Story: Hip hop

Hip hop dancers on Mai time

Television's Mai time included hip hop music clips, graffiti art and breaking as an integral part of the show, and the young presenters included Teremoana Rapley, formerly of hip hop band Upper Hutt Posse. Mai time's frequent use of te reo Māori and the sense that it was made by Māori for Māori linked to hip hop's political side, its roots in dispossessed urban African-American communities and strength within Māori and Pacific Island communities. Mai time first screened on TV One as part of Marae and then on TV2 as a stand-alone programme from 1996. The show finished in 2007.

In this excerpt from a 1996 episode, hip hop dancers perform and discuss the dance form.

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TVNZ Television New Zealand

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How to cite this page:

April K. Henderson, 'Hip hop - Origins and arrival', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/43267/hip-hop-dancers-on-mai-time (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by April K. Henderson, published 22 Oct 2014