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In the gang world he was 'Loko', then rapper 'KD Lok' once he got out of jail. But something was always missing for Matty Paparoa. For the first time he tells his story in LOKO, a seven-part video series by Useful Media and the NZ Herald, made with the support of NZ On Air. Episode 3 - Breaking Points.
Matty Paparoa got out of jail in his early 20s and immediately made an impact on the local hip-hop scene, performing as KD Lok.
He joined the gang he'd been associating with for years and was signed with Affiliated Records. He recorded an album, Product of a Dying Breed, and toured alongside international acts like Snoop Dogg, the Ying Yang Twins and Immortal Technique.
When he found his criminal past made him ineligible for any funding, he bankrolled his own music videos with money from the street. He performed at the New Zealand Music Awards and Australian Hip Hop Summit, and found a strong inroad into Los Angeles through a collaboration with Mexican rapper Kiki Smooth.