How Ray changed NZ hip-hop
PERHAPS it should be no surprise that even as we enter the last month of 2016, we are marking the passing of another icon.
If New Zealand music legend Ray Columbus wasn’t the country’s first real celebrity, he was definitely our first pop star.
He was made in the 1960s, one of the most dynamic and seminal decades of human history, and broke through the ceiling to show the world that New Zealand was about more than climbing mountains, farming and rugby.
As well as being the first singer to have a number one hit outside New Zealand, he later became the first pop star in the Commonwealth to be made an OBE.
Although weirdly – as if a sign of the cultural cringe to come – his classic She’s A Mod became a number one in Australia before it was a hit here.
Only those who were there could attest to what this meant to New Zealand in the Sixties. For the young people it must have been huge; for musicians, even bigger.
The fact that Ray Columbus had cracked the huge Australian market showed it was possible.
Columbus seemed to have spent the rest of his career advocating for others, being a mentor and encouraging them on to the path that he helped open up.
His passing this week after a long illness prompted numerous tributes and a massive outpouring of respect as people recalled his energy and enthusiasm for his work and for people. Former prodigy Suzanne Lynch of The Chicks called him ‘‘the most positive, happy, whistling person’’.
Among his many legacies was his contribution to the repertoire of New Zealand hip-hop. MIKE CHUNN
In 1988, New Zealand’s commercial radio air waves were as white as the Milky Bar Kid. Music from New Zealand barely got a look-in, let alone local brown rappers. That very genre was largely unknown at the time apart from the fans who would hang out for every release.
But then Columbus saw a couple of talented kids from South Auckland’s Otahuhu College performing in a talent quest organised by a record store in Manukau. He sang their praises to his mate Mike Chunn, who at the time was running a record label with Tim Finn.
As luck would have it, Chunn happened across the two youngsters later and, remembering Columbus’s tip, resolved to keep an eye at them.
The result was Jerry Tala Brown and Jeremy Toomata becoming the rap duo Double J and Twice the T, and being signed to Chunn and Finn’s label Definitive. When Chunn proposed they match a rap to a New Zealand classic, there really could be only one song to choose, and She’s A Mod Rap was born.
In those days there was only one chart that mattered and one source of what music was hot – RTR Countdown. She’s A Mod Rap made it all the way to number two and changed the world for the two friends who grew up on the same street, dreaming about making music but never thinking it was possible.
With mate DJ Freddy V, the group enjoyed success for a few years as they contributed to a movement that would eventually expand as New Zealand’s hip-hop scene developed and evolved.
Speaking from Brisbane where both now live, Toomata was shocked to hear of Columbus’s passing and speaks fondly of the role he played in that golden period of their musical lives.
Among his many happy memories from back then is recording the video at Mike Chunn’s house, hanging out with stars including Fenella Bathfield, When’s The Cat’s Away and Rikki Morris while Columbus taught youngsters the Mod’s Nod.
No doubt many will share Toomata’s memory of Ray: ‘‘He was just always really encouraging and talked about how you have to keep pushing forward, chase your dreams and go for gold.’’
Legend advice from one of New Zealand’s finest. Rest in peace, Ray.
‘ Ray Columbus showed the world that New Zealand was about more than climbing mountains, farming and rugby.’