275 Times November 2017

This latest success is just one of Ken’s many personal
achievements, which include running dance
workshops and camps, and travelling to the USA
to work alongside YouTube star Brian Puspos.
“That was sick,” Ken says.“I used to watch him growing up,
and to be in one of his videos was super crazy.”
Ken is planning a dance tour in 2018, but to finish this
year strong, he’s going to share more of his behindthe-scenes
training videos online to encourage
other dancers to keep chasing their dreams.
“Seeing how it can really encourage and impact someone,
I feel encouraged to just keep going,” he says.
His bigger message is about “connecting people
with different backgrounds and how that plays a
part in our identity.”
KING
HOMEBOY
BEATBOXER
34, Māori/
Cook Island
Six-time
NZ beatbox
champion, and
current world
record holder
for the longest
individual beatboxing
marathon, the
internationally acclaimed King Homeboy has truly
lived up to his name as king of the beatboxing world.
Photo: Nivique Rasmussen
Hailing from Wellington, King now lives in Māngere.
Using his musical flair in the community, he runs
beatbox workshops at the Māngere Arts Centre to
help aspiring young locals explore the art form.
He encourages his mentees not to be confined by
what he teaches, but to express the techniques
they learn in their own unique way.
“You live your life,” he says. “There are stories
and experiences that only you can grab from
and [they] will be relevant because that’s
you. Only you went through that.”
His motto is to not compete against others,
but to compete against yourself; to be
the best possible version of yourself.
Building on his own creative talents, this
year the successful beatboxer has delved
into the art of dance with the Auckland
Popping Community (APC); competed
in the Freestyle Rap Battle Olympics in
Ōtara; and exhibited his graffiti art from
his own stand at the Armageddon Expo.
King Homeboy’s future plans include
continuing to develop his musical skills
to break down barriers, and fulfilling
his dream of mastering the four original
elements of hip-hop: b-boying, turntablism,
graffiti art and mc-ing or rapping.
ANTONIO ELLIS
(A.K.A MUSIQAL GENIUS)
MUSIC PRODUCER | SONG WRITER
23, Māori
A super-chill, humble and determined Antonio Ellis –
who also goes by the name MusiQal Genius – is gearing
up to make his mark on the New Zealand music industry.
The ex-Onehunga High School student is now an
independent music producer, musician, and song writer.
Antonio has been in the producing game for seven
years. In that time, he’s worked with popular artists
such as Konecs and Lomez Brown, and he currently
manages New Zealand reggae artist Triller.
At the Māngere Community Café’s Open Mic
Nights this year, Antonio has been giving back to
his community by running workshops for those
interested in beat-making or producing.
He reassures his students that there is no set
way to make music. He also advises them
not to be afraid to push the boundaries.
“That’s the cool thing about music: there’s no right
or wrong. There are no limits to where you can
go with it,” Antonio says. “You might not know
where it’s going, but then it becomes something
that you never knew it was going to be.”
Going into the new year, Antonio will be working
on releasing some fresh, original music with his
own artists. He’s also aiming to head to Hawaii
to connect and network with other musicians,
and to continue building his brand.
Ken, King and Antonio will all be performing at MO Arts
Jam on Saturday, November 11 at Māngere Arts Centre.
MO Arts Jam is a FREE one-day festival funded by
the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board and delivered
by The Hefty Agency. For more information,
visit www.heftyagency.com/moartsjam.
Photo: Diederich Hettig
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