Rough Opinion
Encyclopedia
Rough Opinion, formerly known as The Mau, is a Samoa
n Hip hop
group comprising MC’s Kosmo, “Khas the Fieldstyle Orator,” (now known as Tha Feelstyle
) and DJ Rockit V. Created in 1990, in Wellington
, New Zealand, the group first named themselves The Mau, as they took their name from the Samoan organization that agitated the country’s independence under both German and New Zealand colonial governments.http://www.janesoceania.com/samoa_chron_history/ The decision of the group members to invoke Samoan colonial history, even though the group name was Samoa-specific, demonstrates the clear influence of the United States on Samoan hip hop, in that “there was a movement of Black consciousness in America at the time, and this became fuel for through for Kosmo’s crew whose motto became that of the Mau movement in Samoa-Samoa Mo Samoa, Samoa for Samoans.”
Although as a group Rough Opinion never recorded an album, their influence on the hip hop scene was invaluable. By drawing alternately upon their knowledge of Samoan history and narrative of the U.S. Black Power movement circulating at the time within the American Hip Hop scene, the group articulated a diasporic Samoan cultural nationalism. It is said that “their potent blend of machete-waving Samoa-centricity, occasional Samoan language rhymes, and U.S. Black Power iconography in live performances were influential on acts that followed.”
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
n Hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
group comprising MC’s Kosmo, “Khas the Fieldstyle Orator,” (now known as Tha Feelstyle
Tha Feelstyle
Tha Feelstyle is the stage name of award winning hip hop artist Kas Futialo, a New Zealander of Samoan descent. His first album was Break It To Pieces in 2004. Tha Feelstyle was born in Samoa and moved to New Zealand in the 1980s...
) and DJ Rockit V. Created in 1990, in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand, the group first named themselves The Mau, as they took their name from the Samoan organization that agitated the country’s independence under both German and New Zealand colonial governments.http://www.janesoceania.com/samoa_chron_history/ The decision of the group members to invoke Samoan colonial history, even though the group name was Samoa-specific, demonstrates the clear influence of the United States on Samoan hip hop, in that “there was a movement of Black consciousness in America at the time, and this became fuel for through for Kosmo’s crew whose motto became that of the Mau movement in Samoa-Samoa Mo Samoa, Samoa for Samoans.”
Although as a group Rough Opinion never recorded an album, their influence on the hip hop scene was invaluable. By drawing alternately upon their knowledge of Samoan history and narrative of the U.S. Black Power movement circulating at the time within the American Hip Hop scene, the group articulated a diasporic Samoan cultural nationalism. It is said that “their potent blend of machete-waving Samoa-centricity, occasional Samoan language rhymes, and U.S. Black Power iconography in live performances were influential on acts that followed.”