To many he is already hip hop royalty in New Zealand, and today Che Fu was recognised for his services to music in the Queen’s Birthday honours list.
Che Fu was his usual understated self on the subject of his New Zealand Order of Merit.
He was almost unconvinced, due to the name on the envelope.
“To Mr Fu! I thought, ‘It’s a prank letter, and it’s not real’,” he says.
But after a phone call to confirm his real name, Che Kuo Eruera Ness, the news sank in.
The singer has been making Number One hits for over 20 years now, first with his band Supergroove, then on his own.
His friends say the honour came as no surprise to them.
“He’s the first guy to go platinum for us when we didn’t know what platinum was,” say Andy Murnane and Brother D of Dawn Raid records.
“And the first guy to have a number one record, so if anyone should get it, it definitely should be Che.”
But Che Fu says a knighthood is the last thing on his mind.
Right now the multi-platinum-selling singer is focussing on putting more music out.
“We’ve been working in this studio for the last couple of weeks doing a single. I’d love to tell you what it is, but I might get shot for it,” he says.
“But it’s myself and my band The Krates, we’re working on a new song.”
No doubt that will be music to many fans ears.
3 News