We’ve been quiet recently, but don’t think we’re sleeping! We’re working day and night to bring you two of the hottest hip hop albums ever to drop in SA, namely B. Sharpa by Ben Sharpa and Bread and Butter by Rattex.
B. Sharpa is 100% complete and is due to be on sale across South Africa by mid-October.
We’re also releasing a limited edition, 6-track 12” vinyl EP through Jarring Effects in France. The EP, Sharpaganda Theory: Lesson 1 is a preview of B. Sharpa and it includes an instrumental of Off the Rails and an a cappella of Hegemony. The vinyl is due to drop in Europe in September although we are planning to import a few copies to South Africa. We’ll post up pricing and availability nearer the release date.
We’re also in the studio putting finishing touches to Rattex’s album, Bread and Butter. Trust me, this album is crazy fresh with killer production by Hipe, Nyambz, Planet Earth and myself. Rah features the amazing vocal skills of Lungelo (who recently signed to TS Records) on two tracks. We’re also hoping to do a track with Nosisi of Kwane Experience (although this is not confirmed yet).
Expect super-fresh kasi raps, banging street anthems, jiggy club bangers, conscious flows and music from the heart. Bread and Butter is set to be an instant classic and put Rattex on the map as a major force in SA hip hop.
Today we’re going to be shooting a quick video for The Real Shit so people can get a small taste of what to expect from the album. Pre-production has also started for the video for Vova Kancane, the first single from Bread and Butter.
Make sure you tune into Trace Your Roots, a 13 part SABC 1 series documenting indigenous knowledge systems and African cultural practices to see how they apply to the modern African.
Produced and Directed by Isaac Chokwe aka Krook’d, with original music by Ben Sharpa, DJ Raiko and Soweto Kinch.
The first show will be airing on SABC 1 on 20th August at 18:30.
This photo of Ben was taken by Dutch photographer, Krijn van Noordwijk, in Eindhoven at the Extrema Festival.
Krijn is working on a book called DJ that will feature portraits of various artists who have been performing on the European festival circuit.
The two sample copies of the book Krijn has made so far contain strikingly beautiful portraits that capture the personality of the artists with amazing intensity. His portrait of Chuck D is one of the best I have ever seen!
Just a quick update to let you know that we haven’t disappeared off the face of the planet.
Pioneer Unit is on tour in Europe at the moment. Ben Sharpa has been killing it with Milanese all over the place and I’m chilling in Amsterdam until the 30th of this month.
There will be news and photo updates in the next few days. Hold tight!
Please bear with us if you’ve emailed recently - we’ll definitely get back to you as soon as we can.
Our very own Ben Sharpa has just finished a recording session with critically-acclaimed UK Hip Hop crew, Foreign Beggars. They got together to record a track about the lunatics taking over the asylum, which by all accounts, is a banger.
For those of you that haven’t heard of Foreign Beggars, let me put you in the know… the crew have achieved a range high profile accomplishments from appearance s on Bjork’sMedulla album and the Gorillaz single Tomorrow Never Comes, to remix production for Amp Fiddler and Corinne Bailey Rae, and touring the States with James Lavelle’sUNKLE outfit. Whilst also having collaborated with a slew of hip hop heavy weights including Stones Throw’sOhNo, Guilty Simpson, Wildchild and Dudley Perkins, producer supreme DJ Vadim, Dabrye, Scratch Perverts, Skinnyman, Task Force and Spain’s Griffi and Tote King they have worked from a host of other genres including Vex’d, Virus Sundicate, Natalie Williams, Noisia and Ram Record’s Subfocus.
Ben is currently on tour in Europe, performing with groundbreaking UK Bass Music producer Milanese. Check him out at Bangface in London on July 11th, Dour Festival in Belgium on July 18th and at Extrema Festival in The Netherlands on July 19th.
Breis (UK) / DJ Spooky (US) / Ben Sharpa (SA) - (click for larger image).
