Kepa Tumai: From drug addiction to making beats with Timbaland, top US music producer

Kepa Tumai was inducted into Timbaland’s producer’s group Beatclub after winning international battles online. Photo / Te Ao Māori News

Kepa Tumai is ranked the No 1 beats maker in New Zealand and works for one of the world’s top hip hop record producers, Timbaland, but behind his success is a long period of struggle with drug addiction.

Tumai, of Tainui and Ngāphui, was inducted into Timbaland’s producer’s group Beatclub after winning international battles online.

“I definitely always had in mind that I was actually going to work with Timbaland, which is crazy,” says Tumai.

Timbaland has produced for artists including Justin Timberlake, Missy Eliot, Beyonce, Aaliyah, Ginuwine and more.

“He’s been able to teach me a lot, especially listening to his stuff growing up. His sound was just unique and you could tell that it was a Timbaland beat. So I’m just trying to learn those things now.”

Tumai was noticed out of hundreds of other beat makers by Timbaland’s team on Twitch, an interactive live streaming service for content including gaming, entertainment and music.

“That now has eventually led to me working with them and bringing out some music with that team.”

One of the most prestigious online battles Tumai has won was Team Hitz, held by producers of artists including Chris Brown, T-Pain, Wiz Khalifa and Tyga. Early this year Tumai was also the winner of New Zealand’s annual beat battle Rep Your Beats.

Tumai has helped produce a song to be released by one of America’s best-selling pop artists in the coming weeks.

Struggle with drug addiction

But behind Kepa’s success is eight years of struggle with drug addiction while living in Napier.

“I started selling for gangs and then I started drug running from Auckland to Hawke’s Bay. Then obviously if you’re selling stuff, you’re going to want to try it and the first time that I tried it, I got hooked just like that. I just couldn’t stop for about eight years, even though I tried my best.”

The drugs he took included painkillers, morphine, tramadol, meth and marijuana.

“No one knew that I was addicted and no one knew that I was battling with it for eight years. Not even my parents, not even my family.”

Tumai says he lost the relationships he had with his family, his partner and their two children. He tried to take his own life and became homeless, sleeping under his desk for a month when he was a student at the Eastern Institute of Technology.

“My life kind of fell to pieces and with it so much; my self-worth, my self-identity, not knowing who I was and I lost everything and now I know what it’s like to lose everything and not have nothing but a bag of clothes to my name.”

One of Tumai’s best mates was rugby player Pasquale Dunn, who had moved from the Auckland Blues to play for the Hawke’s Bay Magpies.

“I had no idea he had struggles because he had such a big smile on his face all the time and he loved what he was doing,” Dunn says.

But one day came they’ll - never forget when Tumai overdosed.

“I was driving, he was in the passenger seat and then like he just passed out and I was like, ‘Whoa, like this is scary’, Dunn says. “Like, what’s happening? What just happened?’ And I see like this blood coming out of his mouth and I knew like straight away like, ‘whoa, like this is serious’.”

Dunn took Tumai to the hospital to recover.

“When we got home because we were sharing in the same room, I had to be really mindful to what he was doing, just trying to look out for him … but to see where he’s come now, it’s pretty amazing.”

American producer and songwriter Timbaland.

Church, whakapapa and great people helped

Tumai says submerging himself in the church and having great people around him is what helped him recover from drug addiction.

“It was definitely my mentors that helped me through and moving into a different environment. I moved from Hawke’s Bay to Manukau to study at Bible College and it was definitely there where I knew that I was never going to go back to drugs.”

He says remembering his whakapapa also helped.

“Tainui born in Huntly, King Country. Knowing my ancestors were warriors,” Tumai says.

“My dad would always instil ‘You’re a warrior. You come from a long line of strong people and chiefs’ and that had always stayed with me, and going through my battle with addiction I always knew there was more to me.”

‘Inspiring and humble teacher’

Tumai now works as a music production tutor at Equippers Bible College.

Student Sam Servwooza says what he honours most about Tumai is “how humble he is”.

“I love just the way he like, allows us to just come up with our own ideas and he just cares about you mostly as a person,” Servwooza says.

Student Catherine Jones travelled all the way from London to study at the college.

“It’s just been incredible to learn from Keps. It’s just been really inspiring to learn about all the different tips and tricks that he gives us in producing music,” Jones says.

Tumai is also a band leader for the Manukau Equippers church band and helps produce music for the church.

“I lost everything. I had nothing and now I’m doing really great things and I’m able to give back to those people that helped me. I have my children back in my life – amen – and great people around me. I’m just overwhelmed and blessed,” he says.