{{Short description|American comedian}} '''James Kawika Piʻimauna "Rap" Reiplinger''' (July 16, 1950 – January 19, 1984) was a Hawaiian comedian, whose humor is an integral part of Hawaii today.<ref>[http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Mar/09/il/hawaii803090302.html Honolulu Advertiser feature, "With Rap, we'd bus' out laughing" March 09, 2008]</ref>
== Biography == After attending Punahou School, Reiplinger began performing professionally. In 1974 he helped create the comedy ensemble ''Booga Booga'' with James Grant Benton and Ed Kaʻahea. In 1982, he received an Emmy Award and bronze medal from the International Film and Television Festival of New York for the "Most Outstanding Television Production" for his television special, ''Rap′s Hawaii'', which he wrote and in which he starred.
Reiplinger's writing, performance, and comic genius was part of the second Hawaiian Renaissance of the 1970s and 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-04-10|title=Rap: Hawaii's Comic Genius|url=https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2020/04/10/rap-hawaii-comic-genius/|access-date=2021-05-12|website=HawaiiNewsNow.com|language=en-US}}</ref>
Reiplinger was married to television journalist Leesa Clark Stone from October 25, 1983 until his death on January 19, 1984.<ref>[http://archives.starbulletin.com/2000/02/16/news/whatever.html Star Bulletin feature "Whatever Happened..." Wednesday, February 16, 2000 ]</ref> Reiplinger died in 1984 from cocaine-related causes at the age of 33 after going missing for a week.<ref>{{cite news|last=Harada|first=Wayne|date=May 12, 2019|title=Rap Reiplinger's widow pens revealing biography|work=Honolulu Star Advertiser|url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/05/12/features/show-biz/show-biz-rap-reiplingers-widow-pens-revealing-biography/}}</ref>
== Television == * Hawaii Five-O (1977) as Stu Hinman * Rap's Hawai'i KGMB (1982)
== Discography == *''Poi Dog'' (1978) *''Crab Dreams'' (1979) (Won a Nā Hōkū Hanohano award for Best Comedy Album in 1979.)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Past Winners {{!}} 1978-2006 |url=http://www.nahokuhanohano.org/NaHoku_PastWinners.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070723210820/http://www.nahokuhanohano.org/NaHoku_PastWinners.pdf |archive-date=July 23, 2007 |website=Nā Hōkū Hanohano}}</ref> *''Do I Dare Disturb the Universe'' (1979) *''Strange Bird'' (1981) *''Rap′s Hawaii'' (TV Special) 1982 Emmy Award<ref name="Emmy Awarded">{{cite web|url=http://starbulletin.com/2003/12/15/features/story1.html |title=R is for 'Rap's Hawaii' |publisher=Honolulu Star Bulletin |accessdate=May 23, 2007}}</ref> (DVD 2003) *''Towed Away'' (1983) (Won a Nā Hōkū Hanohano award for Best Graphics in 1984.)<ref name=":0" /> *''Rap′s Aloha'' (TV Special) 1984 Broadcast posthumously.<ref name="Rap's Aloha Intro">{{YouTube|TWS8uxxvc6I|Rap's Aloha Intro}}</ref> *''Poi Dog With Crabs'' (1992) (Poi Dog and Crab Dreams) Released posthumously. *''The Best of Rap'' (1993) Released posthumously. *''The Best of Rap, Too'' (1996) Released posthumously.
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reiplinger, Rap}} Category:Comedians from Hawaii Category:1950 births Category:1984 deaths Category:20th-century American comedians Category:American television personalities Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Punahou School alumni Category:Drug-related deaths in Hawaii Category:Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners
{{US-comedian-stub}} {{Hawaii-stub}}
Category:Native Hawaiian male actors