Your boy Ben Sharpa is on tour out in Europe right now. Last Saturday he participated in MCs for Life as part of Bass Festival. Other participants include Black Thought, Lord Finesse, Rich Medina, Ursula Rucker, DJ Spooky, Tumi, Nappo, Omekongo, Lebo Mashile, Charlie Dark, Hymphatic Thabs and many more.
The photo above shows Ben chilling with Breis and DJ Spooky.
Rattex has 3 tracks on the MXit Music Audition Charts so go and show some love and get voting!
Look out for Hamba Nam, Hip Hop Love and Me No Play. We’ll be adding most of the tracks from Rah’s new EP, 7784, over the coming weeks so keep it locked for more info.
To vote for Rattex just follow these easy steps…
1. Log in to MXit (if you don’t have MXit Music added as a contact already, add it via Tradepost)
2. Once you’re in MXit Music, enter Charts & Voting
3.… then MXit Auditions
4.… then Voting
Scroll down the list until you find Hamba Nam, Hip Hop Love and Me No Play and follow the on-screen instructions. You can also preview the tracks for free before you vote.
Your vote is important! If any track gets 500 votes it is entered into the MXit Playlist. Once it’s there you can download the entire track for just 250 Moola (R2.50).
On Wednesday we went to meet Dino von Chapman, a freelance writer and Lloyd Edy, a freelance photographer. The two of them have recently started doing some work for Hype magazine (check out the feature on our boy Jaak in the April/ May edition - that’s their work).
They were commissioned by Hype to do a feature on Rattex for their June/ July edition. After a great interview with Dino in their loft studio in Salt River, Lloyd took us to the railway tracks to shoot Rattex. The photos looked great on the camera’s small screen. We’re really looking forward to seeing them in the next Hype.
In case you’re wondering, Rattex was wearing a limited edition Mustafa Maluka t-shirt by FOC.
The one and only Lungelo dropped by the studio a few days ago to record a feature for Rattex. Not surprisingly, he killed the track with a typically powerful hook.
I’ve always believed Lungelo was going to be a big star since I first met him in 2004. His career has gone from strength to strength, especially after moving to Johannesburg. He’s making major moves at the moment and you are sure to be hearing a lot more from him in the near future.
We’re just happy to have got him on a track that will make Cape Town proud.
Legendary Brooklyn-bred Lyricist Lounge all-star Wordsworth was in Cape Town for one night last Thursday. He was down here to perform alongside Ben Sharpa and Rattex at The Assembly. You know how we roll, we couldn’t just let the opportunity pass us by so we had to get Words on a track with our very own Ben Sharpa.
It all started last week when Sharpa gave me a call to say that Words was down to put in work if we could find the right beat. Sharpa also said that we’d only have an hour or so with Words because of his other commitments.
I prepared a selection of 12 beats that I thought would be appropriate. When Wordsworth, Sharpa and DJ Raiko came to the studio we got straight down to business. After listening to 6 tracks, Words chose a beat and immediately started writing.
Within half an hour, Words had written the verse and come up with a concept for the hook. Getting straight on the mic, Words did 3 run-throughs and the verse was laid down. Needless to say, the track was sounding dope, but time was running out and we needed to get to the sound check, followed by the Red Bull Academy workshop (where Words was speaking) so we had to bounce.
I was worried that we weren’t going to have time to finish the track, but Words assured me that he was down to finish no matter what. We decided it would be better to try and finish the track between the Red Bull Academy session and the start of his set at The Assembly.
The Red Bull Academy session ran over time so I was getting worried that we weren’t going to have time to record. We rushed back to the studio after Words had finished talking. As soon as I turned on the light the power went off. Luckily it wasn’t Eskom tripping, it was only the fuse box. Words finished the hook and the intro in plenty of time to get to the show. We also managed to shoot video of Words recording so we’ll have footage for the full video.
It was a real honour to work with Words. When I think about who he has worked with - Masta Ace, Da Beatminerz, Ayatollah, A Tribe Called Quest, Nicolay - I feel even more blessed.
Keep it locked to PioneerUnit.com for more information about the progress of this track. While you’re waiting, check out the photos from the session…
Words gets busy while Sharpa, DJ Raiko and Rattex look on (click for larger image).
