Upper Hutt Posse (UHP) are a New Zealand hip hop group formed in Upper Hutt, Wellington, in 1985. Upper Hutt Posse are one of the earliest New Zealand hip hop groups, known for their fusion of rap and reggae in both English and Māori. Prominent members include DLT, Dean "Te Kupu" Hapeta and Teremoana Rapley.
After signing to Jayrem Records, Upper Hutt Posse released their first single, 'E Tū', in 1988, which paid homage to Te Rauparaha and the Ngāti Toa heritage of the Hutt Valley. Their debut album Against The Flow was released the next year, which brought them international recognition. The group then became closely associated with Moana and The Moahunters, of whom their key member Teremoana was also part of. The group's single 'Ragga Girl' appeared on the soundtrack the film Once Were Warriors in 1994. A new lineup of live musicians produced the 1995 album Movement in Demand, mixing their signature Hiphop style with their reggae roots. Subsequent albums increasingly featured the Māori language, such as Mā Te Wā in 2000 and Te Reo Māori Remixes in 2002, for which they won a Tui Award. In 2007 another 'live' lineup was formed including Maaka McGregor (drums) who had performed live with the group at various gigs since 1995. In November 2018, Upper Hutt Posse were inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame - Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa.
History
UHP formed as a four-piece reggae band in 1985. Since their inception, Dean Hapeta (also known as D Word or Te Kupu) and the Posse have been fighting racial injustice through their music. In 1988 they released the first rap record and music-video in New Zealand, E Tū, through Jayrem Records. The song combined African American revolutionary rhetoric with an explicitly Māori frame of reference. It pays homage to Māori warrior chiefs resistant of British colonialism, Hōne Heke, Te Kooti, and Te Rauparaha.
Releasing their debut album, Against The Flow in 1989 through Southside Records, the group performed nationally and the following year in Sydney and then Detroit. Against The Flow consists of sequenced/programmed rap and reggae songs and a political slow jam titled Stormy Weather, the unique lineup of two rappers, a reggae toaster, a female singer, a male singer, and a DJ allowed main songwriter D Word to compose without having to use 'featured' vocalists outside the group. In 1990, the group toured marae (Māori community centres), and supported Public Enemy when they visited New Zealand, and performed with the ragga artist Macca B and the Zimbabwean group the Bhundu Boys in Australia.
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| 1988
| "E Tu"
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| Non-album single
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| 1989
| "Do It Like This"
| align="center" | 33
| Against The Flow
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| 1990
| "Against the Flow / That's The Beat (remixes)"
| align="center" | 44
| Non-album single
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| 1991
| "Stormy Weather (remix)"
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| Non-album single
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| 1992
| "Ragga Girl"
| align="center" | 48
| Non-album single
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| 1995
| "Can't Get Away"
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| Movement in Demand
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| 1995
| "As the Blind See"
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| Movement in Demand
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| 2005
| "Overcome"
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| Legacy
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| 2008
| "Ka Whawhai Tonu Mātou"
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| Declaration of Resistance
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|colspan="4" style="font-size:90%" align="center" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
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Awards
Aotearoa Music Awards
The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously known as New Zealand Music Awards (NZMA)) are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in New Zealand music and have been presented annually since 1965.
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| 1989 || Upper Hutt Posse || Most Promising Group|| ||rowspan="3"|
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| 2003 || Upper Hutt Posse (Te Reo Maori Remixes) || Mana Māori ||
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| 2012 || Declaration of Resistance || Mana Māori ||
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| 2018 || Upper Hutt Posse || New Zealand Music Hall of Fame || ||
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Taite Music Prize
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| 2016
| E Tu
| IMNZ Classic Record
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