Dawn Raid Entertainment

Dawn Raid Entertainment is a record label based in Papatoetoe, South Auckland, New Zealand. It has signed many New Zealand hip hop and R&B artists such as Savage, Adeaze, Aaradhna, The Deceptikonz, Devolo and Ill Semantics. The founders of Dawn Raid Entertainment announced the closure of the recording label on 19 April 2007 due to liquidation.[1]

By June 2007, due to new owners, the label started operating again.[2][3] Artists represented include Savage, Mareko, The Deceptikonz, Horsemen Family, Sweet & Irie.

At its peak, Dawn Raid Entertainment was home to many gold and platinum-selling New Zealand hip hop and R&B artists.

History

School friends Danny "Brotha D" Leaosavai'i and Andy Murnane founded Dawn Raid Entertainment in 1999. The label's name was a reference to the dawn raids of the 1970s and 1980s that disproportionately targeted members of the Pasifika community in New Zealand.[4] They started selling T-shirts at a market in Ōtara to raise capital. In 2007, the label went into liquidation for a few months.[5]

In 2020, Oscar Kightley directed the documentary Dawn Raid, to be distributed by Universal and released in New Zealand cinemas on 21 January 2021.[6]

Sponsorship

In May 2004, Dawn Raid became a sponsor for the Telecom subsidiary company Boost Mobile and released a single Hook Up featuring both the prominent and the unknown talent of Dawn Raid Entertainment. Currently, Hook Up is still the theme for Boost Mobile with some of their signed musicians doing voiceovers for the ads.

Label Artists

Discography

Albums

The following is a list of albums and singles released under the Dawn Raid label. The first album released under Dawn Raid was a compilation titled Southside Story which was released in April 2000 and featured undiscovered artists such as Ill Semantics, 4 Corners, Native Sons, K.A.O.S., Adeaze, Live Live and the co-founder of Dawn Raid, Brotha D.

Date of Release Title Artist Charted Country Certification
Albums
April 2000 Southside Story Various Artists - -
May 2001 Southside Story 2: International Various Artists - -
March 2002 Elimination Deceptikonz # 2 -
November 2002 Theory of Meaning Ill Semantics # 38 -
July 2003 White Sunday Mareko # 4 - Gold
May 2004 Always and For Real Adeaze # 1 - 2 X Platinum
October 2004 Red Eye Society
(also under Clientele Records)		 R.E.S. - -
October 2004 The Best Kept Secret
(also under Clientele Records)		 Alphrisk - -
April 2005 Moonshine Savage # 2 - Platinum
January 2006 Street Dreams DJ Peter Gunz & Tikelz # 10 -
March 2006 Sione's Wedding OST Various # 14 - Gold
May 2006 I Love You Aaradhna # 13 -
2 October 2006 Good Musik Ill Semantics - -
October 2006 Heavy Rotation Deceptikonz - -
October 2007 Brotha D & The Dawn Raid Family - Element of Surprise Various Artists - -
January 2008 Horsemen Family - My Shout: The Album Various Artists - -
February 2008 Sweet Soul Music Aaradhna - -
April 2008 White Sunday 2: The Book of Mark Mareko - -
November 2008 Heaven & Hell Devolo - -
December 2008 Savage Island Savage # 10 -
July 2009 Localize It Sweet & Irie # 10 -
March 2010 Brotha D & The Dawn Raid Family - Volume 2 Various Artists - -
March 2010 Pasifika: The Collection Various Artists # 1 -
July 2010 Evolution: Past, Present, Beyond Deceptikonz # 26 -
October 2010 Pacific Coast Highway MONSTA - -
October 2010 Savage Presents The Tribal Council Various Artists - -
March 2011 Pasifika: The Collection Volume 2 Various Artists # 1 -
EPs
May 2003 Mareko Is The Future - Dawn Raid Mix Tape Mareko - -
May 2003 Blood on the BBQ Mixtape Mareko & Savage - -
December 2003 Street Rap Mareko featuring Inspectah Deck - -
April 2006 We Back Motherf***az Deceptikonz - -
March 2008 Live at the Apollo Mixtape Mareko - -
May 2010 Allow Me To Re-Introduce Myself MONSTA - -

