Widely acknowledged as the most significant hip-hop outfit out of this part of the world, the original incarnation of the Upper Hut Posse was also the very first Polynesian group to release a hip-hop record, 1988's groundbreaking “E Tū”. Political, militant and proudly Maori, UHP initially started out in 1985 as a reggae combo. Under the constant driving force of founder Dean Hapeta, UHP's sound has altered over the years with advances in technology and rotations in line-up, so much so that 2011's Declaration of Resistance, the Posse's seventh album, was recorded by a seven-piece full live band.