[INTERVIEW] Rap Veteran Proverb Says "The onus is on everyone."

For a veteran to South African rap music, Proverb is quite the low-key dude. Quite recently I met Proverb at his The Read Tape launch in Cape Town. He gave an amazing performance emphasizing in every song the importance of true lyricism and respect to the art of rap, with it ending in him inviting all of rappers in the room to the stage for a cypher with the king himself. “That’s the Hip Hop that we came up on. You know what I’m saying? Where it didn’t matter who the act was - everyone who was an emcee was gonna get on!” accompanied by 10 minutes of pure raps from anyone who had it in them including CPT spitters Uno July and Camo grabbing the mic for a bit and causing havoc in the crowd. Earlier that day, we talked for a little bit and when I reminded the vet of the interview we had in Maboneng a while ago that got taken down, he got quite excited and he asked me to upload it again. SO, here it is. Proverb is one of the only rappers that’s on almost everyone’s top 10 list and it’s dope that he’s STILL at it...

PROVERB. Cool to meet you. We’ll be quick, so let’s get right into it with the basic: what is Hip Hop to you?
“Hip Hop to me is a lifestyle. It’s a medium of expression, it’s a mirror image of who you are as a person, it’s a platform that allows you interchange and exchange with fellow hip-hop headz.”

We’re nearing 30 years of the Hip Hop culture in South Africa, which is nuts. Often people have the wrong idea about what Hip Hop really is and either enter different aspects the culture for the wrong reasons or formulate incorrect opinions on Hip Hop as a whole – not just the music. What misconceptions have you noticed?
“Well, as far as misconceptions go; everyone draws their own. There isn’t a standard. Back in the day, it used to be that hip-hop was all about vulgarity and abuse and derogatory language. But nowadays, things have evolved so much that everyone is kind of drawing their own conceptions or misconceptions and its not necessarily up to us, the creatives, to try and change those but I think the onus is on everyone to draw their own learnings and do their own research about Hip Hop.”

You’ve been in the game for quite long now – 10 years deep this year. It seems that there was a period when people weren’t really buying music (globally) which then also affected the music we were getting. Since then, things have improved with so many platforms such as iTunes that allow people to buy music online. From your point of view though, what are your comments on the buying and selling of rap?
“Look. I think as hip-hop headz ourselves; we need to find more creative ways of making our material more available. I think the traditional way of trying to sell CDs out of stores is a redundant system that’s no longer working for anybody so now we need make better use of the digital space, the online space and the online platforms that we have.”

Peace, love and hip hop
KTTIB

Noname Gypsy: A Little Noname Is a Little More Love

A little bit of soul. A little bit of rap. A little bit of weed. A little bit of love. A little bit of rap about love for weed.

“First things first, I miss you
And your paper thin lips
The way I kiss you
The way you hit back – smack
Why you gotta love me so hard
Bae, I’m already faded
All dressed up in your smoke
Favourite vacant parking spot
I sparked the bark
And lit the tree
The aftermath in after dark
Was all the love of sympathy, you feel me?”
- Take You Back by Noname Gypsy

If lush extended metaphors, sarcasm and alliteration creating flows in the rarest forms were one track then Noname Gypsy is years deep into Hype Magazine’s music submission emails. Lyrically, calling this sista mediocre is an antithesis of the truth in the extreme. There is so much depth to this artist that one only wishes to come across. It’s her ability to captivate her listener and leave them wanting more that is day by day building a nation of loyal Noname Gypsy supporters (me included). You see, when you listen to either a Noname Gypsy song or feature, you know exactly what you’re getting: verses wrapped tight with lovely wordplay, a message and to top it off her sweet delivery on a slower, more soulful inspired beat style. Many rappers struggle getting a variety of views and themes across on one type of beat – resulting in redundancy in their approach to their songs. However, Noname’s prowess in this area is her saving grace and what places her in a lane of her own right now.

