What’s Going On?

One question that I have been asked over and over again since releasing my first track off my forthcoming album is; why now?

I am aware that the last time I released a single, was 22 years ago. It was a cover of a Nina Simone song called Four Women. I have released songs since then, but not with the same amount of commitment. In fact, a fan,  reached out recently looking for a version of a song I recorded when I used to flat with Cuba (owner of Bounce Records who released Nesian Mystik) in the early 2000s, a song that I had to admit, I had never heard. That is just how I rolled with my music and ability to write for other people’s tracks, remixes etc when I was a so-called full time musician.

The focus at the time, was on the creation of the music, the vibrations and frequency.  Not money – which to be honest, was rare back then.

I have always had an understanding of my place with music. Not the industry, not the awards, not the recognition or the limelight. I make music for me. This is my expression. If people vibe with me, great, if not, I really don’t care. To care about other’s opinions of my creation, would be to submit to the fact that I care what ‘they’ think. No one has walked in my shoes, no one knows of the joy and pain my heart carries. This is what I express in my heart – now who thinks that they are qualified enough to make judgement on my music, for me?

In this fourth industrial revolution, where the populace are unfortunately educating themselves through social media, and online sources that are generally  not credible. We have a new wave of ignorance, more dangerous prior to the internet being created and utilised by the world. Now everyone can be a doctor, lawyer and journalist. Spouting facts that they have found online, on Crack-Book, a video or worse a meme. All this ‘interconnectedness’ has proven to create more ill-informed people and behaviour. A tool (your device) that can be used to grow your knowledge base is instead, assisting people to become less empathic and more self-centred. Ironically these are two ‘qualities’ that most mainstream musicians need to survive in an industry that doesn’t actually value you as a human being, but expects you to sacrifice everything and everyone around you in order to be the leader of the pack. It has taken me 22 years to get over ‘it’ – I didn’t want to be at the front of the stage, I am more comfortable at the back.

The journey was not easy. I maintained a nine to five job for those 22 years. I ran a home studio and made music for television and corporate videos as I used to produce all my beats. I moved into television, at first in front of the camera then progressed to behind it. Spent 25 years doing that, made over 1400 half hour bilingual programmes and gained over 3000 production credits. I also dropped tracks for my rapping partner in life, and tour managed him from Glastonbury (189,000 people) to SXSW twice (largest Indie Music festival in the world) to Hua Hin Honda Festival in Thailand (300,000 people) and many more. Then took on event and tour management delivering free community events in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) drawing crowds of 2000+ to touring the Harlem Globetrotters through Aotearoa and Australia (first sell-out show for Margaret Arena in Melbourne), and Sesame Street’s Elmo’s World as well as Jamaican legends Third World and Grammy Award-winning artist JBOOG through the North Island (Aotearoa). I also set-up a screen printing store in our neighbourhood, managed a before mentioned rapping partner in life with tours to the UK, the USA, Australia, the Pacific and home. Oh, I also raised four boys into four good men.

So why now? Because the time is now. Nothing to do with Covid-19, nothing to do with 5G being released on an unsuspecting world. Far from the conspiracy theories and directly from the mouth of a public servant – I was told that when they started testing 5G in their city, if the antenna was set up near a tree, the birds in that tree were found dead below that tree and the tree would start to die within a week. I asked, so you are not rolling out 5G right? She responded, that they still rolled out 5G – because ‘this’ is about money not people. And ended our conversation with an ‘oh well’. Economic growth before people.

That is firsthand information, from local government, with that utilitarian attitude. What do you do?

You pick up your pen.

I actually never stopped writing, I just stopped releasing. I stopped being part of an industry that relied on you being vacant from your value-system, in fact ‘it’ tries to get you before you are able to develop the ability to handle a somewhat foreign environment with your own value system, turning a blind eye to what is really going on in the industry, who is controlling it, who makes the calls and when told to jump, you ask, how high massa? Yeah, that wasn’t me. And by the way, this happens in most industries.

I gave birth to my first child at 20, after I bought my first home. Having left home at 14, I developed my own value system over time. It wasn’t about good and evil, it was more of – what I could tolerate, and what I couldn’t. I didn’t always make the best decisions, but it was the right decision for me and my family, at the time.

