Groundbreakers

March 4 2000, by NICK BOLLINGER

KO TE MATAKAHI KUPU, Te Kupu (Kia Kaha/Universal)

If Dean Hapeta never uttered another word, he would have a secure place in the footnotes of Kiwi pop lore for making the first local hip-hop record. Back in '88. Upper Hutt Posse's "E Tu" might have seemed basic compared to the sophistication of uS contemporaries such as Eric B and Rakim or Public Enemy. Still, this crazy cross between hip-hop and haka served its purpose. "There's alot of people think they're tough today/But chiefs like Te Rauparaha would have blown them away", Against ill-informed cries that the Posse were just copping the walk and talk of American rappers, Hapeta laid the groundwork for some of the best local music of the past decade. Following his example, te reo rappers began popping up everywhere, while the Posse's turntablist Darryl "DLT" Thomson went on to collaborate with Che Fu on the monumental "Chains".

For much of the past decade Hapeta's role has been more that of a social irritant than a sonic force. He has always shot from the lip, whether it be at the Pakeha-dominated music industry, Samoan hecklers, or fellow musicians.

With Ko Te Matakahi Kupu (The word which penetrates), Hapeta at last puts his mana where his mouth is. He's no longer D Word but Te Kupu (The Word in Maori), but his purpose remains the same. As he declares in the autobiographical "Autahi": "Ain't shit changed/and I'm still about rearranging..."

The 20 cuts form a loose cycle, which moves through anger and conflict to victory and resolution. He fires verbal salvos at a few predictable targets - he remnds us that "weapons of warfare are not only guns, tanks and bombs/They're television, radio and schools". But in the end conflicts between mortals are dwarfed by Hapeta's greater concern, which is the search for spiritual truth. Ultimately, it's a contemplative, religious album.

Don't expect the dense musicality of DLT's The True School. Hapeta is more poet than programmer; his music is always at the service of his muse. Still there are lovely spacious grooves and some delicate ornamentation, especially in the guitar of Kiki Marama (highlighted on "Rebellion") and the abstract Miles-esque trumpet of Blerta veteran and Hollywood director Geoff Murphy. Hapeta breaks new ground again - the album comes in two versions, one predominantly in English, the other in Maori.