Chapter 35: Samoa

13º 35’ S, 172º 20’ W. These are the coordinates of Samoa, a group of volcanic islands in the South Pacific covering a range approximately the size of Rhode Island. American Samoa, part of the chain of Samoan islands, is the only US-held territory south of the equator. Samoa and her sister islands are located about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand.

Tasi. Lua. Tolu. Fa. Stroke by stroke, a group of Polynesian seafarers dug their wooden oars into the Pacific blue as they sailed towards an utopian archipelago just east of the international dateline. Nestled halfway between Aotearoa and Hawaii, these half-verdant and half-volcanic islands waited patiently, all ten in a row. By way of the stars, birds, and the swells of the sea, the Polynesian navigators arrived at the islands as a proud people. The Samoan people began when their fleet of va’a docked on those sun-washed shores over 3,500 years ago.

The early 1980s saw a new era of rap music dawn in California. Hungry for the spotlight, it was not long before West Coast talent shined as brightly as their East Coast predecessors. Alongside heroes like Snoop Dogg, Ice-T and N.W.A., Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. played a pioneering role in the development of gangsta-rap.

Consisting of six Samoan-American brothers (Ganxsta Ridd, Gawtti, Godfather, Kobra, Monsta O, and Murder One), Boo-Yaa boasts eight LPs, a slew of side hustles, and decades of West Side experience. Frank151 talked with Kobra about Boo-Yaa’s roots, their influence on rap culture, and what’s next.

Many of us have seen it: the postcard picture of the dusky maiden from the South Seas, adorned with flowers, a smile, and a cascade of hair billowing in the breeze while she dances on a beach. Now picture ten of these smiling, dusky maidens standing on a sandy runway. While that might be mistaken for a raunchy dream, it is in fact a typical scene at the annual Miss Samoa pageant in Samoa every September. But don’t be fooled, the exotic-beauty part is only a small factor in selecting a winner since, let’s face it, exotic beauty is not hard to come by around these parts.