Dei Hamo

Samoan rapper Dei Hamo — real name Sani Sagala — topped the Kiwi charts in 2004 with his bass-heavy debut single ‘We Gon Ride'. It spent five weeks at number one, and stayed in the Top 10 for two months. It also made the Top 40 in Australia. Dei Hamo had been part of the early wave of South Auckland hip hop in the late 1980s, before returning to music in 2002. His debut album First Edition (2005) spawned a second hit with ‘To Tha Floor', which debuted at number five. Although further singles have followed, these days Sagala concentrates on directing music videos. He has made over 50 to date, for everyone from Pieter T to Smashproof — as well as short film The Crossroads: Le Māgafā, about musician Tha Freestyle.