty asterix" on two tracks , Mc "Big Willz" who I
had met in porirua, as well as "Blackout" who is an
amazingly talented and humble guy who has opened
for "Bone thugs" and tech nine.

We released the video "No Doubt" in 2010 with a

launch which featured some amazing nz hiphop
artists who were unknown at the time but all now
have successful rap careers and albums.
I was an opening artist for the boost mobile hookup
tour in Wellington with brotha D, DJ cxl, Severe and
many other hiphop heads.

When I was with doughboy records I made it clear

that I didn't want to sign to a label.
He thought I was crazy. Maybe I was.

I just felt that record labels restrict and control the

artistic freedom.

Not long after that we agreed to part ways, that was

OK I still have a lot of respect for him, we just had
different ideas and vision.
Chapter four;
A battle with myself.
While I was in porirua I was encouraged by a few
people to enter the Wellington MC battle, when I went
into town I found out that there were in fact two
battles, I met DLT at the first one, we got chatting
about things he asked me what groups I was into so I
pulled out "KRSONES" spiritual minded album, which
featured the Christian MC "Tbone"

DLT was one of the founding members of Upper Hutt

posse, he told me that KRS ONE was one of his major
influences.

I was also told that one of the battles was rigged, the
finalists from each one would get a plane ticket to
battle in Auckland.

So I went instead to the valve bar where the

"underground battle" was happening, Imon Star was a
judge and I knew that he was a legit MC, one of the
most amazing beat makers on the MPC and he can
freestyle for hours.
It ended up being an MC called TUONE and me in the
finals, he was from the darksyders and black power
Wellington.

He beat me, he is an awesome MC, after that we

became friends, a real nice guy with a heart for his
community, we colabed on a track, and also
performed at the "Youth day out hiphop festivals"
which was my tribute to the former "Respect
festivals".
Undercover.
Back in the day christian MCs were rare in New
Zealand, I remember one day I got a call from a bass
player who claimed that concert organisation were
not letting them perform because of there faith.

Me being me I rang them up and they put me on the

list of artists straight away with no problems.

That night I opened for foot soldiers, lower Hutt town

hall with imon star, freestyle live, it was dope and the
crowd was into it.

Over the years I've opened for a lot of local and

international artists, including;

Urban Pacifika Records hit maker & NZ music award

winning producer, the late Phillip Fuemana,

Brannigan Kaa, Mighty Asterix, Footsoldiers, Olmecha

Supreme, Dei Hamo, Hikoikoi, Kapabal, Steve Apirana,
Anita Prime, The Lads, 44Meta4z, HoriFied Selection,
Samaori, JineteroMC, Homeland, Sons of Zion,
Ardijah,Majic, Rapture Ruckus, brooke frazer and
Upperhutt Posse.
Zion Project.
As mentioned earlier I had been inspired by Fraze
back in the 90s when he headlined "straight up" he
had then been a successful rapper in the group
"Betawenfed" In 2004 I introduced myself to him,
handing a promo copy of my first album to him,
saying we should colab, he went on to feature on
"stories" my "13" album also a Zion project mixtape
and e.p.

Originally we had 3 members; DJ spike who was at

DJ Raws "DJ school" in porirua, fraze and me, after
spike left it forsed me to get into beat making, I
bought a sp606 Roland and started sampling breaks,
and got some cheap vinyl turntables, I would sample
many Christian rap groups to pay homage to the
founders of the movement.

Zion project continues to do gigs from time to time.

Chapter five;
Oceanic Kingz and Queens.
JRock D was an OG bboy originally from New Zealand
who moved to OZ as a teen, Snooze and many others
laid a foundation back in the 80s in all aspects of the
early hiphop scene when JRock became a Christian,
he introduced me to the faith and holy hiphop culture
in the early 90s.

J taught me to Freestyle, we would sit round the

kitchen table, no TV, just a boom box Graf and
cassette tapes, he would be trying to headspin, rock
or pop n lock.
"Oceanic Kingz & Queenz
Is not: A gang, A religion, A philosophy.
It is: Community, Family and The Arts.

The goal is to create regular community events and

youth outreach and mentoring programs that will
highlight our unique and diverse history

while also bridging the gap for those who came later."
"We live in a unique period in time where we no longer
have a generation gap when we talk in terms of
music/ fashion/ art etc. Our youth are pretty much
into the same stuff we were.

When I say hip hop, its not hip hop as we view it

today. I’m talking about our collective experience in
the southern hemisphere. Specifically Australia, New
Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Our love of Funk,
Reggae, Electro, Old school R&B etc, and the
subculture it birthed."

Snooze, Bev Stan walkers manager +me

"It was a subculture that kicked off our multicultural

outlooks. In that period, for the first time it really
didn’t matter what colour you were, what you believed,
or where you came from, we were connected by this
stuff we loved." - Snooze
Chapter Six;
Next generation.

I recently performed at a music festival where I

witnessed two up an coming holy hiphop MCs;
"Shaq" and "Messiahs Daughter"

as well some Christian dance crews, there are many

others like Bboy "Stretchmark" who also DJs.
Connection to America.
At parachute festival I was honoured to meet GRITS
and Jin from rough ryders (Dmx, foxy brown) one of
the best battle rappers in the world at the time who
became a Christian, a humble guy whose faith was
more Important than being the best MC.

Also my album "13" feat MCs from Australia, nz and

America, some real legends on there, including;
"Poetic Lee " featured on S.F.Cs "Jungle message 2
Man" album and freedom of Souls "this is love" single,
feat Jon Gibson, off there " Caught in the land of time
album,
poetic Lee dropped a dope verse on my song, "You
like" also gospel gangstas gave a recorded shoutout
to me on the track "serious".
Well I hope you have enjoyed this brief history of holy
hiphop culture in Aotearoa, New Zealand, I would like
to thank the many Christian MCs out there such as;

And Soup the chemist who first inspired me to write.

Peace,
ChOiRbOy.