When it comes to hip-hop and rap music, singer Young Sid is 100 per cent sure New Zealanders have it over the Americans in the "being true to the lyrics" department.
"I've been in studios in the US and heard people talk about how much money they have, how many people they
shoot, what kind of chains they have and cars they drive. But in reality they've got none of that, so they're making stuff up - it's a fantasy.
"New Zealanders, we like to talk about (in songs) what we are going through and what's real. We sometimes grab a character and talk about their life but that's still real, and that's the difference - we are real people."
Hawke's Bay had a glimpse of what makes the singer "real" when he presented with four other Maori artists at a music workshop for secondary school students in Hastings on Monday.
The artists, who included Maisey Rika and her brother Jay, Taisha Tari and Ruia Aperahama, shared their experiences with the budding musicians before performing at the launch of Waiata Maori Music magazine at the Hawke's Bay Opera House in Hastings on Tuesday night. They also wrote a song together and recorded a demo version, to be released later this year, at Radio Kahungunu in Hastings.
Young Sid said he wasn't "good at public speaking" but found himself opening up to the students on Monday when he talked about the death of his mum and how his career almost came to a standstill. "I grew up in Otara and in a gang environment. There's a gang called the Killer Beez and some of them are friends and family and they asked me to feature in a song they did with their label. I thought, of course, if it's going to help them do something else positive. We did the song, we did the video clip and then a couple of the members got caught in a police operation."
When it hit the news, television played the video clip, specifically showing Young Sid, even though he was not part of the gang and not wearing gang colours. The impact was huge. He was on the verge of being "blacklisted" by radio stations, venues and concert organisers.
"Every city I went to there was a lot of police. There were articles in the paper saying this guy Young Sid is going to come down with like a busload of Killer Beez gang members and try to recruit.
"I had to really work hard to show people that I wasn't the person I was made out to be."
Soon after Young Sid, who's mum was Maori and father from the Cook Islands, found success with hip-hop group Smash Proof. The group's song, Brother, spent 11 weeks at number one in New Zealand but the chance to enjoy it slipped after news his mum who had been "the rock of our family" had terminal cancer.
"I was going through so much, the media and police scrutiny and my older brother was in jail. It all happened at the same time. So I had the biggest low and the biggest high in one year. But I just had to keep going and keep working so I didn't lose control. Now I am really proud of Smash Proof and can enjoy the success."
Young Sid has been booked to perform at this year's National Waiata Maori Music Awards in Hawke's Bay in September.
