"Let there be Hip Hop!"

As another addition to the Wednesday interviews I need to add Tania on tonight. A true walking, talking Hip Hop machine, I arranged to interview Ms Tania Moeng after reading about three or four articles that she had sent to HYPE Magazine a few years ago. Go back to the older Hype issues - the Game Changers issue might be one - and see what I'm talking about. Her views on Hip Hop were so profound that I found myself contacting her begging to feature her on the blog. As a female myself, I always look up to woman older than me that have such strong voices in the culture because at the end of the day, they're who I'll essentially be following and learning from as I help pass the culture onto future generations after me.

Below are just a few questions from the in-depth interview we had. You can check out the Hip Hop Video Diary 2 if you'd like to see Tania herself preaching.

The rap in South Africa, you seem to like that a lot?

Tania: I do! I advocate for local hip-hop a lot. As much as I listen to international hip-hop actually, I try to rep local hip-hop as much as I can and support the shows, buy the tracks, promote, download and stuff like that, so I’m a big supporter of the local scene because, I mean, it’s not where it used to be. It’s growing, it’s evolving, you know? So it’s in a good place. It needs more support as well because if you’re gonna be about J. Cole and Kendrick and whoever, you need to also be about Kwesta and AKA and Nyovest and them, you know?  Because it’s here! It’s in your reach so if you can buy a disc ya-120 ya-Kwesta or whatever then do that! Go to the shows and if there’s links out there, download it. I listen to local hip-hop, so it needs to start from home…

What do you think the world would be like if the Hip Hop culture was never born?
Tania: There wouldn’t be that! 

(Pointing to a group of teenagers in Hip Hop clothing.) 

There wouldn’t be your blog! It would be weird, I think.  The world would without Hip hop would be very weird. Well, all-in-all, the world without music; I don’t think it would be the dopest place to be at. Hip hop has that thing of being inclusive. When they say you’re mad, you’re crazy, you’re wild; you know “Okay, I’m a Hip Hop person.”  It has those people that feel that they belong to the culture. Where would the graffiti people be? Where would the DJs be? Where would the artists be? No man, let there be Hip Hop!

Do you have any children?

Tania: I have a kid! I have a daughter!

Do you think Hip Hop is a good influence on the youth?

Tania: It’s both ways, but I think the hip-hop now is not as hectic as the previous one because you had Tupac with ‘Hit Em Up’ and it was that aggressive hip-hop. As much as people love hip-hop, hip-hop has gone soft. I think in that sense, it’s quieted down a bit, it’s softer. Its not like “imma kill you, you’re gonna die” like, Eminem, when he came through in the beginning. So I think it’s got a good influence because now when you write a positive song, then you’re doing something. If there’s a show or campaigns and stuff and the hip-hop artists are involved, then it’s gonna grab onto their fan bases and it’s gonna spread in that way, so, I think it can’t be more positive than it is negative but it’s definitely more positive.

How do you think the culture should be passed on to the next generations or what things should they keep in mind when adopting the culture?

Tania: Always pay respect to the people that came before you. I think if that can be carried on and being done, because if AKA doesn’t respect Skwatta Kamp then the next one to come through won’t respect AKA so that chain needs to continue. I think, if you study from them, that respect must be there. And then, just make good music – good, sensible music! Music with sense! You know what I’m saying? Don’t just be all about the turn up. I mean, okay turn up and stuff but say something also! Say something that people are gonna listen to, they gonna hear, they gonna take something away from you, they gonna be like “Okay, Hip Hop is positive. This person is saying this thing in their music. They’re addressing the social issues, they’re addressing the youth.” I always say that there’s a lot f things our rappers can write about and rap about because we’re not from the same background so not everybody is turning up, so why are we al making turn up songs? Tell us where you’re from! Tell us what you’ve been through! Touch on those subjects and let people know a bit about you, not just turn up, dancing, party music. Give me a good balance. So, I think that’s how it’s gonna be maintained.

Thanks for the interview, Tania!

PEACE, LOVE AND HIP HOP

KTTIB

ManKind - Give Dat Tenda EP Review

“Study like a first year - more A’s and less AIDS”

The first I’ve ever heard of ManKind in all honesty and I must say: I’m really digging what I hear. Give Dat Tenda is an interesting project to say the least. It’s always dope when you come across a rapper and your very first experience with them is through a full project that shows their full capabilities. ManKind is really dope rapper that from the first bar leaves the listener highly enticed by his unparalleled beat choice and delivery. We travel with ManKind as he raps about “partying like a first year”, staying focused and on his grind, keeping a strong sense of patriotism, believing in yourself and your tremendous abilities, and of course, the inevitable in hip-hop: wanting to make guap! His ability to swiftly spit between languages was clearly portrayed as he experimented with different African boom-bap styled beats as well as slower, more melancholic beats. Tracks like African National Congress carry a slightly conscious vibe but it isn’t overplayed or a motif throughout the EP as directly after this the EP goes into a self-titled track (and arguably the best song on the EP) ManKind. With his “ai-ya-yai” ad-lib, ManKind gave us a pretty dope EP. Although Give Dat Tenda wasn’t as lyrically intricate as I would have liked, it was very sonically pleasing and was an all-round enjoyable project to bump. Seeing someone like this blow up would be beautiful. ManKind has the potential to be a hazardous addition to the SA rap scene.

Ai-ya-yai!

Lyrics: 1.5/4

Content: 2/3

Production: 1.5/3

Total: 5/10

"Hip Hop. It's an emotion."

Happy Wednesday, Hiphoppas and Influencees. 

I went through the archives and came across a transcript of a short interview that went down last year actually. At Rosebank we met Gondo, asked him his opinion on different Hip Hop issues and got some dope perspectives from him. Gondo spoke on the current state of SA rap and how he feels we've still got quite a way to go before we can really fairly compete with international homies. I've gotten a few different perspectives on this as many people feel that we actually have reached that stage or on the opposite end of the spectrum, feel we need to alter our approach to the rap game and adopt more indigenous sounds before we can compete with people that we're "mimicking". Either way, I'm digging where we're at! I think most of our rappers have found the balance between being African but still coming through with the American influences. 

Below are two questions we asked and Gondo's responses.

What is Hip Hop to you?

Gondo: Hip Hop. It’s an emotion – it’s a feeling for me. Trap makes me happy. When I listen to trap it makes me happy so that’s like the happy subgenre. And for me Hip Hop is just… it’s a way of thinking I guess?  If you think like a hip-hop head it’s pretty cool because like there’s so much depth to Hip Hop that people don’t appreciate. It’s an art. Being able to put music out and have people like it and piece music together is an art.

How do our local rappers compare to international rappers?

Gondo: Um we can’t’ really compare them because we’re not in the same lane. Basically. Like, the Hip Hop culture in South Africa is really young and it’s still in its developmental stages. Like we still need to get there. We’re not there yet. American Hip Hop or other countries’ Hip Hop is way more advanced because they’ve had it for so long – the culture’s been there for way longer. So basically what it is, is that we’re getting there, we’re on our way to having a dope industry. I’m actually really excited for it! You see the smile on my face? It looks scary but I’m actually just THAT excited for it. People like Okmalumkoolkat, Nyovest, Reason. Like all of these people, kind of like are making it happen, and what’s cool is they’re doing it together, as a collective. I think once we’re all able to get there together we can then split up and have our own rivalries. But I think for now we need to stick together, and cut the beef for now until we make it and then anything else can come after there.

How do you feel about our rap scene?

PEACE, LOVE AND HIPHOP

KTTIB