As far as judging people – let me get specific. I don’t like vampires. Confrontation makes me wonder if that person needs a hug. I am a tree hugging hippy, and proud. Just do you, as long as you are not physically (emotionally and spiritually) hurting yourself or someone else – I am rather forgiving.

I am releasing music, ‘cos I can.

Not a box to be ticked

Me standing outside an Auckland High Street night-club I used to frequent as a 15 year old who left my home in Wellington at 14 to become a rapper in the late 80s. Credit: Planet Magazine.

It is interesting that at a time when a majority of people who work in the entertainment industry as musicians have lost much of their work. The industry agencies believe that a resource website (a website set up with links to other agencies and resources) is what is required right now.

It is also interesting that a huge alleged sexual assault case specifically revolving around Musicians is taking place right now in Wellington. You can read here , here, here, here or here. While it is brave for both male and female alleged victims to step forward, albeit via an instagram account initially. The most promising support however, is the article that mentions that some Wellington bar owners who have managed to identify the alleged perpetrators, have banned them from their bars.

While sexual harassment, abuse, rape, bullying and general inappropriate work-place behaviour is rampant throughout any sector or industry – it is interesting that Sound Check Aotearoa has been set up to create a safe and inclusive culture for the music community.

It feels like an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, again.

In the past eight months of the entire world being flipped upside down, an industry that I and others have already called out as supporting the gentrification of our talent, and associated culture as a commodity: that is the actual issue.

Let’s think about the industry as a free-trade agreement of sorts, but with ourselves. Where there are chosen controllers who are maintained by other ‘big’ players, a small elite list of platform and distribution players, generally within tax-funded agencies, mindlessly flooding the market with ‘product’ with no real understanding of the eco-system or aptly market that they are building or maintaining, unless directly connected to their profits. Tossing and turning between screaming for independence from government, but running into the governments arms, when the ‘players’ cannot ‘handle’ the ‘market’.

This latest alleged mass sexual abuse case was created from a ‘gap’ in that ‘market’.

However, the venues are just as responsible and usually left out of the conversations of ‘what can we do better, make safer?’

Venues are key to our live performance existence as musicians. Musicians are key to the venues in order to sell alcohol. The live music scene has it’s own culture, a culture as a punter that some humans crave, sharing positive vibrations with others, our natural collective mentality. Some simply to get wasted, some to find ‘love’ for the night, some for life and, some it’s ‘just’ work.

I have one suggestion, especially in light of the Wellington Musician abuse case. Security Staff or Bouncers at these venues know what’s up, every time. If you want to know what and who in any venue, they know. If there are drug dealers, gangsters and an ‘underground’ group of men and women drugging and abusing punters, they know who they are. So my suggestion is – hire your staff wisely. Get them police-checked and put in place measures that you as an owner can be comfortable stating ‘I know all my staff, and they can be trusted’. Your punters lives are actually in their hands, or you as the owner, your hands.

If the unfortunate loss of life at Pike River can instigate a wrath of Health and Safety policies, so should a mass alleged sexual abuse case that took place or is connected to live music venues, right?

I have seen all sorts of behaviour in 32 years of being in the music industry. Nothing really surprises me, though a lot has made me sick to the stomach. Hence why I removed myself from that space 22 years ago.

Our music industry uplifts a culture of abuse.

Abuse upon the musicians by taking the musicians control out of their hands and replacing it with middle-people subsequently lowering the musicians worth to that of a commodity as opposed to a human. Good for middle-people, not always the musician.

Abuse upon the punters who think that reality television hosts, shows and music videos are actual reality. Good for event sales not so much for the young women who thought wearing nine-inch stilettos looking like their favourite ‘star’ to a three hour concert on uneven ground and breaks an ankle. Or the young man who thinks that a ‘lightly’ dressed female is begging to be ‘touched’, consequently fuelling a sub-culture of ‘abuse’.

Abuse of alcohol, ‘cos getting crunked, lit, g’d up or ‘b*tch hold my hair’ is normal night time venue behaviour. Good for trending RTD sales, not so much for the punter.

And then the artists themselves… I will only speak on rap, ‘cos I and others helped to build it’s presence here when pubs and radio were shouting the mantra, no crap, no rap.

Using rap as a means to express your privileged life is your prerogative. We live in a deep-seated institutionalised racist country, I choose to speak upon the current atrocities that my skin colour and sexual orientation has afforded me. I didn’t wake up one day and think, ‘oh yes, let’s write about sensitive subjects that mass society is not able to process yet.’