Singles

Year Artist Single Album Charted Certification
2003 Ill Semantics
featuring Betty Anne		 "Watching You/Highway" Theory of Meaning # 22 -
2003 Mareko "Mareko (Here To Stay)" White Sunday # 4 Gold
2003 Adeaze "A Life With You" Always and For Real # 3 Platinum
2003 Mareko
featuring the Deceptikonz		 "Stop, Drop and Roll" White Sunday # 6 Gold
2004 Adeaze "How Deep Is Your Love" Always and For Real # 6 Gold
2004 Dawn Raid All-Stars "Hook Up" - #9 -
2004 Adeaze
featuring Aaradhna		 "Getting Stronger" Always and For Real *#1 (NZ) Gold
2005 Savage "Swing" Moonshine *#1 (NZ) Platinum
2005 Alphrisk "Sunshine" The Best Kept Secret # 8 -
2005 Savage "Moonshine" Moonshine *#1 (NZ), #9 Aust Platinum NZ
2005 Savage
featuring Aaradhna		 "They Don't Know" Moonshine # 3, #26 Aust Gold NZ
2006 Aaradhna "Down Time" I Love You # 3 Gold
2006 Tha Feelstyle
featuring Mareko, Flowz
Manuel Bundy & Lapi Mariner		 "I Do Believe" Sione's Wedding OST # 17 -
2006 Aaradhna "Shake" I Love You - -
2006 Aaradhna "I Love You Too" I Love You *#5 (NZ) -
2006 Deceptikonz "Don't Front On Me" Heavy Rotation - -
2006 Ill Semantics "On And On"
(featuring Lemuel)		 Good Musik # 38 -
2007 Brotha D feat Sweet & Irie "Take It out South" Brotha D & The Dawn Raid Family - Element of Surprise # 8 GOLD
2007 Horsemen Family "Drink With Us" My Shout: The Album - -
2008 Horsemen Family feat Sweet & Irie "Feels Like Magic" My Shout: The Album # 8 GOLD
2008 Mareko "Gotta Go" White Sunday 2: The Book of Mark - -
2008 Sweet & Irie "Mama, Don't Cry" Localize It - -
2008 Aaradhna "Betcha By Golly Wow" Sweet Soul Music - -
2008 Mareko "Record of the Year" White Sunday 2: The Book of Mark - -
2008 Devolo "Somebody" Heaven & Hell - -
2008 Beat Kamp "Rap Game Remix" Single - -
2008 Sweet & Irie "My Girl" Localize It - -
2008' Savage " SWING " US REMIX feat Soulja Boy Tell'em SAVAGE ISLAND # 45 US RIAA 2 X Platinum
2008 Devolo " Too Shy" Heaven & Hell # 6 -
2008 Mareko Feat. J.Williams "Them Eyes" White Sunday 2: The Book of Mark - -
2009 Savage Feat Angel & Baby Bash "Wild Out (ChoooHooo)" Savage Island # 6 GOLD
2009 Savage Feat Rock City "Hot Like Fire" Savage Island # 26 GOLD
2009 Sweet & Irie "Sweet & Irie" Localize It - -
2009 Savage Feat Rock City "I Love The Islands" Savage Island - -
2009 Sweet & Irie "Jenny" Localize It - -
2009 Frisko Feat. Aaradhna "Music (Makes The World Go Around)" Brotha D & The Dawn Raid Family Volume 2 # 15 -
2010 Devolo "Rocker Girl" Brotha D & The Dawn Raid Family Volume 2 - -
2010 Deceptikonz Feat. Adeaze "Evolution" Evolution: Past, Present, Beyond - -
2010 MONSTA "Long Beach Raised Me" Pacific Coast Highway - -
2010 MONSTA Feat. Yukmouth & Ganxsta Ridd "Wesperados" Pacific Coast Highway - -
2010 MONSTA Feat. J-Boog "This Is Love" Evolution: Past, Present, Beyond # 22 GOLD
2010 MONSTA Feat. Aaradhna "Like You" Pacific Coast Highway - -

See also

References

  1. ^ "View All Details". New Zealand Companies Office. 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011. DAWN RAID ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED
  2. ^ "View All Details". New Zealand Companies Office. 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011. DR MUSIC LIMITED
  3. ^ "New sun shines on Dawn Raid label". stuff.co.nz. 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011. In June the company went into liquidation but was bought by South Pacific Pictures chief executive John Barnett and Vector Energy chairman Michael Stiassny.
  4. ^ "The dawn raids: causes, impacts and legacy". New Zealand History. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 9 June 2021. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  5. ^ Schulz, Chris (24 April 2014). "Dawn Raid celebrates birthday with American success". The New Zealand Herald. APN News & Media. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  6. ^ "Dawn Raid: Oscar Kightley perfectly captures the music and the characters". Stuff. 16 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View 12 May 2008 ... UNIVERSAL REPUBLIC RECORDS SIGNS MULTIPLATINUM ... Dawn Raid and Savage have entered into a deal for Universal Republic to helm the project ... www.dawnraid.co.nz/SavagePressUniversal.pdf - Similar