Collaborations on Fleek

So, this piece on Noname Gypsy has been in the drafts for a while now but for some reason has never been uploaded. Yesterday’s release of Israel is what I think prompted me to actually get to the tweaking and posting.  The extremely well received collaboration between Chano and Noname is one of the most beautiful examples of her ability to swiftly dip in and out of verses, connect with the person she’s collaborating with and deliver a dope verse.  On Israel, a track about “sparring” or fighting the things in one’s life and relating it to the Bible story of Jacob wrestling with God, Noname has two verses perfectly fit with Chance’s. Her highly conversational tone and flow in this track and many others including Samaritan makes her collaborations feel very natural. Although this might not work with most artists, we haven’t seen a failure or disappointment of a collabo. So, word up to Noname for the smart features.

You’re A Female Rapper, Don’t Rap about That Shit

“Everytime I smoked it looked like everyone was bald
I can see my insecurities depicted in the fog
Run run rabbit, don’t follow the clock
Tic-tac totally undermining your thoughts
I need more exes
I need more hoes
I need less pretend men
I need more clothes
Run run rampant, vapid, acid, candid
Smell too loud, my family couldn’t stand it
A little weed is a little more love”
- Mary Jane Love by Noname Gyspy

In the “female rap” scene there’s often a huge issue that I frequently come across, and that being lack in original content from the women, more specifically, the underground ones. In fact, in the underground scene in general there’s quite a bit of redundancy in the content we get. Mixtapes with a dream-centered theme and songs about no support are over spilling from our bucket of music. From Noname’s earliest days, she did not conform just as most successful artists in their respective fields have also done. Generally the most common theme in a lot of lady rapper’s entire career worth of tracks is the quite aggressively stanced “I am the illest female rapper because I’m a female rapper”. This is where the very skilled and active rappers including Noname Gypsy differ. Noname’s content has nothing of this. She acknowledges these stereotypes, challenges them and succeeds in her approach.  I remember first listening to Hold Me Up and Paradise and just loving the honesty that oozed with every line in both tracks. True comments on her surroundings and experiences providing a solid offering of relatable content with a blend of wit.

Read Between the Paradox

“Another brown boy down
Another mother crying ‘cause another brown boy found
And all you wanna do is smoke weed?
And write songs?
Bang bang sounds like violins
Poverty was made to doorframe all the violence
Knock knock and guess who’s not there
The police
And guess who don’t care
The people.”
- Sunday Morning by Noname Gypsy

Sunday Morning is probably Noname’s most paradoxical song – using the beauty of a Sunday morning to address and highlight the evils within the world. What really makes Noname special is her storytelling ability to rap about different things and present it in a very clear way without fully giving it away and letting the beauty of rap and the artistry behind it allow the listener’s mind to interpret it. This is a characteristic and technique within rap that isn’t paid too much attention to at the moment, that she successfully uses quite a lot, so it’s refreshing to say the least. 

Just from listening to a few tracks, one can easily tell that Noname Gypsy isn’t rapping for the millions of listens but rather for the love of rap itself and verbally expressing her feelings and thoughts. This is one artist that I personally wish to see grow even stronger and challenge herself lyrically even more. Her raps “whisper intelligence” and will hopefully keep leaving listeners inspired and more in love with the overlooked beauty in everyday life.

Peace, love and hip hop
KTTIB

Undercover Rap Lover Zeniya

Last year during a casual interview Saturday I came across a woman, Zeniya, originally from California, now living in Joburg and I couldn’t NOT interview her. Getting someone who’s from the US is something I try to do quite often just because they’ve experienced first hand what the Hip Hop there is like and can at least attempt making comparisons between that and what they’ve picked up here in South Africa. It’s always an interesting perspective. So, here’s a short something from the archives…

How long have you been in South Africa?
"It’s been about two years now. I came early 2013 I think?"

Dope. Compared to the US, how would you say the hip-hop in South Africa compares?
"It’s very different, mainly because of the languages. And there isn’t just one language here, there are many different kinds. It’s more complex I’d say yet similar in some ways. I love the way the hip-hop artists here have taken it and made it their own. It’s always nice when someone’s not just ripping off, and they’re making something that is culturally from one place, their own.”