My tīpuna called upon me by presenting me with a gift to express my thoughts and feelings through music and lyric, vibrations and frequencies. When I had my first child, the sense of responsibility to music expression grew. By the time my fourth and last child arrived, accountability joined my responsibility as a musician. The A word and the R word is not for everyone, my bloodlines connect me deeply to this expression.

Do you, as long as you are not hurting yourself, or each other.

If the music industry wants to actually ‘do something’ change the narrative in the areas you control, and what you know needs to change. Because a resource website tackles none of the issues that I mentioned above or draws closer to the groups listed aspirations. I hope that this initial website launch is step one of many steps that will revolve around pattern-shifting within the industry and, not problem-solving ‘cos that is another conversation revolving around western constructs that require a lack of human-centred wellbeing values to uphold neo-liberalism capitalism.

Minor note: If you are going to use kupu Māori to be more inclusive (rolling eye-ball emoji) in your work. Utilise the kupu Māori first followed by the english translation – this would continue to shift the narrative around the importance of the Treaty partnership.

To Be or Not To Be… Was that the question?

A couple of things you should know about me – I read – a lot. Not by simply ‘google it’ either – but those things made from paper that you hold in your hand… Books (sometimes digital too..). I also converse with human beings – yes, face to face even. Imagine!

While I can see by reading between not too well hidden lines – there are many people with opinions who blog or facebook post or tweet or even construct news stories on mainstream television for the nation to watch, hear or read them. I have to wonder if the ideal of objectivity enters the mind of many who care enough to share their opinions? Let alone those who are paid by state funded organisations to reflect its’ society to society as a PBS.

To me, and this is my opinion… the answer is no.

We have enough people in the world moaning about this and that – and you should label your posts etc as just that – moaning, and mindless at that.

But please do not by any means believe that your stereotypically under researched opinion for actual facts on the topic you are moaning about is even close to reality. Alternatively, perhaps these opinions could construct a new genre of information sharing called, verbatim schītte. Now that is a constructive solution, with objectivity! Don’t believe everything you see in media… Be present.

Music makes me Happy

Week Six. Almost finished setting up our home.  Third meal cooked in our new house was Camembert, Chicken and Cranberry Pizza tonight while listening, singing and dancing to my favourite Chaka Khan album What Cha Gonna do for Me. An album my late Step-Dad introduced to me before the popular (for my generation) ‘I feel for you‘ single was released.

Our first home cooked meal after five weeks of take-out was Bacon and Egg Pie… even though Pak n Save generally offers cheaper groceries than other supermarkets DO NOT BUY the Budget Bacon as it is a version of bacon that isn’t actually bacon, hence the word budget in front of bacon.  And as I my 10 year old explained ‘you should have just put ham in it…’

Home cooked meal number two consisted of our first kona’i (large lunch in Samoan Traditional Practice) in our new home.  Which would have been perfect if our 19 year old had turned up at 1pm-ish as opposed to 2pm-ish… however, lunch (a little overcooked) was enjoyed by all nevertheless.  I also baked Banana Loaf for dessert.  Something I haven’t been able to do in six years since the oven in the last place we rented killed all hope of baking in our oven except for cookies, brownies and cakes baked in roasting trays (so they don’t have to rise as much if they were cooked in cake tins and needed to rise above two centimetres).

Having many ‘tings’ to be grateful, in my life.  I have my late Step-Dad who was born in Hitchins, England and as white as the brothers from Average White Band (apart from the drummer who was black) to thank for my musical tastes.  He introduced me to The Heptones, UB40, Frank Zappa, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and many more artists thanks to his Boys Home upbringing and a ‘walkabout’ in Australia in his late teens.

I often wonder how it is that I changed my destiny.  Why I am different from my siblings and more importantly how it is that I am alive when the statistics were stacked against me living as long as I have.  Maybe its because I am stubborn and don’t like doing what people tell me to do when it is a test of strength for strength. Or maybe it is as I have said in many interviews… Music Saved my Life.

New Home New Beginnings

After moving home for just over 28 days, non-stop and working my full time job as Mother of Four, Television Producer and Wife – we have finally finished! Now we just have to set up our new house into a home.  We lived in a 15 room home for six years and have now moved into a seven room home.  Still running the same ie. screen-printing for our online store, making music and sending rappers around the world.

