IN the space of only a few months New Zealand hip-hop collective Fast Crew has enjoyed chart success and plenty of airplay.
The infectious catchy singles I Got, It's The Incredible and Suburbia Streets have quickly lifted the group's reputation to make it one of the hottest names on the hip-hop circuit.
Despite seeming like a bit of an overnight success, Fast Crew is finally celebrating success across the Tasman after a five-year slog.
``We have spent the last five years touring around New Zealand and finally we are beginning to move into Australia,'' Fast Crew's Kid Deft says.
Fast Crew surfaced in 1999 when long-time friends Jerome Fortune, Kid Deft, D-arblo, Bex and DJ Alias decided to form the five-piece hip-hop collective.
Based in Auckland, made up of a DJ, two MCs and one female vocalist, the group began making music ``just for fun'' before it eventually evolved into something more serious.
``Before we got the band together we were all good friends and we'd hang out together all the time,'' Fortune said.
``We all had a passion for music and as soon as we started writing songs it became apparent that we should take it more seriously.'' Trying to set themselves apart from the many other hip-hop acts in New Zealand was no easy task so the group added the element of live instruments to their sound.
``Our music is basically hip-hop but we have tried to approach it differently from traditional New Zealand hip-hop.
``We use a lot of live instruments in our recording and our music is a bit funky.'' Entry to tomorrow night's show at the Bar On The Hill at Newcastle University is free for students or $10 for guests.
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