Not too long ago I was at Musica looking for something new to buy. If I’m being honest, this was my first time entering a music store in months due to all of the downloading I’ve been doing. I spent a couple of minutes SEARCHING for the Hip Hop section only to come to a small, almost hidden house section with one or two Tupac Greatest Hits albums, a ProKid album, Watch The Throne, Altar Ego, and Food & Liquor somewhere amidst the house music. I’m surprised I even found them. The display of the music was shocking. I’ve concluded that there was no Hip Hop section. We could just say that it’s because we there’s too many regulations therefore our preferred music isn’t stocked or it could be that we as the hip-hop community don’t buy music anymore which just creates such little demand for the stores. What’s your view on this?
“It’s the downloading that’s actually hurting the business. I mean, just this year (2014) only two albums went platinum, and I think that was the soundtrack to a children’s film and Beyonce. So, records really aren’t moving out of the stores. I find more and more the record stores stock less of the people that I wanna listen to; it’s all just really commercial.”

I hear you. Just taking it slightly back to SA vs. USA: how would you say the levels of respect for hip-hop compare based on your brief experience here?
“Culturally, here, there is a community that doesn’t really respect it and kind of frowns upon it. You know upper class. But, I don’t really think it’s taken seriously. When Jay Z and Kanye come here and do shows, yeah people go to them, they’re big artists all around the world but from a cultural standpoint, I don’t think it’s really respected here at all.”

Peace, love and hip hop
KTTIB

Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment - Surf review

If we really analyze it, at the core, The Social Experiment and Donnie Trumpet’s approach to this project is what makes Surf special. They did things that the average musician would typically steer clear of just because the line between doing it well and dismally is too thin to even dare to try. Chano teamed up with Segal, Nate Fox, Peter Cottontale and Grag Landfair forming The Social Experiment providing a dope and evidently new Chance the Rapper relationship with the music.

Within the past year-and-a-half or so Chance has been experimenting slightly with distinguishable sounds and styles right after Acid Rap dropped which helps explain the transition from 2013 Chance the Rapper to 2015 Chance the Rapper. Although Surf wasn’t too greatly received by those looking for or expecting to hear the Brain Cells-esque, lyrically intricate hip-hop that Chance The Rapper does every now and again it still holds the hearts of most of his fans, myself included, with Chance’s signature content mood being positivity. But, Surf is not a Chance the Rapper album. And if you made the unfortunate mistake of listening to this project with that mindset - expecting solely Chance and his signature flows, bars and wit - then there’s a good chance that Surf won’t sit too well with you.

Surf offers quite a diverse roster of features including people from Big Sean to Erykah Badu. It’s easy for such a diverse array of artists to get together on one project and have it not make sense at all but surprisingly, the differences in the elements that each of theses artist bring to the table synchronizes quite well and rather complements each other.

On the first track Miracle Chance the Rapper shows us glimpses of his unique flow and unconventional thoughts spiraling into verses after a calm beginning which then progresses into a chaotic explosion of sounds that’s then carried throughout the album before the slower ending. It’s dope that this was the opening track mainly because it gives a good feel for what to expect through the rest of the project. From about late 2013 up until now we’ve heard The Social Experiment take a similar route content-wise on tracks such as Wonderful Everyday: “it could be wonderful everyday.”  In what may be seen as the parallel: “the homies’ breathing, the fam is eating, it’s a miracle. It is a miracle to be alive and well.” More noteworthy tracks definitely need to be Sunday Candy, Warm Enough, Farmiliar, Rememory and the more chaotic Slip Slide which somehow manages to work incredibly well among the soulful and calmer elements within the other tracks. An album like this could easily become unbalanced and just leave the listener straight up uncomfortable from all of the blends in tempos but Surf did the diametric.

Surf’s production value ticks almost all of the boxes and carries the project, as it was clearly intended to do, which is shown quite beautifully in the slots of instrumentals within the album giving a dope breather from the lyrics while simultaneously complementing not just the other tracks but the instrumentals themselves as the two are somewhat linked and are strategically placed three tracks into the album and three tracks before the end.  I can appreciate the thought that went into the composition on a whole of this project but the rap fan in me left no instrumental unturned when looking for the intricate wordplay, hardcore punchlines and wavy flows that – despite all of the features – I feel weren’t fully provide or attended to here.