I woke up this morning with enough time to appreciate where we are now based.  Listening to the sound of tui singing as opposed to the distress call of them looking for each other at our old house.  We seem for the moment ‘kehua’ (ghost) free, which the old house we lived in had a few.  The house was over 100 years old and one of the oldest farm houses in the area.  The ahua (shape) of the new home has our entire family feeling happier.  And that is all we want for our family.

Here is to new beginnings and slowly moving through the boxes to our new home.

Winter Goodness – Lentil and Kumara Coconut Curry with Brown Rice

 

This recipe was the end result of my first attempt at making dhal which was nasty tasting… add coconut cream is my kitchen motto.

For portions size  – please note, my family consists of five males, that is, my husband and our four boys aged 10, 14, 16 and 18 (all six foot or taller except the 10 year old) who are all meat eaters. Our household however usually has 10 -11 people at the dinner table (I usually double the tortillas which tops the total cost to around $25 to feed 11 people).

Initial ingredients are under $20, and each subsequent version of this meal is around $12-14. If your family eat normal portions of food, you can do this for around $10 -12.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 x Canned Lentils ($1.65 each), Homebrand Eggs 12’s ($3.06), Curry Powder ($2.24), 2 x Coconut Cream ($1.39 each), 500g Brown Rice ($1.59), 500ml Soya Oil ($2.40), Tortillas ($4.00 for 15), 250g Kumara ($2.60) Optional – Coriander, Tomatoes, Carrots ($1.60).

Put the rice on – usually takes around 45 mins.  Drain the can of Lentils and wash through with water – set aside. Chop a medium onion and a couple of garlic cloves, roughly. Heat up a pan with a thin layer of soya oil start frying the garlic and onion, then add a couple of tablespoons of curry, more or less depending on your tastes. Fry lightly until the curry opens up. Add the kumara (chopped into bite size pieces) and fry until covered with the spices. Add a 1/4C water, cover with a lid and simmer until softened.  Add lentils,  mix gently and simmer for a couple of minutes until heated through, set to low.  Put the dozen eggs into a pot of water and boil for 5-7 minutes.  When rice is close to being cooked, add the coconut cream to the lentils and kumara mixture and stir through until heated through, set low (make sure you do not curdle the cream).  Drain water from eggs and peel, set aside. Grab a frying pan, heat to medium. Place the tortilla’s in it one at a time until heated through (both sides) and slightly browned ( a little bit of butter or oil is optional – I don’t use either). Slice into quarters. Set aside.

To plate –  garnish the curry with chopped coriander and place the tomatoes (cut into sixths) next to the egg/s, place the warmed tortillas (two each cut into quarters) and voila – Lentil and Kumara Coconut Curry with Brown Rice. Num num num…

Track – Te Ahi Kaa

Remember when we were all ‘conscious’ for a minute in between the 90’s and the turn of the century?  This track was created around that time.

Made in our lounge/home studio, this track was a collaboration with DLT, Hypa, H One, B Ware and Micheal Franti.  I engineered and sequenced the track – such a mission back then on wharfdale speakers, nuff said!

This track was never released – just to my children really as we were still mastering to DAT then to cassette tape to listen to in the car… CD burners were expensive then.  The following is my verse and the ending sign off to close the song.

I’m standing tall, its my call, shaking that booty doing what you wanna do ya’ll, side stepping from the right to left, left to right, emerging from the darkest shadows into the light, come walk with me, I’ll awaken you Jet Li, the sweetest sounds you ever heard is the word righteousness, sending you subliminal consciousness, with more golden syrup for your paraoa so you can get with this, reminiscent of the days when I was growing up, direct hits to the dome from my mums arm of tough love, ain’t nobody who can live my life but me, and all I needed is a mind that is free, three points of astral travelling, Te Moana Nui aa Kiva, Magnum PI, petroglyphs on a Moa’i, to the Polynesian capital of the World, the Triangle is where the truth will rear its head, And on that note, 16 bars later, enough’s been said…

Ka whawhai tonu matou / Tino Rangatiratanga / mo ake tonu ake / whano whano haramai te toki / (TINA!) / Haumī e!  / Hui e!  / TĀIKI E!

Track – Old School

Holding my eldest child while performing in Aotea Square, Auckland, NZ around 1994. Old School was released on his 18th birthday in 2011. Photo: Chris Traill.

