Bio 2007: Dean Hapeta aka Te Kupu (The Word) is a multi-media performing artist of Ngati Huia descent (Mäori genealogy). He's been producing socio-politically charged rap, poetry, music and film/video with Upper Hutt Posse (UHP), and as a solo artist for 20 years. A seminal figure in the Aotearoa Hip Hop community he's currently producing a six part rapumentary titled Ngatahi - KnowTheLinks on native and marginalised peoples arts and activism in twenty countries, as well as writing, producing and performing as lead vocalist for UHP. His musical calling first bore fruits in 1985 with the formation of UHP as a four piece reggae group, then combining rap in '88 he wrote and then released E Tu the first rap recording to be released in Aotearoa, then in '89 the album Against The Flow, the following year UHP travelled to Australia, and then to the USA as guests of the Nation Of Islam. In '93 UHP played at the first Polynesian Music festival in Rarotonga, but it wasn't until '95 that the second Posse album Movement In Demand was released, this time with a new group of live musicians behind the vocals of Te Kupu and his brother MC Wiya. From '96 to '98 Te Kupu studied Mäori Law and Philosophy at Te Wänanga O Raukawa, and returning from Auckland where he'd been living for the last six years to Wellington he stepped up work on his solo album. Also performing in Canada in '96 at the Music West Conference and at a couple of open mike sessions in the USA, spoken word performances followed at Womad (Auckland) and in Australia. In '97 the music video for Dread On A Mission was produced (the tenth UHP music video by that time - see catalogue), and in '98 the video for Tangata Whenua, produced and directed by Te Kupu was filmed in one of his ancestral Mäori meeting houses. Later that same year he built a home recording studio - Matakahi Studios - emerging a year later with Ko Te Matakahi Kupu (the words which penetrate) his solo album in both English and Mäori language versions. The first single and music video Vision was released in '99 and 1/1/2000 saw the albums release, the third UHP album Ma Te Wa - a Mäori language reggae album was recorded and released that year also. In 2000/01 there were visits to Canada, England, France, Colombia, Jamaica and the USA, then in 2002 - Hawai'i, Cuba, Australia and returning to Jamaica and Colombia along with filming in Aotearoa saw completion of parts one and two of Ngatahi - KnowTheLinks. Te Kupu was a keynote speaker at the 2001 NZ Hip Hop Summit, he's dj'd on Te Upoko O Te Ika & Radio Active, also with Tu Crucial Sound System. Nishin - a co-produced collaborative album with indigenous artists from Canada & the USA was also recorded in 2001, as was MC Wiya's solo Ep Anei Ko Te Wiya, the music video Kia Matatu was completed in 2002 along with the fourth UHP album - Te Reo Maori Remixes which received a "Tui" award at the 2003 NZ Music Awards for Best Mana Maori Album. In 2004 the music video for E Tu Te Reo Maori Remix was released featuring footage from Hikoi '04, a Maori land protest march and in 2005 the fifth UHP album Legacy was released. Through 2003 - 2005 Te Kupu travelled to Canada, USA, Mexico, Tahiti, South Africa and Tanzania filming parts 3 & 4 of Ngatahi-KnowTheLinks. In early 2006 Ngati the first video from Legacy was released and later that year Ngatahi-KnowTheLinks#3 was completed, while Te Kupu worked on a collaborative multi-discipline piece with poet Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm & dancer Santee Smith titled A Constellation of Bones, premiering early 2007 in Canada shortly after Ngatahi-KnowTheLinks#4 screened for the first time. In 2006 Te Kupu filmed in Brazil for Ngatahi-KnowTheLinks #5 and commenced work on music videos for Hold I true and Overcome. In May 19, 2007 he organised a gig to celebrate the birthday of Malcolm X in Wgtn - MC Wiya, Te Kupu & Ataahua performing with a four piece live band as the current UHP lineup..

 

"Dean Hapeta is not a big man, but, to paraphrase the Butthole Surfers, he stands 10 foot tall with a mic" (Justin Redding, Rip It Up Magazine)