ABs say no to rapper’s plan
Songs for rugby stars on hold until Big Daddy Jimmy Love gets nod for tribute album
Thomas Matea sits hunched over, whispering his lyrics, getting the flow right in his head. “You’re up,” says the producer. Matea stands, adjusts his cap, touches the lucky silver medallion hanging around his neck, and steps up to the microphone.
“Yeah, it’s your boy, Big Daddy Jimmy Love,” he hollers, waving his free hand in time with the music.
“Big Daddy Jimmy Love” is his rap alter-ego, and Matea has the same routine for every song he records. He jots lyrics down into a well-thumbed notebook in his Papakura flat, eating mints while surrounded by pictures, pinned to the wall, of his favourite All Blacks players.
When his rhymes are ready, he catches the train into Grey Lynn, walks to the Toi Ora Live Art Trust, and awaits his turn in the small studio.
Over the past 10 years, he’s amassed quite a collection of songs, penning tributes for his favourite actors, action movie stars like Jason Statham and the Rock.
But Matea’s favourite thing to rap about, the one subject that trumps everything else, is the All Blacks.
Most years, he records a Tribute to the All Blacks, a song dedicated to the season’s best games, his favourite tries, his top players — and, if it happens, details about a rare loss.
He started in 2006, recorded his last one after the All Blacks’ successful 2015 Rugby World Cup Campaign, and he’s already storing up material from this season for his 2017 tribute.
But Matea has a bigger dream: he wants to make an entire album dedicated to the men in black. However, red tape means it might not happen.
And Matea says he’s ready to abandon his favourite team over it.
“It’s been a dream for a while but I’m not really getting anywhere with my All Blacks songs and album.
“I’m not going to keep writing songs for the All Blacks if they’re not interested.”
Matea first approached the team about recording an All Blacks album in October, when he met coach Steve Hansen and several players in a session organised by All Blacks mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka.
“Steve Hanson comes into the hotel. He goes, ‘This must be the man, the rapper, Thomas, Big Daddy Jimmy Love’,” remembers Matea proudly. “He shook my hand and gave me a hongi. It went all right . . . I think they were excited to meet me.”
But Matea says their attitude changed when he approached New Zealand Rugby about recording an entire album about the All Blacks.
“The rugby union don’t . . . really comply or give me their consent to make an album. I don’t know why.”
NZ Rugby head of marketing, brand and commercial development Todd Barberel said they loved hearing about fans showing their support by making videos, songs and stories. However, selling music leveraging the All Blacks’ brand commercialised the product.
“We are obliged to protect the interests of our licensed partners who have invested the right to be associated with the brand.
“We also believe that it is too difficult to peg the All Blacks to one style of music when the team actually represents a wide range of music tastes.”
So Matea’s changing tactics. He’s found something else to rap about.
As he steps up to the microphone in the Grey Lynn studio, Matea alters his intro. “This one goes out to Bill English and the National Party.”
He’s written and recorded two songs for competing political parties ahead of this year’s election. One’s called, Tribute to the Labour Party, the other’s, Tribute to the National Party. So who’s Matea going to vote for? He laughs, and says: “Whoever supports my song first.”