Words writing lyrics (click for larger image).
Dplanet on the boards. Words on the mic (click for larger image).
Words writing (click for larger image).
Words and Sharpa (click for larger image).
Anne-Sophie shooting the video (click for larger image).
After a busy week of recording with Ben Sharpa, we just about had time to shoot the cover for his forthcoming EP which will be released in Europe to promote his tour in June.
The concept of the EP cover is that Ben is under surveillance by secretive forces for his anti-establishment views. We created a fictitious journey for him that started in the centre of Cape Town and ended up at the airport, shooting him covertly from various hiding places.
As always, Anne-Sophie directed the shoot and took the photos. She got some great shots so expect another amazing cover.
Here’s some shots from behind the scenes…
The car park shot (click for larger image).
Anne-Sophie shoots Ben (click for larger image).
Watching Ben in the car park (click for larger image).
Posing in the car park (click for larger image).
Watching (click for larger image).
Watching Ben at the airport (click for larger image).
Chilling during the shoot (click for larger image).
Ben has been in Cape Town for the past week recording material for a big collaboration with UK Bass Music super producer, Milanese. So far they have completed 4 tracks - needless to say, the material is crazy! Ben also spat bars on a heavy new track by yours truly called Off the Rails. He finished off a busy week lacing a new Sibot banger that has a classic old-skool flavour even though Sibot’s trademark Glitch Hop sound is still evident.
A lot of people have been asking me when Ben’s album B. Sharpa is coming out. Don’t worry, we haven’t been sleeping. Ben is determined to make sure that he continues the tradition he established with cult crews Audio Visual and GroundWorks by pushing the boundaries of Hip Hop like only he can - so expect the unexpected! We haven’t fixed a date yet, but we guarantee it will be worth the wait.
Sibot will be touring Europe with Milanese between June and August (summer time in Europe).
Anyone interested in booking Ben and Milanese in Europe should contact paul (at) k7 (dot) com.
On Sunday Pioneer Unit was in full effect at the Design Indaba Expo. One Small Seed had a stand where they were promoting One Small Seed TV so they invited us to come along to be interviewed.
Giuseppe, Annelie and Amelia were the perfect hosts, making sure we were fully refreshed at all times. One Small Seed is sponsored by Campari which I’ve never had before. I have to admit that at first I thought it was bitter and disgusting, but after a few glasses it started to grow on me. Strange how that happens.
On set were myself, Ben Sharpa, Rattex and The Realist talking about our future projects and what we’re up to right now. The interviews were really good and, like everything One Small Seed do, they looked great too.
Stay tuned for more info about One Small Seed TV in the near future.
Giuseppe and Annelie Interviewing The Realist (click for larger image).
Check out the new edition of South Africa’s number 1 Hip Hop magazine, Hype. We’re continuing our mission to be featured in every issue of this year, and this month KONFAB is interviewed by the lovely Simone.
You know what to do! Support your local Hip Hop industry and go and buy the magazine. If you feel like Hype isn’t representing your area, or you feel they aren’t featuring the hottest cats from your hood, write to Mizi and tell him! His address is mizi[at]hypemagazine.co.za.
A lot of people are still asking whether KONFAB has actually signed to Pioneer Unit. The answer is that he hasn’t signed but we’re still confident that we’ll be releasing his debut solo album sometime this year. KONFAB is a perfectionist and he wants to make sure that when he drops, his album is exactly how he wants it. This attention to detail is what makes KONFAB the artist he is so hold tight!
Standing on a solo block (click for larger image).
We are proud to announce that we have completed a recording agreement with Khayelitsha representative, Rattex. We believe that Rattex’s lyrical skill, charisma and distinctive voice are going to make him a major force in South African Hip Hop in the near future, bringing much-needed credibility and genuine quality to the game.
Anyone who has heard Rah dropping bars on the Drudge Dialect Mixtape or Planetary Assault knows he ain’t playin’. Look out for Rattex on the remix of Taxi Wars by Cashless Society on Nyambz’s forthcoming mixtape, Corner Store.