This track came about in a funny way.  Bill and Elia were remaking one of my jungle tracks (yes Jungle, because the track is from the early 90’s!).  They came up with this version which sounds nothing like the original, so I wrote a new song to the music which was Old School.

OVERVIEW Our world is evolving at an astronomical pace, primarily each new generation.  It would appear that because there is easier access to a wider range of information, younger generations believe that what they learn regardless of environmental surroundings and circumstances, this information empowers them to make decisions that they really have little understanding of the repercussions of their actions.  I believe it needs to be noted in every human beings mind –  technology on this planet evolves not because of necessity but because of greed and power.  Why are there people on earth ‘living’ in poverty while we send people into space?  We are in a Matrix and unlike the humans in that movie, this Matrix is visible to the eye, you just need to open your mind.

ADDICTION Our learning never ends.  Just because someone has been on this planet longer than you, this does not mean that person is infallible either.  When P (crack, meth etc) hit our country, I saw good people fall.  People I never thought would become so weak to something we use to watch on a Public Enemy Music Video and scoff at – Night of the Living Baseheads.  We are all responsible – and the sooner we all figure that out, the sooner we can start moving forward, together.  Lets start with our families.

FAMILY Like an Aunt/Mother/Sister/Friend telling someone close to them who is hurting ‘to get their unhappy selves together’ – I state that point with an agenda of Healing and Love because Healing our People was the intention of the song.

FOOTWEAR I also speak of using a jandal  – or flip flops.  This was a normal tool in my upbringing (and many families from the South Pacific) utilised for slapping someone into submission or punishment – for real.  I use this line to show my frustration towards watching people make the same mistakes over and over again – and as a metaphorical scolding.

OLD SCHOOL

written by t.rapley I vocals by t.rapley I music by b.urale I keys e. gaitau

chorus
I guess I’m just [Old school, old school]
Cos’ that’s where I’m from [Old school, old school]
Just give me some, yeah [Old school, old school]
No need to fuss/front [Old school, old school]

Mass communicating
Counting hits online
Virtual reality
got peeps asleep
stopping minds getting deep
dropping freedom speak
Complacency attacking those that are weak
Spirits die on that downward high
Everybody needs to sleep
Everybody needs to dream

[With Old school come old school rules]
I’m too old for new school fools
[With Old school come old school rules]
Just waiting on my babies to take you back to school

Repeat chorus

I know I gotta get to know me
So I can fly without the strings
Astral travelling through galaxies
Accepting that I am unique (the one)

Repeat chorus

[If you knew yourself]
What they say doesn’t matter
[Respect yourself]
You will to keep it together
[And love yourself]
Aunt won’t have to pull out the jandal and shout
You can do better

All you need [Love]
More precious then diamonds and pearls [Love]
Or to own all the riches of the world [Love]
L.O.V.E love
Sing with me, You can do better
All we need…. love.

Unplugged – Be Just Fine

This clip was shot for New Zealand television show Fresh.  The series celebrates the outstanding achievements of our South Pacific people in all areas of the arts, sport and business.  King Kapisi and I co-presented the episode which was shot in one of my home country’s, the Cook Islands.  My Maori ancestral lines are from Mangaia, Aitutaki and Rarotonga.  Benioni Tama Parei Joseph is my grandfather.

BE JUST FINE 

written by t.rapley I music by b.urale I vocals t.rapley

VERSE I

Ish ain’t always turn out the way you want

Some people straight out lie and some swear they don’t

Is altruism an achievable goal?

In exchange for the key to your soul

Living righteously

[To give a lot or give a little]

Making history

[Ain’t so bad in the middle]

CHORUS

Keep your head up to the sky

Left foot followed by the right

After darkness must come light

Remind yourself the world is mine

Yours and mine

Rain or shine [yeah yeah yeah]

Yours and mine

Be just fine

The world is…

And we’ll be just fine

VERSE II

Yes – I’m contemplating about my life thus far

Yes – The up and the downs managed by my wary heart

Raise your hand if you over-standing me

Cos not all choices we make make them right

I’ve no use for wishing on a super nova at night

I make ish happen are you over-standing me?

CHORUS

Keep your head up to the sky

Left foot followed by the right

After darkness must come light

Remind yourself the world is mine

Yours and mine

Rain or shine [yeah yeah yeah]

Yours and mine

Be just fine

The world is…

And we’ll be just fine