Kas Futialo, known by the stage name Tha Feelstyle, is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

hip hop artist of Samoan descent. His first album was '' Break It To Pieces'' in 2004. Tha Feelstyle was born in Samoa and moved to New Zealand in the 1980s. He raps in English as well as the

Samoan language Samoan ( or ; ) is a Polynesian language spoken by Samoans of the Samoan Islands. Administratively, the islands are split between the sovereign country of Samoa and the United States territory of American Samoa. It is an official language, al ...

History

Tha Feelstyle entered his first rap competition in 1987 and under the name of RIQ was part of the Wellington hip hop duo Rough Opinion with Samoan rapper K.O.S. In the 1990s, he was a member of The Overstayers which included

King Kapisi Bill Rangi Urale is a New Zealand-Samoan hip-hop artist. Music career He was signed up as an artist with Festival Mushroom Records (NZ). In 2000 he released his critically acclaimed debut album ''Savage Thoughts'', followed by a second album, ...

and DJ Raw (aka Ian Seumanu). He has also worked with Andy Morton (aka The Submariner) an experienced producer in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

who has worked with various New Zealand artists including King Kapisi and

Che Fu Che Kuo Eruera Ness (born 1974), better known by his stage name Che Fu, is a New Zealand hip hop, R&B and reggae artist, songwriter and producer. A founding member of the band Supergroove, as a solo artist he has gone on to sell thousands o ...

. The music video for Tha Feelystyle's award-winning single ''Suamalie/Ain't Mad at You'' was filmed in Samoa and directed by New Zealand filmmaker Chris Graham, the director of feature film

Sione's Wedding ''Sione's Wedding'' (also marketed outside New Zealand as ''Samoan Wedding'') is a 2006 New Zealand comedic film directed by Chris Graham and written by James Griffin and Oscar Kightley, and produced by South Pacific Pictures. Plot Set in Au ...

. The track also featured in the movie. In 2009, Tha Feelstyle toured New Zealand with King Kapisi. In 2008, Tha Feelstyle released the Samoan-language album Lokokasi. In March 2011, he released his third album ''Good Morning Samoa'', at the Pasifika Festival. ''Good Morning Samoa'' was nominated for three awards at the 2012

Pacific Music Awards The Pacific Music Awards are an annual New Zealand music award ceremony since 2005 that honours excellence in Pacific music in New Zealand. The awards honour musicians who primarily work in the Pacific Island style of music from the Cook Islands, ...

- for Best Pacific Male Artist, Best Pacific Language album, and Best Pacific Music Album.

Awards

, - , 2005 , Tha Feelstyle - ''Break It To Pieces'' ,

- Best Pacific Male Artist , , - , 2005 , Tha Feelstyle - Break It To Pieces ,

- Best Pacific Urban Artist , , - , 2005 , Kas Futialo and Ian Seumanu - "Su'amalie" ,

- APRA Best Pacific Song , , - , 2005 , Kas Futialo, Andy Morton, Grant Osborne & Andrew B. White - ''Break It To Pieces'' (Tha Feelstyle) ,

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 ...

- Best Album Cover , , - , 2005 , Tha Feelstyle – ''Break It To Pieces'' ,

- Breakthrough Artist of the Year , , - , 2005 , Tha Feelstyle – ''Break It To Pieces'' ,

- Best Urban/Hip Hop Album , , - , 2012 , Kas Futialo (aka Tha Feelstyle), ''Good Morning Samoa'' ,

- Best Pacific Music Album , , -

References

External links

Watch Suamalie music video NZ On Screen websiteNZ Herald articleNZ Musician Magazine interview, 2004One Samoana Notebook interview, 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feelstyle, Tha Samoan artists New Zealand people of Samoan descent New Zealand rappers Living people Pacific Music Award-winning artists Year of birth missing (living people)