Rattex’s debut solo album is scheduled to drop in the second quarter of 2008. Keep it locked for more info.
Rattex seals the deal (click for larger image).
Rattex posted up with his new recording contract (click for larger image).
Rattex better get used to Anne-Sophie taking photos! (click for larger image).
The photo Anne-Sophie taking took (click for larger image).
On Monday night Ben Sharpa was hard at work putting down vocals for a collaboration with ‘UK bass music’ producer, Milanese. Widely regarded as one of the heaviest musicians on the electronic circuit, Milanese has released music on Warp Records, Planet Mu and Seed Records.
The mighty Mary Anne Hobbs put Milanese in touch with us after he heard Ben Sharpa on her Experimental show.
We’re really excited about the opportunity to work with such a heavyweight producer. The track he gave us is sick too. Rest assured that Sharpa killed it! We’re hoping Milanese’s production work will also feature on Ben’s forthcoming album, B. Sharpa.
We are proud to announce that we have completed a recording deal with Ben Sharpa.
Soweto-born Ben Sharpa (aka Oh Kaptin My Kaptin) is a veteran underground rapper and music producer. Considered by many as one of South Africa’s most accomplished lyricists, Ben Sharpa is a founding member of cult crews GroundWorks and Audio Visual.
Ben Sharpa has shared the stage with artists such as Immortal Technique (June 2005), Jonzi-D (June 2003), Black Thought (August 2001), Mr. Len and Jean Grae (May 2001). In June 2006, Sharpa headlined alongside Wordsworth and Jonzi-D as part of the Tri-Continental Hip Hop Festival. He also performed at the annual Glastonbury Festival (June 2007) on the BBC Introduces stage.
We believe this is an historic moment for Pioneer Unit Records and South African music as a whole. Ben is a premier artist who has gained a huge amount of media attention in South Africa and around the world for his unique and innovative style. We are extremely excited about the prospect of working with him in the year ahead and beyond.
We plan to release Ben’s long-awaited solo album, B. Sharpa, in the first quarter of 2008.
We are proud to announce that we have completed a recording deal with The Realist. We believe they are one of the most talented and innovative Hip Hop acts in South Africa and we’re very excited to be working with them to release their debut album in the first quarter of 2008.
Stay tuned for more information in the new year.
Sinister Dexter, Kid Klever &TOB (click for larger image).
Saturday morning was crazy. We launched the Pioneer Unit t-shirt range at Shelflife with the help of our boys, Archetypes.
Despite not having slept much, and with only a few quarts of Black to get them in the mood, Arche came through and set things off properly with an hour long jam session, much to the suprise and delight of the Saturday morning shoppers.
Having been to some great in-store promotions at Deal Real Records in London recently, we wanted to bring the same vibe back home. It certainly creates a buzz when you have dope artists performing live, up close and personal, in a shop environment.
We plan to do a series of these in-store promos at Shelflife over the coming months. We get to promote our artists and their work. The store gets to associate itself with real street culture and creates a theatrical element of excitement to draw in more customers and create a buzz.
If you don’t know Shelflife yet, where have you been?! It’s located at 119 Loop Street on the first floor. They stock the hottest, authentic streetwear from local and international designers, as well as all the paint and caps you could ever want. They also host exhibitions and put on events. They plan to start stocking an extensive collection of South African Hip Hop CDs in the new year. Go check them out.
Anyway,,, here’s some photos…
Arche performing in front of poster (click for larger image).
TOP spitting without spilling a drop (click for larger image).
Otis Larynx (click for larger image).
Arche in effect (click for larger image).
Enter the Dragon (click for larger image).
TOP off the dome (click for larger image).
Pioneer Unit t-shirts on display (click for larger image).
New Era fitteds on display (click for larger image).
Yesterday we had the pleasure of meeting up with Ready D to record 3 different episodes of Mzansi Rides, the number 1 rated show on Channel O. I was joined by El Nino and Dla from Driemanskap, Jaak and Otis Larynx from Archetypes.
