CyHi The Prynce – Mandela Remix Featuring Reason & Well$

In the last 2 years South Africa has hosted some of the USA’s most popular Hip Hop acts.  These performances have either been stops on their global tours (Eminem) or standalone concerts sponsored by alcoholic beverage companies (2 Chainz, Kanye West, Nas, Timbaland, Kendrick Lamar)   Whenever I have had the chance to attend the press […]

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Why Datafilehost Is A Bad Platform

When I asked him where competition lay for the music streaming/downloading platform Kasimp3 sometime last year, founder Mokgethwa Mapaya answered “Datafilehost!”. Forget iTunes, Datafilehost is taking over, he told me. One year and counting after that conversation, Datafilehost has become a demi-god in the dark underworld of illegal filesharing. What’s even more bemusing is how […]

August 1, 2014 More
 

WizKid – Show You The Money [Video]

Nigerian Hip Hop fascinates me – Nigerian artists often manage to merge their own cultures and languages with what has predominantly been a Western craft, imitated rather than integrated, over the years. This track, and subsequently, video, symbolize exactly what I mean, and love, about their craft. Full disclosure: I’m a Wizkid fan, bordering on […]

July 31, 2014 More
 

Reason – 2 Cups Shakur [Audio]

Reason‘s taken time from featuring on hit singles and dropping dope monthly freestyles to bring us 2 Cups Shakur. He goes straight for the jugular right off the bat, reeling us in with “All my enemies envy me, sipping Hennessy” a shoutout to the late Pac himself, then diving straight into the catchy chorus before starting […]

July 31, 2014 More
 

Throwback Thursday: Sasha – Only One

Sometimes, as I go back in time to find tracks for these posts, I feel a need to cover more African female rappers and avoid this segment feeling like the big Boys Club Hip Hop often is. I have to say finding these women is a bit hard – assuming my feeble mind finally manages […]

July 31, 2014 More
 

GZE – Rusambo Featuring Alkanemo & Sister Flame (Official Video)

One uniquely African tradition, that is rarely covered in African Hip Hop is the process undertaken in a traditional marriage. When I first heard Rusambo I was struck by the concept and impressed by the way GZE, Alkanemo and Cuttybeats delivered it. At times, especially in Hip Hop it seems that African youth would rather […]

VideoJuly 25, 2014 More
 

Molemi – A Sia [Video]

Mo Molemi recently dropped the visuals for the title track from his album A Sia- the second video released after Pelonomi and in all honesty, it’s quite lackluster. I’ve come to expect certain things from Molemi, despite the fact that I am not an avid follower of his music, I pay attention. He’s carved his own space […]

July 25, 2014 More
 

E.P.I.C – Dump in the Gut [A Video and a Rant]

  For the most part artists are used to being under-appreciated, methinks. Most of the people around them tend to think their jobs are in fact hobbies and if they aren’t a fan, chances are they’re either a hater or indifferent to your product. And I guess it’s understandable considering that the music industry is saturated […]

July 24, 2014 More
 

Throwback Thursday: Zeus – Imagination ft Stagga

  I was a reckless little being when I first heard this song. My friends and I had this habit of going to loiter at the mall, blue eye shadow and waistcoats on deck – in hindsight looking like baby prostitutes and strippers from a “hood” movie – and you couldn’t tell us nothin’ ’bout […]

July 24, 2014 More
 

X The Green Panther – I’m Back

  Cape Town-based Durban emcee, X The Green Panther who has been on a hiatus after releasing his debut mixtape Cheese and Mayo in 2013, returns with a new single. Aptly titled “I’m Back”, the single sees X The Green Panther lacing some battle-ready bars over an empty trappy backdrop courtesy of Kraezy-Mini. The message […]

July 24, 2014 More
 

Wah-Li – Writers’ Club (Remix)

  Promising Cape Town emcee, Wah-Li made a daring decision when he laced the instrumental to ProVerb’s Writers’ Club. The question you are probably asking yourself is “Who the fuck does that?” Well, you and I both. The young talented emcee brought his game but he might have just bitten more than he can chew […]

July 24, 2014 More