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Kōrero: Samoans

King Kapisi

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King Kapisi

At the end of the 20th century, a younger generation of Samoan musicians drew on their urban experiences to communicate what it meant to be Samoan in New Zealand. The Wellington-raised Samoan King Kapisi, known to his family as Bill Urale, became one of the country’s best hip hop artists. His songs address topics such as the dumping of nuclear waste, the Dawn Raids on Pacific Island overstayers, and the negative effects of organised religion on Polynesian societies. He is shown here performing at Victoria University of Wellington in 2004.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

by Melanie Lovell-Smith

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Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Lupematasila Melani Anae, Samoans – Contributions to New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/1624/king-kapisi (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Lupematasila Melani Anae, i tāngia i te 4 March 2009, reviewed and revised 7 September 2022 me te āwhina o Lupematasila Melani Anae.