Rio Hemopo-Hunuki (left) and King Kapisi. Photo / Stephen Parker
Rio Hemopo-Hunuki (left) and King Kapisi. Photo / Stephen Parker
He's performed at Glastonbury, the largest Northern Hemisphere outdoor festival, and the largest indie music industry event in the United States, SXSW, but this week it's all about Rotorua for King Kapisi.
Known off-stage as Bill Urale, he was the first hip-hop artist in New Zealand to receive the prestigious Silver Scroll Award at the APRA Awards for Songwriter of the Year, for his single Reverse Resistance in 1999.
Urale's success continued into the new millennium when he released his Kiwi anthem Screems from da Old Plantation.
He arrived in Rotorua today for a New Zealand Music Month performance at the Rotorua Night Markets.
New Zealand hip-hop musician King Kapisi mentoring in 2010. Photo / File
He will spend the next two days mentoring and collaborating with local artists and students alongside fellow Kiwi music legends such as Rotorua's Rio Hemopo-Hunuki, the bass player and singer/songwriter for Trinity Roots.
Hemopo-Hunuki started mentoring 10 years ago in Wellington, helping Pasifika students.
"I was a last-minute ring in one time and it went from there. They were super talented kids, often their musical background was church educated. So when I moved up here I just slotted in."
Rio Hemopo-Hunuki. Photo / File
Urale says one of the most important parts will be helping artists understand how to branch out internationally.
"There are a lot of snakes, lions, and tigers out there in the jungle."
Despite Urale's long list of achievements and friends in high places, hehas always "just tried to be a nice guy, and be inclusive".
"There are problems with being famous ... You feel the pressure of being in the public eye 24/7. There are pros and cons with walking down the road when everyone knows your name."
Since his musical prime, he's branched out to making award-winning music videos, starting his own clothing label, coaching multiple basketball teams at once.
NZ on Air Best Pacific Music Video winner King Kapisi poses with his mum Pusu Urale at the Vodafone Pacific Music Awards in 2014. Photo / File
"Music and basketball have been a pathway for me to not go and do silly stuff."
He has also been organising community music events with a focus on suicide prevention, for almost 30,000 people since 2016.
"I've had two red flags where I've felt very very down... So my thinking was to give something for our community... To be empathetic and awhi everyone."
He strongly believes there's not enough of that in New Zealand, hence his willingness to perform at the Rotorua markets.
"I'm tangata whenua hard, but also community hard."
Bill Urale in 2005. Photo / File
Urale says that "village mentality" comes from his Samoan motherland.
"Back in the day we had to go to a studio with two-inch tape, and record and it cost a lot. Whereas these days you can have your own home studio in your laptop and it's portable now... You can become your own record company."
In fact, Urale and Hemopo-Hunuki hope to lay the foundations of a musical collaboration this weekend.
Rio Hemopo-Hunuki, bassist of Trinity Roots, playing at the Big Day Out in 2005. Photo / File
They have always been big fans of one another, but this is the first time they have spent a few days in the same place.
Hemopo-Hunuki says they were keen to "sow the seeds of some concepts".
Urale has also got a new reggae and dancehall project coming up called Mr Majesty.
