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