By some measures, hip-hop is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The musical art form started in New York and has seen its influence grow around the world.
In Hawaiʻi, the Hilo group Sudden Rush is widely recognized as the first to record nā mele pāleoleo, the combination of hip-hop with Native Hawaiian rapping.
Sudden Rush was formed in 1993 by Caleb Richards and Shane Veincent, and later added fluent Hawaiian speaker Ke’ala Kawaʻauhau Jr. and producer Rob Onekea.
"Sudden Rush was me and my ʻohana from Panaʻewa Hawaiian homes here in Hilo, friends and family was just a bunch of boys from the hood who would write verses and, you know, we'd put together enough songs to be able to perform at underground parties, and that's actually where I met Caleb," Veincent said.
From 1994 to 2018, they released four albums, evolving from emulating the popular “gangsta rap” of the 1990s to perpetuating the importance of Hawaiian culture and commenting on local political issues.
"The ʻolelo was for sure Keʻala, keeping us grounded, keeping us rooted in the time and space we live, here in Hawaiʻi," Veincent told HPR. "I'd like to think that we helped to instill a sense of pride in our home, in our culture, in our language."
Today, only Veincent and Richards remain with the group. Kawaʻauhau died in 2018.
Veincent said the group was able to record an album with Kawaʻauhau before his death. Veincent hopes to release it later this year.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Oct. 3, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
