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 of albums both in New Zealand and internationally. Che Fu is considered a pioneer of Hip hop and Pasifika music in New Zealand. Early life Che Fu was born Che Ness in Auckland. His mother, Miriama Rauhihi Ness is of Māori descent and his father Tigilau Ness is Niuean. Fu's parents are well-known political activists, notably as members of the Polynesian-rights group, the Polynesian Panthers, and founding members of Rastafarian movement 12 Tribes of Israel. Tigilau is a musician and part of the band Unity Pacific as well as his son's band, The Krates. The Ness family are Rastafarians. Career Supergroove (1994–1996) While a student at Western Springs College, Fu and a group of friends formed the Low Down Dirty Blues Band, who later became Supergroove. Supergroove released their debut album Traction in 1994. The album went triple platinum in New Zealand and won five Tuis. Before finishing their second album, Backspacer, Fu left Supergroove to pursue a solo career. Solo career (1996–1997) Fu was invited to record a single with well-known New Zealand DJ DLT. The song "Chains" protested French nuclear testing in the Pacific and was released in July 1996, within weeks of Fu leaving Supergroove. "Chains" was a Number One hit on the New Zealand Singles Charts and won three Tuis, namely Single of the year, Best male vocalist, and Best songwriter. This marked the beginning of Fu's solo career and brought prominence to Hip Hop in New Zealand. 2b S.Pacific (1998–2000) In 1998 Fu released his debut album 2b S.Pacific. The album went double platinum and spawned four top-ten hits, which was unheard-of for a local hip hop artist at the time. The following year, he received the Single of the year award for Scene III. Fu subsequently formed a band named The Krates for studio work and live performances. Paul Russell, previous drummer for Supergroove, is part of The Krates line-up. Navigator (2001–2003) Fu released his follow-up album Navigator in 2001, debuting at number one and generating triple platinum sales. At the 2002 New Zealand Music Awards, Fu took home five tuis: Single of the year for "Fade Away", Album