We recorded three separate interviews followed by 3 performances. Driemanskap performed Hamb’ubuza, Jaak performed Oppie Spot Rus and Otis performed Verbally Spark. They all killed it with high energy and good vibes.
It was really interesting to see behind the scenes of a slick production like Mzansi Rides. The studio was much smaller than I imagined from seeing it on tv, but tight camerawork and post production works wonders.
Big shout out to Neil Webster, the Executive Producer at Fixer Film for putting us on. Maximum respect to Ready D - he’s an inspiration to anyone trying to make a living in the Hip Hop industry in South Africa.
Keep it locked to PioneerUnit.com for info on when the shows will be broadcast.
Ready D / Dplanet (click for larger image).
Neil (Executive Producer), Lolo, Jaak, Dla, Ready D and El Nino (click for larger image).
Otis Larynx performing on the Verbally Spark beat (click for larger image).
Jaak performing Oppie Spot Rus (click for larger image).
Driemanskap performing Hamb’buza (click for larger image).
Otis Larynx being interviewed by Ready D (click for larger image).
Jaak watching a master at work (click for larger image).
We’re really proud to represent Cape Town to an international audience on such a prestigious label. The compilation has already been getting airplay across Europe and we’re looking forward to breaking ground in new territories.
This issue really makes my blood boil. South Africa does actually have a 25% local music quota but according to the South African Music Quota Coalition, it is regularly ignored, “due to loopholes such as playing local content in the early hours of the morning, non-enforcement, and being allowed to use gig guides and interviews to offset their quota.”
The government needs to wake up and realise that without a strictly enforced local music quota (personally, I think 70% would be good), they are promoting and sustaining a culture of inferiority around local music and creating conditions that make it almost impossible for our talented industry to grow. A quota imposed on our media would force the majors in South Africa to invest in our local product.
We have been conditioned to believe that ‘local’ is inferior because we are brainwashed by foreign concepts of what constitutes good music. It wouldn’t be so bad if niche music was being imported, but we are subjected to the worst kind of lowest common denominator pop music from overseas.
The local music industry takes the path of least resistance. The ‘big four’ aka the ‘majors’ (Sony BMG, EMI, Universal and Warner) are more than happy to keep subjecting us to this barrage of foreign mediocrity because it’s easy money for them. All the hard work has been done overseas (the slick production, the expensive videos and the marketing campaigns). They are simply maximising the return on their investment and who can blame them?
Total domination of our media is ensured by the fact that our media relies on the major’s content to survive. In effect, the South African media works for the majors. Impose quotas on the media and the majors will be forced to invest locally or die.
The foreign domination of our media also means that South African niche music is effectively marginalised out of existence, distorting our local music industry and killing creativity. Only the most mainstream and superficial South African music has any chance of competing and surviving.
The more effectively you copy the foreign imports, the more likely you are to gain acceptance in this paradigm. Just look at two of our most popular RnB singers, Danny K and Loyiso - they are simply imitating a tried and tested formula from the US.
When the majors do get involved with local music, it is often done with no vision or commitment. Look how ineptly Pro Kid, one of our brightest South African Hip Hop talents, was treated. Gallo half-heartedly marketed him (only producing 1 video for Heads and Tales) before putting out DNA, a rushed second album with even less promotion - no video, no tours and limited radio play (I still haven’t heard one track from that album). Pro Kid is now signed to TS Records, an independent label, where hopefully he will enjoy more success.
It’s a vicious circle of the most simple and effective kind. Our artists struggle to get their music played on radio or TV, therefore the potential fans don’t know their music is out there, therefore they don’t buy it. Distributors won’t support local music because ‘it doesn’t sell’. It doesn’t sell because people don’t know it exists. Only quotas will break this circle.
The problem is definitely not that we don’t have the talent. We have artists on Pioneer Unit whose music is played regularly on the BBC in the UK, and who have performed at Glastonbury (amongst other places). Influential radio DJMary Anne Hobbs, who has been likened by many to the legendary John Peel, described our own Ben Sharpa and KONFAB as “two of the most inspired and agile lyricists in the world today” yet neither can get their music played on SA radio because it ‘doesn’t fit the format’.
