Double J and Twice the T was a New Zealand hip hop duo, best known for their 1989 #2 charting song "She's A Mod/Mod Rap", a hip hop reworking of Ray Columbus & the Invaders' 1964 cover of "She's a Mod". They are also known for their 1990 eco anthem "Def to be Green" in which they teamed up with Auckland Regional Council's water conservation mascot Robert D Frogg.

History

The group consisted of Samoan-New Zealand school friends rapper Jerry Tala Brown and beatboxer Jeremy Toomata who originally met at

Otahuhu College Otahuhu College is a secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand for students years 9 to 13. Location It is located in the suburb of Otahuhu and is a co-educational school. The main campus entrance is on Mangere Road, the Memorial Field sports ...

. The pair started performing in 1988 as JJ and the Jammers, and the Double Jays. They won two battle of the bands competitions, which brought them to the attention of Mike Chunn who signed them to his Definitive Records label, an imprint of EMI Music New Zealand. It was Chunn who suggested the duo perform a rap cover of "She's A Mod", inspired by the Fat Boys hit reworking of " Wipe Out" with

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

. Their four charting singles were co-written with Stanley Manthyng of World Gone Wild, another Definitiv Records act. At the 1989 New Zealand Music Awards, the duo were nominated for three awards including Most Promising Group. Their debut album ''All Wrapped Up'' was released in 1989, but did not chart. The group enjoyed three top-ten singles and released two more singles before breaking up in 1991. In 1994 Jeremy Toomata teamed up with Herman Loto to form the hip hop duo Radio Backstab & DJ Payback. Their song "Bassed on a Lost Cause" appeared on the iconic New Zealand compilation album '' Proud: An Urban-Pacific Streetsoul Compilation''.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Awards

, - , rowspan="4" , 1989 , Double J & Twice the T "She's A Mod / Mod Rap" , Single of the Year (

New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

) , , - , Double J & Twice the T , Most Promising Group (

) , , - , Tony Johns "She's A Mod/ Mod Rap" , Best Video (

) , , - , Mike Chunn ''All Wrapped Up'' , Best Producer (

) ,

References

{{Reflist New Zealand hip hop groups New Zealand people of Samoan descent