“I want to teach fathers how to speak to their kids and for them to understand their fathers as well. It’s always two sides of the story”
David Saotupe aka Tha Movement is more than just a hip hop artist.
With a career spanning over many years, Saotupe has been making music that represents truth and stories of his community. He is an artist, story teller, and an orator.
Raised in Otara with his heritage roots tying back to Samamea Fagaloa and Solosolo in his motherland of Samoa, Saotupe recently dropped his latest album titled “Cut from a different cloth”.
“I like to talk about my experiences”
“We have alot of our pasifika artists in the industry but I feel like we keep on following the American standard. We’re in a generation where we are losing the culture and everythings getting westernised or modernised”
Collaborating with fellow filmmaker and Otara rep Samson Rambo, Saotupe pieced together a new music video from the song “The Lecture” off his new album. The track which it’s lyrics explores father son relationships became a stand out track on his album.
The collaboration with Samson was a dream come true for Saotupe.
Already making a name for himself, Samson and Saotupe crossed paths in earlier years through other work. But it was the realisation that both were Otara and Samamea Fagaloa boys that they knew it was destined to be.
“We had a chat when we first met and I told, I am going to work with you one day”
“Producers and directors work differently. So being aligned with someone that’s culturally aware with me and also from the same neighbourhood and village. And now we’re here both making our marks in the industry”
Being able to rap and pour out his lived trauma in his music is something Saotupe has always been big on.
“Most of what I rap about is my trauma, and I did not realise that other people who listen to my music have gone through it too. So that’s my thing, I want to write about what is realistic and authentic to my community and surroundings”.
“I have just become everybody’s therapist now where everyone has just been messaging on how impactful “The Lecture” has been on their own lives. A lot of fathers who have messaged through say they are relearning how to communicate with their sons and vice versa”.
The music video which has gained positive traction online depicts not only a powerful message but mesmerising visuals that accompany the lyrics.
Saotupe hopes to push out some more music in the upcoming days that mirror the messages and truths his work always does. He also hopes that the relevance of his work will always be forever for many generations to come.
“I’ll be definitely be putting out more music with messages and relevance to my neighbourhood and people”
“I feel like that’s something that we as artists need to do. The music I am going to be putting up more music in that regard. It’s the stuff that makes me feel really, really good, you know, in that sense like it’s not caught up with egos. It’s just purely based in that sense to help our people”
“There is no reason to make, try and make any money or anything in this regard. It’s always just messages just putting it out to our community”.