Surf is a complete kaleidoscope of genres, styles, instruments, flows, harmonies and influences giving it the uniqueness of an album that is rarely heard today. Whether it’s the theatricality in the production or the simplicity in the verses, Surf has a very special value. It’s wavy.

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Peace, love and hip hop

KTTIB

A little bit of AKA. A little bit of Westwood.

AKA on Tim Westwood's Crib Session

“Nine hour flight from the South AKA, you’re a long way from the house Whole time theyw as sitting on their momma couch
See, the money on my mind got me thinking out loud
Feeling like Sean ‘cause I’m finally famous
Passport rubber stamp, run out of pages Fans in the UK singing my phrases
Got the flag in the suitcase – Mandela I made it!”

South Africa has an unfortunate minority of skilled lyricists. Although AKA’s no rap messiah, but by not relying on a Dimplez or Anatii beat to carry his songs, he ranks pretty high providing some sort of competition and hope for the lyrical aspects of the rap game along with the likes of Reason. I can guarantee you that the last AKA slander you saw on your timeline had nothing to do with his lyrical ability but with the ‘tude which is paltry at times. His delivery and presence couldn’t have been any better.

A lot of people weren’t too happy with him for using the Run Jozi and The Saga verses but, personally, my only criticism in that regard has to do with the Versace flow that I’ve been mad at him for using for months now. Other than that, if the verses were good and he had the opportunity to say them to larger audience – why not? This is the same guy that told us that street cred never paid rent.

“Bow to the legend, don’t drown in my presence
Return of the king It’s the real super mega!
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah Why you gassing, dawg?
Why you coming to my table without asking, dawg?
I know you hate me with a passion
I aint mad at ya’ll
I know you fuck with every classic in my catalogue!”

Young blood, the bars are appreciated.

Peace, love and hip hop
- KTTIB

Why I Hate Rap Haters, But Love Poetry by Raymond Ngomane

 Poetry about issues surrounding Hip Hop and or the elements within the culture are easily my personal favourite for two reasons really:

1. The everlasting relevance

and

2. It's pretty difficult to challenge a creative art form being used to expresses it's love for or frustration with another creative art from.

So, with that being said, below is a piece I came across while looking up a little bit about the open mic night that'll be taking place on the 28th of July at the Joburg Theatre, which happens to be organised by this poet. Enjoy, fellow rap lovers and hater haters...

Dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge
Poetic lifeguards use applause to save lives
When you see rap flying far from poetry's interests

Dodge,

Fasten your seat-belt and enjoy the bloody verbal battle
In sessions poetry speaks in tones of a crying soul
Rap is built on concrete rhythms mixed with first bricks of venomous alphabets
Rap is an angry poem
Rap is poetry
but poetry will never rap like rappers air polluting words to poet their ideas
I mean, if rap is literature,
why has it started so many wars between ideas

Walls of belongings in the middle of fear
Appre-ciations
Appre-ciate and question things

Blind words can see the difference
Why has rap created rivals in many societies
Haters hate us
While poetry stinks of welcoming joints
Modern rap has a stench of juvenile points
I played this word game in my head
Ones or twice
I lost to a bunch of middle fingers spider webbed on the roof of my creations
Haters, my mates

Rap can be spoken in sign language
Both animals eat words and poop spoken rhythms
Both body languages undress opinions in different approaches when speaking crises
Poetry's violent approach comes from humans who speak to teach
My poetry likes the anxiety of a beat

I hate material rap haters
I intend to seed Africa’s womb with baby words to grow poetry in your rap choices

Art cannot be written off, long as there's soul in that flash, there's life before trash
I recently adopted a second born skin
My child is a shield blocking weakness of my bones to animal views
My meaning is behind the lens of my third eye
I wish i can share my visual thoughts in a language
louder than the sound of a broken TV reception
Shhhhhhhhhhhhh
Brake the eyes of stillness
I wish i can walk my words of metaphors injecting needles of knowledge
With no fear
My missionary position
I intend to seed Africa’s womb

