Andy Murnane is a co-founder of Dawn Raid Entertainment a record label\/management company from Auckland, New Zealand. It has signed many New Zealand Hip-Hop and R&B artists such as Savage, Adeaze, Aaradhna, The Deceptikonz, Devolo, Ill Semantics and more. After a series of successes Dawn Raid Entertainment announced the closure of the record label in 2007 due to liquidation but was back in business later that year and saw unprecedented success with the single “Swing” by Savage which achieved platinum plus sales in the US.<\/strong><\/p>\n Currently Dawn Raid Entertainment is under the Frequency Media Group umbrella along with Dirty Records which sees 3 of their artists (Aaradhna, David Dallas & P-Money) signed to record labels in the US. Grindin’ caught up with Andy soon after finishing the 3rd US tour for Aaradhna and the news that she had just won “Album Of The Year” at this years New Zealand Music Awards.<\/p>\n What are your earliest memories of music?<\/strong> Who were your influences coming up?<\/strong> How and when did Dawn Raid first start?<\/strong> Along with Dirty Records Dawn Raid were the 2 most prominent labels in the first golden era of New Zealand Hip Hop how do you look back on those times?<\/strong> In 2007 after a lot success Dawn Raid suddenly went into liquidation what lessons did you learn from this time?<\/strong> As men myself and Brotha D stood up, took it on the chin, ate some humble pie in public view, lost a few houses in the process and learned some very valuable lessons about life, and who will stand up with you when the fire is on\u2026.But, I wouldn\u2019t have it any other way, as its all part of life\u2019s journey, and I\u2019m sure if you ask Brotha D he\u2019d say the exact same thing\u2026. Additionally some very strong minded men, helped us on the other side and bought the company out, so that we could regroup and live to fight another day as Dawn Raid Entertainment and here we are, Dawn Raid Ent LLC ( US) charting albums all over the world in different genre\u2019s, sold millions of records, Aaradhna just won \u201cAlbum Of The Year\u201d and have artists signed on 3 different US Major labels.<\/p>\n
\nGarage parties growing up in East Auckland, (before I moved South) My Dad held parties at the house and so did the neighbours who were mixed Maori and Polynesian families in our street, and we always had great times, playing league on the street, dancing away to oldies, 50s \/ 60s Doo Wop, Rock N Roll and early Rhythm and Blues. I knew I had rhythm early cause all the older Maori ladies always wanted to dance with me God blessed me with that one.<\/p>\n
\nMy first ever cassette tape that I can say was mine that I bought, was Michael Jackson “Bad” 1988, the first Hip Hop record I ever owned was a 12\u201d of DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, (I stole it if I remember correctly, by sliding it under the Record Store back room door by the Street Fighter 1 machine in Pakuranga town centre LOL) not long after New Edition, Bobby Brown and then came N.W.A, Public Enemy, Eazy-E, King Tee and 2 Live Crew got my attention, and I was hooked, 1989, I was 10 years old. My brother was 12 and he was deep into Gangster Rap, and was active East Side tagger\/graffiti artist, it was everywhere I looked, I fell right in and I never left.<\/p>\n
\nI dropped out of school and 16, but then re-enrolled into pre-business school in Otara, South AK, (MIT – Which is the course you take when you haven\u2019t got the grades to get in to business school) which is where I meet Brotha D, that was 1995, seems so long ago\u2026..We basically connected over music and hustling at school, Slanging bootleg t-shirts and stuff like that around the campus, D was already in music with his group \u201cLost Tribe\u201d on UPR Records with the Fuemana Family, I was invited into the fold, and we started Dawn Raid Entertainment as a feeder label to UPR, in 1996.<\/p>\n
\nI loved every minute of those years from 1999 \u2013 2005 it was a real struggle and hustle everyday for us trying to compete against the major labels in NZ who were trying their hand at Hip Hop as well, and as indies we did it, and we did it with NZ Hip Hop, we went back to back, hit for hit with the Dirty Records guys, and it was a lot of fun, there was a few silly moments where we didn\u2019t agree on certain things, around the time the Hook Up Tour went national in 2004, but that all comes with youth and not knowing who you are when you\u2019re young. We fought a few battles that didn\u2019t really matter, but I\u2019m glad with people like Che-Fu, Scribe, P-Money, Mareko, Savage, Deceptikonz, we were able to pick the whole scene up and give it some light which carries on until right now with David Dallas, P-Money and Aaradhna\u2019s success in the US.<\/p>\n
\nYou as the owner of the company are solely responsible for every action and move taken by your company, or any employees of your company regardless of whether it was you who made that call or not, and every so called advisor, accountant, lawyer, business partner, friend and foe, will walk away the moment there is trouble. To me it was very unnecessary to be target like that by the tax department and others, when million dollar (white) corporates do it all the time with little consequence. It was disappointing for the Polynesian community as we were their leaders, but we were very young and didn\u2019t understand everything we should have, we got made an example of in the media and it even went as far as parliament debate at the Beehive (NZ Parliament Building), its in the NZ history files, to this day I have my thoughts on that and one day when I\u2019m old, maybe we\u2019ll revisit it. We work hard everyday now, to make sure that we can bring that happy positive vibe back to the Polynesian community and NZ\/Pacific in general.<\/p>\n