After a long time I finally had the honour of getting Crosby aka Digi Analog in the studio to bless up the mic.
If you don’t know Crosby you better ask somebody! This Gugulethu-born reggae artist has been spending a lot of time in Europe lately, hotting up stages with the likes of Busta Rhymes, Capleton, Morgan Heritage, Black Eyed Peas&Kelis. Believe dat!
Don’t even get me started on why the South African music industry (and the media that supports it) can’t recognise its own talent, but rest assured, we’re gonna force our way into it even if we have to do it via the rest of the world first.
Anyway, back to the recording session… Gugs represent. Cros murdered the DriemanskapGo and Ask riddim. Keep it locked. It’s coming soon.
Who is The Realist? That’s what everyone has been asking me.
Pioneer Unit is in the middle of contract negotiations with Cape Town’s best kept musical secret. We’ve reached a stage in negotiations where I am pretty sure that we can make something happen, which is why I feel confident enough to blog about it.
The Realist is a trio consisting of two rappers (Kid Kleva and Sinister Dexter), and a producer (The Triplet of Belville). Their sound is an eclectic blend of dark lush string arrangements, sub-splitting electro and sinister, hard drums. It’s Hip Hop, but not as you know it.
These boys definitely have a bright future ahead of them with their genre-defying sound.
Aweh! Check out the pre-video video for Liberate Yourself by Terror MC. This montage of still photography taken around the Cape Flats was put together by visual artist Mustafa Maluka, himself born and raised in Bishop Lavis on the Cape Flats.
Maluka’s video is a prequel to the forthcoming full-motion video for Liberate Yourself that should be released in early December.
Also, check out this interesting blog post by Leo Africanus on the cultural/ musical significance of the new breed of Cape Town MCs.
I got so excited about beginning production on the new video for Go and Ask (Hamb’ubuza) that I decided to do a remix.
I was talking to El Nino earlier about making some hard, dark club bangers for Driemanskap in order to give them a bit more crossover appeal. I’m not sure this remix is particularly radio-friendly, but it’s definitely a banger.
You can check it out on my Myspace page. It’s the first track in my player.
Check out Welfare State of Mind on Bush Radio 89.5fm on Saturday, just after 2pm. Mikko will be playing the track.
We’ve started working on the new video for Hamb’ubuza by South Africa’s hottest up and coming crew, Driemanskap. They are riding high at the moment with a well-deserved number 1 spot in Hype magazine’s Unsigned Hype chart.
As always, the video will be directed by Anne-Sophie Leens from Apartment Studios. We’re going bigger and better this time so we’re employing a director of photography to make sure that the final product is truly world-class. We’re also talking to potential sponsors to see what we can do.
The Unit was in full effect this weekend as Trusenz broadcast his show, ‘Ground Zero’, live from Cape Town. The show was broadcast on CKIFM, an SABC station that goes out across the Eastern Cape, on both Saturday and Sunday.
Tru was in town with his band BEE to do a couple of shows so he gave us the opportunity to talk to the people of the EC about what we’re up to in Cape Town.
I’ve only ever been to inside the SABC building in Seapoint to do interviews on GoodHope FM (as they share the building). It was interesting to go deeper into the building and see the somewhat old skool SABC studios.
On Saturday Rattex and I did an interview and we played through his tracks on Planetary Assault. Ratteezy also did a freestyle over the ‘Go and Ask’ beat.
On Sunday we did it all over again, this time with Driemanskap who killed it as usual. Those boys always bring the FIRE!
Press release. For immediate release. 18th Sept 2007.
To help engage grass roots support for their first release Planetary Assault and future projects, Pioneer Unit launches a new marketing initiative, the ‘Street Pioneers’ street team.
Street Pioneers is a group of highly motivated individuals who represent the Pioneer Unit brand on the streets. Their job is to let everyone know about the latest music, events, and releases from the labels.
