Posted Tuesday, June 9, 2009 by Ainsley Breault - in New Zealand
Smashproof
If you are in New Zealand right now, you know about
Smashproof. Smashproof, and their hit single “Brother”, are EVERYWHERE. It was thrilling to be in New Zealand watching “Brother” break records with its domination of the singles chart. Each week it surpassed another record, and earlier this month after 11 weeks at number one it became the longest running number one single from a local artist ever, tying with
Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” for second longest-running number one single from either a local or international artist. For critics of
Aotearoa (New Zealand) hip hop who claim that it can not compete with hip hop from the US, the fierce national pride in Smashproof was clear as fans fought to keep “Brother” at number 1, even when an imported single from Eminem threatened to defeat it.
I attended Smashproof’s concert earlier this month in Auckland, which was held on May 1 to celebrate the beginning of
New Zealand Music Month. There were many high-energy opening acts building up to the moment when Smashproof performed around 1:30 am, so the audience erupted when they finally came on stage. When they performed “Brother” and the whole crowd joined in, it was an awesome celebration of the success of a local
Maori artist.
Tags: Aotearora, New Zealand Music Month, Smashproof, Whitney Houston
