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Story: Hip hop

Upper Hutt Posse: 'E tu'

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New Zealand’s first hip hop record, 'E tu', was released by Upper Hutt Posse in 1988. The group provoked controversy, delivering a political message without compromise. The band’s 1990 visit to the United States as guests of the Nation of Islam religious movement reinforced its hard-line image.

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TVNZ Television New Zealand

Courtesy of Upper Hutt Posse

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How to cite this page

April K. Henderson, Hip hop – Origins and arrival, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/43266/upper-hutt-posse-e-tu (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by April K. Henderson, published 6 November 2013.