The ‘street team’ concept is common in the US and Europe but not widely used as a promotional tool in South Africa. Word of mouth is one of the most effective ways of generating buzz on the streets, which is after all where Hip Hop lives.
Big thanks to DJ Eazy for organising a nice little interview with Contro’Versy, the host of MK89’s Hip Hop show. The crew came through to the Planetary Assault launch party to see how we get down and talk to us about what we’re planning for the future. The interview aired last night on DSTV’s MK89.
They also showed the video for ‘How We Roll’ by KONFAB, featuring Jaak, which is the first single from Planetary Assault.
Don’t worry if you missed it - you can catch repeats of the show throughout the week…
Once again, another Pioneer Unit first! This time it’s a Cuba / Cape Town connect.
After bumping into Ephniko at DJ Eazy’s show at UCT Radio, we had to get down with our second groundbreaking collabo. Having made history with ‘My People’, a collaboration between UK Grime artists Purple Simba and Shyam, and Cape Town Hip Hoppers Terror MC& Ben Sharpa, we had to continue the series by putting together Spanish-speaking Cuban rapper Ephniko and our very own Afrikaans-speaking Terror MC.
The track is called ‘Third World Citizens’. It addresses issues of racism and colonialism in both Cuba and South Africa. The beat uses samples of traditional Zimbabwean folk singing with djembas and marimbas. The effect is intentionally ambiguous as these instruments are common to both Latin America and South Africa.
I almost forgot to mention, the track is FIRE! Look at for it soon…
Another day, another radio show to promote the Planetary Assault launch party. This time DJ Eazy was nice enough to invite us on to his show on UCT Radio 104.5fm.
Sadly, I forgot to take photos so nothing to show you, but we had another great time. This time I went along with Terror MC and Oracle Flo. We also met up with a Miami-based Colombian MC by the name of EPHNIKO who’s in town trying to link up with heads and share in global Hip Hop culture.
Everyone got on the mic and spat a few verses. I have to give it to EPHNIKO though,,, he killed the freestyle.
Anyway, tomorrow is the launch party. If you’re not a confirmed guest on Facebook, get yourself over there right now and sign up!
And we don’t stop! Another radio promo for the Planetary Assault launch party last night, this time on the Dirty Roots Show on Bush Radio 89.5 FM hosted by Buddhadda and Mr Nimbus.
I took Rattex with me and met Otis Larynx and Hyphen from Archetypes outside the spot. Hyph was seriously blazed (which always worried me for live radio). Once we got in front of the mics it was all love. We went through the CD playing tracks and giving some background info on the making of the album.
Hyphen, Otis and Rattex killed a freestyle over the Kakalaki beat. It always amazes me that Hyph can be so blazed that he can hardly talk, but when you put a beat on he can rhyme like a beast.
True to form, KONFAB turned up an hour and a half late, just as we were leaving. The boys from Bush were kind enough to put us back on air so that KON and Hyphen could bust another freestyle over the Township Storm beat.
Make sure you check out the Dirty Roots Show on Bush Radio 89.5 FM between 6-8pm on Saturday.
I’m suffering from a bit of a hangover today after last night’s appearance on Nick Knucklez show on UCT Radio with Archetypes and KONFAB. We were there to promote the Planetary Assault Cape Town launch party.
We arrived in high spirits after spending a good few hours at Joburg on Long Street. We definitely brought the party with us to the studio. TOP, Hyphen, Otis Larynx &KONFAB all spat bars live on air, and we got generally rowdy - what else would you expect from Archetypes?
Last night I was told that UCT Radio reaches out as far as Paarl. I’ll have to ask Jaak to confirm this, but if it’s true, I’m impressed. Hyphen told me he listens in Gugs so it reaches much further than I thought.
It was nice to run into Endzi who was at the station to promote her show this Friday at Mercury Live. I’ve seen her around, but never properly said hello - what’s up Endz, nice to meet you!
It wasn’t all fun and games earlier in the evening - we weren’t just at Joburg to drink R10 draughts. We were there on official Pioneer Unit business!
