3 The Hard Way

Mixing dance and hip hop, West Auckland's 3 The Hard Way made their mark the same year they formed: their 1994 single 'Hip Hop Holiday' topped the Kiwi single charts for five weeks, and reached number five in Australia. But failure to clear credit for 10cc track 'Dreadlock Holiday' would ultimately sour relations with the band's label Deepgrooves. The trio (Chris Ma'ia'i, Lance Manuel and Mike Paton) did extensive touring for their platinum-selling debut album, Old School Prankstas. After a six-year break, final album Eyes On The Prize dropped in 2003, with Manuel having departed for Australia. It featured number one single 'It's On'.