Upper Hutt Posse are the progenitors of Hip Hop/Ragga music in the South Pacific. Originally formed as a four piece reggae group in 1985, the Posse were at the forefront of Aotearoa/New Zealand's response to emerging rap culture. Their unique fusion of rap and reggae has been an inspirational injection to the national music scene, and a powerful vehicle for UHP's revolutionary socio-political perspectives and contemporary Maori aspirations. In 1988 they released Aotearoa/New Zealand's first rap single 'E Tu' (Stand Up) following a year later with the first rap album 'Against The Flow', touring with impassioned performances that brought notoriety and respect. With 5 albums (the fourth of which was awarded ‘Best Mana Maori Album’ at the New Zealand Music Awards in 2003) and 15 music video clips to date, as well as performances in Australia (Sydney 1990), USA (Detroit as guests of The Nation Of Islam 1990) and Rarotonga (Polynesian Music Festival 1993 ) UHP are the most prolific contemporary Maori musical group today.
The song writing vision of Te Kupu (The Word) and MC Wiya is the solid backbone of this ever fresh, fluxing collective of vocalists and musicians. Guided by Te Kupu, the contributors of UHP embrace a kaupapa (objective/purpose) of consciousness-raising. The Posse are unrelenting in their momentum, addressing global imperial capitalist culture from an indigenous perspective and enlivening peoples determinations to realising an enlightened conception of human culture.
The perceptive scope of UHP's newest release 'Legacy' is strongly informed by Te Kupu's rapumentary 'Ngatahi - Know the Links' (an official selection at Sundance Film Festival 2004) a six part music-documentary connecting the musical cultures and struggles of oppressed people worldwide. UHP's lyrical fortitude is expressed through unique musical flavours that move from 11-year old Ataahua's Maori language version of 'The Greatest Love of All' to MC Wiya’s bold ragga chants and Te Kupu’s fiery rap poetics. The format of 'Legacy', a bilingual two disc album in Maori and English, marks another first for music in Aotearoa/NewZealand and secures UHP a place well away from the complacent imitation of most local Hip Hop groups.