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HBAF – Che Fu and the Kratez: Return of the Navigator
August 12, 2022 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Che Fu is one of the best-selling hip hop acts to ever come out of Aotearoa, but his commercial success is only part of his achievement.
When he arrived as a solo act in the mid-90s, local hip hop and R&B survived within a small underground scene and there seemed little chance of it crossing to the mainstream. Che Fu broke through with a run of massive hits and effectively paved the way for the golden years of local rap that would follow in the mid-00s.
Che Fu’s second album Navigator in 2001 featured tracks that have become Kiwi classics, crossing genres and bringing hip hop to the masses. Mixing Polynesian sounds with reggae, soul, and hip hop, the singles ‘Misty Frequencies’ and ‘Fade Away’ are still some of the most played tracks on local radio. A landmark album that was certified triple-platinum, won five national music awards and had a cultural impact that rings out into the present day, which music writer Nick Bollinger calls “not just a beautiful album, but an important one.”
Navigator is a bona fide classic, and we celebrate its twentieth anniversary with Che and hisband, the Kratez, playing the album in its entirety. Don’t miss this concert honouring one of Aotearoa’s most eloquently soulful vocalists.
