There is nothing ordinary about the sound being produced by fresh hip-hop fusion act, Smokestack Lightning.
Tipuna Smith, and brothers Preston and Taina Reid all contribute to the music-making process and their tunes reflect R&B and hip-hop influences, fused with funk, blues and disco. The Hawke's Bay trio, who have lived "down the road" from one another their whole lives, are taking a break from solo projects to focus on the collaboration.
"We are relatively new as a group - me and Preston have been on the hip-hop scene for several years, but we have come together to take a fresher look at the genre," Smith says.
"We are trying to freshen things up, give people a new experience, hip-hop here is full of beef and egos, we want to lighten the mood."
Since forming just over a year ago, they have opened for acts such as Smashproof, and continue to gig around Napier to gain exposure.
