Mareko - hip hop from the other side

HOW DID YOU GET INTO MUSIC?

It started at Papakura High School when I was 13 with the guys who became the Deceptikonz. We started in a bedroom doing demos in 1997, then hooked up with (music label) Dawn Raid and went on from there.


TELL US ABOUT YOUR BEST RECENT GIG?

Definitely Dunedin on February 28 with the Boost Mobile tour. There were 2500 students, the biggest NZ hip hop show I've ever seen. It was crazy, some even chased the bus down the street.

WHO DO YOU ADMIRE MOST AMONG THE CURRENT PACIFIC MUSICIANS AND WHY?

Probably guys like Scribe and Che Fu, just because they work hard and keep putting out good New Zealand music.

IS PACIFIC MUSIC AND CULTURE RECOGNISED ENOUGH IN NEW ZEALAND?

I think it is now after the big year we've had and all the releases that went gold and platinum. It's finally got to the point where we're not just putting out quality, we're making money off it as well.

HOW HAS PACIFIC CULTURE INFLUENCED YOUR MUSIC?

I'm a Samoan kid. My album is called White Sunday, that's Samoan children's day. My culture plays a huge part in what I do.

WOULD YOU EVER SING ON NZ IDOL?

No, never. It doesn't show the music industry as it really is. It's a lot harder than that. It's taken 10 years of hard work to get where I am.

THE PERFORMER

Name: Mareko

Ethnic background: Samoan

Influences:All music, but within hip hop, I'd say Ice T, Snoop Dog, 50 cent, Eminem and Jay-Z.

Band/ act: Solo as well as with Deceptikonz.

When playing at Pasifika: Contemporary Stage, Saturday at 12.45pm.

Herald Feature: Pasifika Festival

Auckland City Pasifika Festival webpage