CashTime King K.O
It’s a scorching day in Fourways and I go about the business of interviewing Ntokozo ‘K.O’ Mdluli at a quaint cafe. The patron at the table next to mine – who I’d befriended to charge my phone – asked as…
Top 10 Rap Beefs
Beef. In 2016 it’s been reduced to fastest fingers first on Twitter. Oh, the drama! (Did you see my eyes rolling all the way back to 1994 there? Did you?) But there was a time when beef brought the slickest,…
Cassper Did That
Artistry seeks out greatness like a moth does a flame. One of the true marks of great artistry is the crafting of exceptional live performances that not only endear yourself to your audience but sets you apart from your contemporaries.…
Solo Dreams
“If ever I was blinded they sacrificed their eyes so that I could see.” Jubilee no Ligamo: an ode to sacrifice and family; vulnerability on a track. Solo’s thematically complex sophomore – .Dreams.B.Plenty – converges beautifully on this introspective gem, the puzzle piece that brings the entire album picture into focus…
Anatii: Rapper, Producer, Creative
It’s a sweltering day in Sandton and the general whir and buzz that’s synonymous with the economic hub, together with the ringing in my eardrum from the chattiest Uber driver in the world, immediately dissipate when I walk into Anatii’s…
What It Takes To Make It in the SA Hip Hop Industry from the Experts: Part 3
If talent were a blemished face, public relations would be the wave of a makeup artist’s brush; accentuating its natural highlights and beauty, and concealing its blemishes. PR is the act of disseminating information between a person/organisation and the general…
What It Takes To Make It in the SA Hip Hop Industry from the Experts: Part 2
The musical landscape is a rapidly evolving one. For decades, consistent commercial radio airplay was the top of the promotional totem pole that introduced new artists to the general public. With the advent of internet radio stations, podcasts and non-traditional…
What It Takes To Make It in the SA Hip Hop Industry From The Experts: Part 1
So you think you can rap. You’ve worshipped Lupe’s rich and intellectual wordplay, refusing to dumb himself down to appeal to a wider audience. You’ve studied Weezy’s cadence switch ups, and how they’ve garnered him enough acclaim from those in…
Celebrating exceptional women: The Rise of Female Rappers in SA Part 2
MC, n. /ɛmˈsiː/: microphone controller. The term itself isn’t gendered, but the in the context of the hip hop industry, the differentiation is always made. ‘It’s always “Who’s your favourite female rapper?” It’s never “Who’s your favourite rapper?” and we’re…
Youngsta; Leader of the Y? Gen
If words came alive and were sentient, if they developed perception and feeling, moved through a room with human form and awareness, then Cyril Connolly’s quote ‘Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the…
The Rise of Female Rappers in SA
I liken the hip hop industry in South Africa at the moment to a teenager; a kaleidoscope of emotion to be mined for meaningful growth, a host of physical changes that sometimes leave you with more questions than answers, but…
Top 10 MCs to look out for in 2016
Hip hop lists are always incredibly divisive. Rap is intrinsically competitive, everyone is vying for a position, so you’re almost always guaranteed to offend someone because of who you’ve included or who you’ve omitted. However, as hip hop journalists, and…
