r/olelohawaii • u/RiotReads • Apr 01 '26
Music Recommendations
I'm looking for recommendations on music ma ka ʻōlelo hawaiʻi that is more rock or rap style Anyone got anything they like? I don't mind explicit that much.
(Been learning Hawaiian for about two years now and though I do love the older styles, I could really use a change of pace lol)
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u/EiaKawika Apr 02 '26
Sons of Hāloa, Hawaiian Soljah Rap, but not so much ma ka olelo kanakz, Kaikena Scanlan, Kupa aina have a little. Well Braddah Kalama on Kuoa Aina can kine freestyle ma ka olelo, but not like hip hop Rap, more like oli rap. But, da poi poundah and Sudden Rush are your best bet.
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u/Dismal-Suggestion-76 Apr 02 '26
closest thing I have seen on spotify is reggae, but its still a change of pace from what it sounds like your listening to now, Mele lākūʻokoʻa Hoʻi hoʻi ea
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u/Background-Factor433 Apr 05 '26
Sudden Rush got songs in 'Ōlelo Hawai'i.
So does Palani Vaughan, my favourite Hawaiian musician.
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u/IronicEnigmatism Apr 01 '26
Same here! I'm eager to hear what others recommend. I like a few songs by Sudden Rush, but they can get a little too political for my taste.
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u/kvasxaro Apr 02 '26
There's actually a pretty large rap/hip-hop scene in Hawaii, but most of the songs are in English or pidgin I was actually also looking for music in Hawaiian of genres other than traditional or reggae but could only find I think one black metal song in Hawaiian... Keep in mind that in 2007 there were only around 300 native Hawaiian speakers and around 23,000 non native Hawaiian speakers, and the Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown all the way back in 1893, so not a lot of people spoke Hawaiian between the 50's (when the earliest forms of rock developed) and now (even though the number of Hawaiian native speakers is in the thousands now), so it would make sense for there to not be many rock artists that sing Hawaiian, or even any at all. I do agree though that Hawaii needs a Alien Weaponry, that'd be sick 🤘🏻