A man standing with his arms crossed looking at the camera, he has visible tattoos on both forearms. He's highlighted with a blue light. There's a grand piano behind him.

NZ Hip Hop Stand Up

9m

Unearthing the stories behind some of the most influential tracks in Aotearoa hip hop.

Made with the support of NZ On Air

7 episodes

Double J and Twice the T, "She's A Mod/Mod Rap"

This episode covers the story of Aotearoa Hip Hop trailblazers 'Double J & Twice The T' who brought the genre to the mainstream with their 1989 hit 'She's A Mod/Mod Rap' featuring Ray Columbus.
Season 3/Episode 1
10m

Lost Tribe, "Summer in the Winter"

This episode covers the influential collective 'Lost Tribe' and their 1996 classic 'Summer In The Winter' which confronted issues faced by generations of Pacific migrants into New Zealand.
Season 3/Episode 2
10m

DLT & Che Fu, "Chains"

Widely regarded as one of the greatest Aotearoa Hip Hop songs of all times, the iconic 'Chains' marks Che Fu's first solo outing and DLT's production pedigree.
Season 3/Episode 3
10m

Nesian Mystik, "It's On"

'It's On' by Nesian Mystik was the track that ushered in 'The Golden Age of New Zealand Hip Hop' in 2002 with their family-friendly yet technically-assured music.
Season 3/Episode 4
9m

Fast Crew, "I Got"

Fast Crew 'came out of nowhere' turning the Hip Hop scene on it's head with their 200 irreverent hit 'I Got' ruffling a few feathers and getting sued by The Eagles in the process.
Season 3/Episode 5
10m

Ladi 6, "Like Water"

This episode covers soul/hip-hop artist Ladi 6 and her effortlessly crafted New Zealand classic 'Like Water' which draws on her relationship with her husband and collaborator Parks.
Season 3/Episode 6
10m

Melodownz, "The Anthem"

2017 track 'The Anthem' by rising star Melodownz demonstrates his unique flow and ability to craft conscious lyrics, all born out of channeling personal loss into authentic creative success.
Season 3/Episode 7
9m

Trailers & bonus video

Season 3 Trailer

The third season of NZ Hip Hop Stand Up continues on from Season 1 & 2 in exploring the greatest songs released over the 30-year history of hip hop in Aotearoa.
Season 3/
1m

Awards

2021 NZ Radio Awards

Best Video

Produced by

The Downlow Concept partner logo for use on dark background

Made with the support of

Partner Logo for NZ on Air for use on dark background

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Against a black background, a group of opera singers sing. The green text reads: "Toiere."
A birds'-eye view of some military items sitting scattered on a desk, including a map, a hat, playing cards, and a couple of coins. The text in the middle reads "Back to Timor."
A large mountain capped with snow. Text reads, "Land of the Long White Cloud".
Six people standing in a row wearing indoor netball bibs. The person in the centre is holding a netball and smiling that the camera, everyone else looks curious or fed up. Text reads, "Here If You Need".
A coastal scene of a land mass with cliffs leading down to a beach and the ocean. Text reads, "My Cyclone Gabrielle, Four Filmmakers Four Views".
Side profile of a persons face, silhouetted against a setting sun out of frame. Text reads, "Imposter".
A sepia toned image of a family photograph depicting a woman holding the hands of two young children. The photo is deteriorating and the child on the left is almost obscured by the damage. The text reads, "Farewell Guangdong" there are also four Chinese characters, or 'Hanzi', above the text.
An archival picture of a group of Pacific Islanders posing for a group picture. The text reads "Untold Pacific History"
In a black-and-white photograph, a Māori woman speaks into a microphone in front of a crowd. Her fist is raised defiantly in the air. At the top of the image, in small yellow lettering, reads: "THE LAST NEW ZEALAND WAR HAPPENED IN 1979. IT LASTED THREE MINUTES." Below the woman, at the bottom of the image, the text reads in yellow lettering: "THE HAKA PARTY INCIDENT." Below that text is smaller, white text that reads: "A FILM BY KATIE WOLFE."
Three figures from different original images have been edited so that they're all standing next to each other and are of varying sizes. All three people are in the midst of performing. The background in a flat bright red colour. Text in the style of graffiti reads, "The Collective". A spray painted illustration of a crown appears above the 'e' in 'Collective'.
Alice Snedden looking into the camera and holding a megaphone up to her mouth in her left hand. In her right hand she holds up a stack of paper, on the first page is a simple drawing of the beehive with a text bubble that says, "No voting for you!!!". Text reads, "Alice Snedden's Bad News". Both the text and Alice Snedden are on a bright blue background.
Black text on a beige background, text reads "Fight for the Wild". Behind the text are three illustrations, one is of New Zealand the other is a disembodied head of a Tūī and the third is a fantail.
Two men face the camera with serious but open expressions. Text reads "Context, Corin Dann and Guyon Espiner"
A man looking into the camera with his mouth slightly open. His left eye is bugged out in a comically over the top way. Text reads, "A Place Called Te Awamutu".
A Little Blue Penguin sits in a rocky landscape. Text reads "Kororā, little blue penguin".
Bob Lowry, wearing an eyepatch, crown, and shirt with the words "In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is King," holds a finger in the air. The graphic is white and teal with a title to the left of him and curving below which reads: "I Am a Dark River"
A person sitting on a stool, they're looking down. The image has been edited so that there's a strong orange toned light covering the image, obscuring the figures face. The text reads, "The Outliers".
A black-and-white image of Joy Cowley on a swing. The text in front of her reads: "JOY, FULL & FEARLESS."
A woman siting on a two person sized couch, she has her arms spread to the sides. She's looking at the camera. Text reads, "I Got You".
Black and white faces of Helen Clark, Dame Jenny Shipley, Jim Bolger Geoffrey Palmer and Mike Moore, with the words 'The 9th Floor' underneath them. The background of the image is black.
In an animated graphic, the top of a man's face is seen in front of fence, above which are a collection of native New Zealand birds. In the middle of the image, in the middle of the birds, is the text: "BIRD'S EYE VIEW 2."
A large group of people protesting, they're all holding signs. Text reads, "Hīkoi, Speaking Our Truth".
Dark grey background with yellow text reading, "The Barber Shope". There is a illustration in the same yellow of a Māori design.
Person on purple background resting their head in their hand. Only their head and chest is visible. Purple text along bottom of image reads, "AMPLIFIED".