NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

How JessB carved her own path through New Zealand's hip-hop scene

Siena Yates
By Siena Yates
NZ Herald·
14 Mar, 2018 09:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Jess Bourke is blazing a trail through the NZ music scene. Photo / Supplied

Jess Bourke is blazing a trail through the NZ music scene. Photo / Supplied

JessB is a "wildflower, blooming in the toughest conditions, failing to fit in with the mould".

That's how the Kiwi rapper (real name Jess Bourke) has introduced herself on her upcoming debut EP Bloom; a celebration of her journey to discover and embrace her identity.

That intro, combined with the following bass-heavy, raucous party track Set It Off, may just tell you everything you need to know about JessB.

"Being me is not really limited to any one thing ... so in addition to the messages - talking about LGBT issues, social issues and being a woman of colour - I also advocate for the importance of just having fun," says Bourke.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The fact that I'm in my early 20s and I enjoy hanging out with my friends and going to parties and all of that stuff ... I want to be sharing all of the parts of me."

Bourke is outspoken about inclusion and diversity, because when she was growing up as someone of Kenyan descent in New Zealand, there was almost no one like her.

"For people like me ... there was virtually no representation at all. I guess that's one of the reasons why hip-hop was so appealing to me, because I could see all of that - people who looked like me and who I could relate to," she says.

So Bourke spent her teenage years studying the works of female rappers and trying her hand at the art form throughout high school.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When she launched her own Soundcloud account after high school, she was discovered by one of New Zealand's most prolific hip-hop producers, P Money and "that was kind of when I felt like I could actually pursue it as a real thing," she says.

That said, New Zealand has produced very few female rappers so it must've been a daunting prospect. But Bourke's answer to that is surprisingly nonchalant.

"Nah, it wasn't daunting. I'm not sure why I wouldn't find it daunting, I guess just because I'm confident in myself and I've never really been intimidated by the idea of being in a solely male-dominated area," she says.

Bourke isn't intimidated by much. Her confidence and self-assured nature has always seen her through; she was one of the lucky few who actually had a good time at high school, too.

"I wasn't afraid to try new things and believe in myself. It's not like I'm walking around 100 per cent confident in everything. I still doubt the things that I'm doing or wonder whether I'm doing the right thing but I'm definitely not afraid to speak up either."

Which is why, when I ask how the often misogynistic nature of hip-hop aligns with her own views, she's quick to put me in my place.

"First of all, hip-hop is not the only genre that has had issues [with its treatment of women]," she says, adding: "But I do think it's really important to have voices that are not reflecting those sorts of view points."

Kiwi rapper JessB (Jess Bourke). Photo / Supplied
Kiwi rapper JessB (Jess Bourke). Photo / Supplied

And that's where she comes in.

"For me in New Zealand and as a minority - there aren't many female artists so it's really important for me to fly the flag for everything I believe in," she says.

"Obviously, as a woman I want to be empowering and shine a positive light on being female, but also be free to express my femininity or be a woman in the way that I want to, which may not necessarily be everyone's idea of what it should be, but that's okay too because I'm not judging the way that you do your thing, you know what I mean?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"[Being a female in rap] is just a newer area that's waiting to develop, there hasn't really been a mainstream female rapper in New Zealand who's been a household name yet, so it's really still a path that is being walked now. For me it's a personal expression mixed in with making sure that I'm creating the right messages for people who might need inspiration."

LOWDOWN:
Who: JessB
What: Debut EP, Bloom
When: Out tomorrow

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment

Coronation Street star living life to the fullest after beating cancer

02 Jul 09:23 PM
Entertainment

Sean 'Diddy' Combs acquitted of sex trafficking, convicted on lesser charge

02 Jul 06:07 PM
Sport|athletics

Arli Liberman: The art of scoring in sport

02 Jul 06:01 AM

Sponsored: Get your kids involved in your reno

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

Coronation Street star living life to the fullest after beating cancer

Coronation Street star living life to the fullest after beating cancer

02 Jul 09:23 PM

In 2019, Sally raised £100,000 for Prevent Breast Cancer by trekking to Everest base camp.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs acquitted of sex trafficking, convicted on lesser charge

Sean 'Diddy' Combs acquitted of sex trafficking, convicted on lesser charge

02 Jul 06:07 PM
Arli Liberman: The art of scoring in sport

Arli Liberman: The art of scoring in sport

02 Jul 06:01 AM
The reason behind Hilary Barry's absence from Seven Sharp

The reason behind Hilary Barry's absence from Seven Sharp

02 Jul 04:35 AM
Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP