Che Kuo Eruera Ness (born 1974), better known by his stage name Che Fu (stylised as Ché-Fu),
Early life
Che Fu was born Che Ness in
Auckland. His mother, Miriama Rauhihi Ness is of Māori descent and his father
Tigilau Ness is
.
Fu's parents are well-known political activists, notably as members of the Polynesian-rights group, the Polynesian Panthers, and founding members of Rastafarian movement
12 Tribes of Israel.
Tigilau is a musician and part of the band
Unity Pacific as well as his son's band,
The Krates. The Ness family are
.
Career
Supergroove (1994–1996)
While a student at Western Springs College, Fu and a group of friends formed the Low Down Dirty Blues Band,
who later became
Supergroove.
Supergroove released their debut album
Traction in 1994. The album went triple platinum in New Zealand and won five Tuis.
Before finishing their second album,
Backspacer, Fu left Supergroove to pursue a solo career.
Solo career (1996–1997)
Fu was invited to record a single with well-known New Zealand DJ DLT. The song "Chains" protested
Mururoa and was released in July 1996, within weeks of Fu leaving Supergroove. "Chains" was a Number One hit on the New Zealand Singles Charts and won three Tuis, namely Single of the year, Best male vocalist, and Best songwriter.
This marked the beginning of Fu's solo career and brought prominence to Hip Hop in New Zealand.
2b S.Pacific (1998–2000)
In 1998, Fu released his debut album
2b S.Pacific. The album went double platinum and spawned four top-ten hits, which was unheard-of for a local hip hop artist at the time. The following year, he received the Single of the year award for
Scene III.
Fu subsequently formed a band named
The Krates for studio work and live performances. Paul Russell, previous drummer for Supergroove, is part of The Krates line-up.
Navigator (2001–2003)
Fu released his follow-up album
Navigator in 2001, debuting at number one and generating triple platinum sales.
At the 2002 New Zealand Music Awards, Fu took home five Tui awards: Single of the year for "Fade Away", Album of the year, Top male vocalist, Best R&B / Hip hop album, and Best music video.
That same year, Fu received the APRA Silver Scroll for his single "Misty Frequencies".
He went on to win Best male vocalist in 2003 for "Misty Frequencies".
Beneath the Radar and Hi-Score: The Best of Che Fu (2005–2007)
Fu's next album
Beneath the Radar was released in 2005, led out by singles "2D" and "Lightwork". However, the record was not as successful as previous works. The following year Fu released
Hi-Score – The Best of Che Fu, a compilation of hit singles from his previous three albums including "Fade Away", "Waka" and "Without a Doubt", as well as four new singles.
Collaborations (2008)
Fu teamed up with the
Glass Packaging Forum to promote glass recycling with youth. The Forum hosted a competition for 9- to 15-year-olds to write rap lyrics encouraging recycling.
The winners recorded their lyrics with Fu in a single called "Do the krusher".
Fu also collaborated with Kimbra and hip hop group Nesian Mystik on their top-ten single "Mr Mista".
Hedlok (2010–2013)
Che Fu & The Krates continued to tour New Zealand and Australia. As well, Fu performs alongside another hip hop legend, Samoan rapper
King Kapisi as one-half of the group Hedlok.
Lifetime Achievement Award (2014)
Fu's contribution to New Zealand music was recognised when he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 Pacific Music Awards.
Personal life
In 2011, Fu and his father Tigilau were featured in a documentary for Māori Television in which they travelled to their homeland of
Mutalau, Niue for the first time together. While in Niue, Fu married his long-time partner Angela McDonald.
Fu and his wife have four sons, Loxmyn, Marley, Jeru, and Kaselle, whom they are raising in the
faith.
Fu is also a serious sneaker collector. Fu developed his love for sneakers in 1989 when he purchased his first pair of Air Jordan.
Discography
Studio albums
With Supergroove
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Traction (1994) BMG
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Backspacer (1996) BMG
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Postage (2003) BMG
Singles
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| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country. |
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Other certified songs
Honours and awards
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2002 – APRA Silver Scroll Awards: Che Ness (Che Fu) and Godfrey de Grut, "Misty Frequencies"
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2009 – Appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to music, in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours
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2014 – Pacific Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award
RIANZ Awards
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| 1995 | Album of the Year | Traction | Supergroove | |
| Single of the Year | "Can't Get Enough" | Supergroove | |
| 1996 | International Achievement | | Supergroove | |
| 1997 | Single of the Year | "Chains" | DLT feat Che Fu | |
| Best Male Vocalist | "Chains" | | |
| Best Songwriter | "Chains" | Dl Thompson, C Ness, A McNaughton, K Rangihuna | |
| 1999 | Single of the Year | "Scene III" | Che Fu | |
| Album of the Year | 2b S Pacific | | |
| Best Producer | 2b S Pacific | Che Fu & Andy Morton | |
| 2002 | Album of the Year | Navigator | Che Fu | |
| Single of the Year | "Fade Away" | Che Fu | |
| Top Male Vocalist | Navigator | Che Fu | |
| Best R&B/Hip Hop Album | Navigator | Che Fu | |
| Best Songwriter | "Fade Away" | Che Fu | |
| Best Cover Design | "Fade Away" | Che Fu and Kelvin Soh | |
| 2003 | Single of the Year | "Misty Frequencies" | Che Fu | |
| Best Male Vocalist | "Misty Frequencies" | Che Fu | |
| Best Music Video | "Misty Frequencies" | Che Fu | |
| Songwriter of the Year | "Misty Frequencies" | Che Fu | |
| 2006 | Best Male Solo Artist | Beneath the Radar | Che Fu | |
External links