If you'd like to see more work by Raymond Ngomane hit up the link

- Peace, love and hip hop
KTTIB

ImproPoe - Body of Proof mixtape review

“It’s fun making it hard so you can’t paly with us
I’m the bomb baby, become part of the blast radius
No victory in sight for y’all
Please come with some great ideas
We’ll discuss it all at the peace summit
Not knowing you’ll never leave from it. “

You know that cool feeling you get as you’re slowly reaching the top of a rollercoaster and you know what’s about to happen? Yeah well that’s what this mixtape felt like. Repulsar Blast and all prior verses heard are the slow approach and Body of Proof is the summit. Two nights ago at Back to The City, the fan girl in me almost went and asked ImproPoe when Body of Proof is being released. I guess I didn’t need to because it’s here, motherfuckers! One of Revivolution’s extremely skilled MC’s ImproPoe released what, I personally think, could be one of the top 10 SA rap releases of the year (but that’s just me). Right from the intro, I knew that this would be a great experience.

 

The first time I heard ImproPoe spit, the very first thing that caught my attention was his voice alone. A rapper’s voice is a factor people don’t pay too much attention to but the captivation and vitality that ImproPoe possesses in his voice are very rare. Body of Proof on a whole is a mixtape with 17 tracks of clever wordplay, deadly flows, electric delivery, dope beats, a slight old school feel and witty punchlines. Shout-out to all of the producers on the project: Vez Fullstop, Blaq Faith, ProPound Beats, Cozzy and Mr Green for the high production level. Something I think all of the guys in Revivolution are very skilled in is the art of delivering their raps with such a high level of charisma that comes through, making everything they do seem so effortless. Accompanied by the exciting flows, this charisma is one of the things that makes, not only Body of Proof, but the rapper behind it very special. Although the beats vary in tempo, most of them were more or less of the same style, yet ImproPoe’s unparalleled ability to swiftly dip between wide ranges of flows is pretty impressive. The Oath is one of the best examples of this.

More tracks that stand out to me are Plumb Island; Don’t Feel Bad; the first single released Repulsar Blast; Kosher; Not Swag; By Grace which is a more honest track that sees Impro spitting about his upbringing and personality as well as the hardships of being black; Body of Proof and 3 Seasons which is 4 minutes and 4 seconds of ImproPoe hitting punchline after punchline such as “you lack the skill but not hunger so have a bite of mine” on three different beats. What I really dig is that on all 17 tracks there are no features. If done correctly, this is one of the best things a rapper can do with a mixtape or album. ImproPoe killed it but, personally, I would have loved to hear someone from Revivo join him on The Extremist Cause; maybe Tony Dangler. What’s really dope about Body of Proof is that ImproPoe took the hooks too. He not only spits for 3 full verses on most of the songs but he also takes the hooks. ImproPoe just wanted to flex his ability as a lyricist with this entire mixtape really.

 

This is a beautiful mixtape all the way through. “You know how hard it is to market this? This ain’t the cream of the crop; it only makes the head bop. I gotta do what I would do to contribute to Hip Hop”. Body of Proof is honest and ImproPoe’s authentic passion for rap really comes through. If you’re not really into heavy lyricism and listening to sixteen bars after sixteen bars for 55 minutes then careful the lyrics don’t fly over your head. If you don’t have Body of Proof, wake up!

 

“Let’s cancel
Close the booth for telling y’all the truth
Or is it just conspiracy?
Well, you know the words of men
Like how they predicted over a hundred times that the world would end
Take what you want from this
I’ll write more bullshit in the mean time
ImproPoe: literally one of the most diseased minds.”

 

 

Lyrics & Content: 5/5

Production: 3.5/5

Overall: 8.5/10

 

Peep the download link below:

http://m.audiomack.com/album/impropoe/body-of-proof-5

 

PEACE, LOVE AND HIPHOP

KTTIB x