"Flamboyantly nondescript. A light hearted wine with a morose attitude. Subtle, yet annoying."
From locals Paul Ogata, Andy Bumatai, Lanai & Augie T. and Frank Delima, Hawaii has fostered great comedy minds with a unique twist on their facetious humor. And then there was a one James Kawika Piimauna Reiplinger. 'Memba him? Many who were familiar with his "kanaka-komedy" routines knew him as Rap Reiplinger, and until this day, his comedy plays an integral role in Hawaii. Depending on how old you are, you may vaguely 'memba his VHS tapes playing in elementary / middle school, garans ballbarans! He had choke-kine characters too, from Merdie Murdock the used car salesman, Kimo the puka-shell tour guide and the reputable Auntie Marialani who was small-kine mento. A Punahou Schools alumni, Rap also won an Emmy award in 1982, 2 years before his untimely death in 1984. Two of his comedy albums also won Na Hoku Hanohano awards: Crab Dreams and Towed Away. These bits & pieces were during a period when Mike Sakamoto & Hari Kojima were those dudes when it came to local fishing, when Mike Salta was hustling his cars near the H-1 Freeway and the OG Lex Brodie could be seen telling us "Thank you, very much" on TV. Jon de Mello, founder and CEO of Mountain Apple Records once served as Rap's record producer. He recounted to the Advertiser that Rap was gifted, able to multi-track and transition into several different voices, all in one take. Rest In Paradise, Rap Reiplinger (1950 - 1984). Onto the shirt. Go check um now, go check um now, go!
Black tee in our Homegrown series with artwork in tribute style (Rap's "A Strange Bird") and Homegrown printed on the front, back sees a crown fusing a strange bird into the mix. If you would like to support Rap's legacy, you can head here to purchase some of his comedy albums. Support local!
