Tag Archives: aboriginal

The Dreaming 2010 – King Kapisi

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To call Aotearoa based Samoan King Kapisi simply a rapper would be to sell him short as an artist. Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, beat-boxer, dancer, father, husband – the man exudes culture. Supported by a live 4-piece band – playing jazz inspired, reggae laced, based infused, synth laden tunes – and his wife on vocals, father of four Kapisi has picked up multiple slots at this year’s Dreaming Festival: Australia’s International Indigenous Festival. A worthy addition to the weekend’s lineup, Kapisi brings not only hi sown Pacific inspired funk and hip-hop style to the stage, but also pays a healthy and sincere tribute to local Indigenous artists, and other multicultural performers in attendance. You can tell he is not just paying them lip service either – he’s been to see each and every one of them plays, and commends them all highly. An imposing figure – size, tatts and a definite swagger – King Kapisi makes everyone in his presence feel like a welcome member of his family, having a party at his house. Rounding out his short set with an old fashioned party jam, Kapisi and his band tore ip the stage alongside fellow performers including Radical Son, Haitian Sensation, Dreadlock Voodoo and others. Hi ‘last 5 minutes’ on stage probably stretched out to nearly 15, but no-one was complaining. *nomadiqueMC is a freelance writer and blogger, and was a guest of ‘The Dreaming’ as a part of the ‘Cyberblaggies’ forum. This review was a personal aside.

The Dreaming 2010 – The Last Kinection

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In 2001, I was invited to Tokyo, Japan to deliver a keynote address to the World Youth Volunteer Summit. Amongst the myriad young people I met there was a small Australian contingent, including a young Aboriginal lad from Newcastle.

After spending only a few short days with Joel Wenitong, I knew this lad was gonna blow up in a big way, whatever he chose to do. Flash forward nearly a decade, and MC Weno has come a long way from his beginnings as party DJ ‘Gammin Jammin’.

After a successful stint with his previous group Local Knowledge, Weno has now teamed up with his sister MC Nay and old friend DJ Jaytee under the banner of ‘The Last Kinection’.

Playing the second of three slots at this year’s Dreaming Festival, this tight, funky hip-hop outfit treated us to eight tracks from their 2008 debut ‘Nutches’.

Showcasing the talent that saw his mixtape “Yes I Used a Computer” storm the Australian underground hip-hop scene, Jaytee smashed the Blacktraks stage with phat beats, rock samples, and some of the best scratches and breaks you’ll hear this year.

Laid over the top of this was the tight, flowing, tag-team vocals of brother and sister duo Nay and Weno. Infused with family, culture, spirit and determination, these two treated us to a very personal journey through each track, taking the time to tell us the story behind each track and give us some insight into their lives growing up in downtown Newcastle.

Experienced spitter Weno was more than ably partnered by Nay, who has come a long way from her days with 90s commercial pop duo ‘Shakaya’.

After being told ‘Local Knowledge’ were “too political”, Nutches is enjoying healthy commercial airplay, ironically with the track ‘Commercial Radio’ which pokes a bit of fun at the pop media industry.

Asked about their recent signing to the Elefant Traks label, Weno says “we’ve been mates for a while, this was really just a formality”.

‘Nutches’, featuring fellow Elefant Traks signing Brothablack and Elefant mansion stalwart Urthboy, is available through Shock Distribution.

*nomadiqueMC is a freelance writer and blogger, and was a guest of ‘The Dreaming’ as a part of the ‘Cyberblaggies’ forum. This review was a personal aside.