

For almost 40 years U.H.P. / Upper Hutt Posse have been creating powerful and inspirational music to challenge the status quo giving voice to progressive radicalism and the fight for justice in Aotearoa and around the world.
Bursting onto the national scene in 1988 with their debut single ‘E Tū’. It was the first rap song to be recorded and released in Aotearoa, a commanding statement striking out against racism and injustice, revolutionary and bold in its message paying homage to Māori warrior chiefs who fought against European colonialism. Setting the tone for many U.H.P. songs to come.
Forming as a four-piece reggae group in 1985, then adding three more vocalists, drum machines, and a turntable into the mix. Singing, rapping and reggae toasting over live and programmed instrumentation, their sound was unique globally.
After releasing their debut album Against The Flow in 1989, U.H.P. performed off-shore, firstly in Sydney, then Detroit as guests of the Nation of Islam, before returning home to continue their musical activism.
Retooled as a live band in 1994 with a new line up supporting D Word and M.C. Wiya they released second album, Movement In Demand (1995), through their own label Kia Kaha Productions. From this album the 1998 music-video for Tangata Whenua signalled an increased usage of Māori language.
Albums Mā Te Wā (2000), Te Reo Māori Remixes (2002), (which reconstructs ten of their own songs and won ‘Best Mana Māori Album’ at the 2003 NZ Music Awards,) Legacy (2005), and Tohe (2010) all heavily feature re reo Māori content. In 2011 their seventh album Declaration of Resistance, once again saw their sound evolve, solidifying their prestige as one of the country’s most thought-provoking and enduring groups. A distinction substantiated in 2016 when they received the Taite Music Prize ‘classic record’ for E Tu, and consolidated in 2018 when they became the recipients of the Legacy Award along with being inducted into Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa / The NZ Music Hall of Fame. In 2022, album number nine, Hau, once again pushed musical boundaries with free jazz, spoken word, and dub.
U.H.P.’s 2024 song Free Free Palestine, written in support of Palestinian perseverance against settler colonialism, leaves no question of their status as the country’s pre-eminent musical force of conscience.
