Dubious Brothers were a hip-hop duo based in Hamilton, New Zealand

Hamilton, New Zealand

Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...

, formed in 2000. Members were Chris Macro (born Christopher Shaw, beatmaker/engineer/producer) and Tyna Keelan (guitars/bass/emcee). While New Zealand/Aotearoa hip-hop at the time (led by Che Fu

Che Fu

Che Fu MNZM is a New Zealand Hip hop/R&B and Reggae recording artist and producer. Originally one part of the band Supergroove, as a solo artist he has gone on to sell thousands of albums both in New Zealand and internationally, including in Australia and the UK.-History:Fu is one of New Zealand's...

 and King Kapisi

King Kapisi

King Kapisi is a New Zealand Hip hop recording artist. He was the first Hip hop artist in New Zealand to receive the prestigious Silver Scroll Award at the APRA Awards for Songwriter of the Year for his single Reverse Resistance in 1999, which followed on the popular release of his debut single...

) was tending to contain a South Pacific influence, Dubious Brothers produced a more international style. This was largely due to the time Keelan had spent as a musician in Europe and Asia.

Trade Secrets and The Future

Dubious Brothers' one album, Trade Secrets, was released on Shock Records

Shock Records

Shock Records is Australia's largest independent record label. It helps distribute records from overseas records labels such as Epitaph Records, and also for small record labels designed specifically for that band such as Cement Records...

 in June 2002. It spent three weeks in the RIANZ Top 50 Album chart, reaching 24. A number of New Zealand hip-hop identities featured on Trade Secrets, including DJ Sirvere, Mareko

Mareko

Mark Sagapolutele , best known by his stage name Mareko, is a New Zealand rapper and hip hop artist of Samoan descent from South Auckland.- Career :...

 (of Deceptakonz), Marcus (Native Sons

Native Sons

Native Sons is the sixth, and final studio album and by singer/songwriting duo Loggins and Messina, released in early 1976 .-Track listing:Side One#"Sweet Marie" – 3:04...

) and 4Corners. Critical response was encouraging, with the New Zealand Herald naming the album the 8th best of 2002.

The album's lead single, The Future, tells a futuristic story set in the year 2012. Hip-hop has been outlawed and the protagonists smuggle mix tapes across borders like drugs

DRUGS

Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...

.

Despite industry and media support, Trade Secrets was not a good seller (even when released with bonus material including a remix disc), and Dubious Brothers soon faded into a rapidly-expanding local hip-hop scene.