Pioneer Unit

The Sharpaganda Theory: Lesson 1 12” vinyl is shipping worldwide today!

Own a piece of hip hop history with this limited edition 12” vinyl. With production by Milanese, Dplanet and DJ Sibot, beautiful photography and artwork by Apartment Studios and the sickest lyrical delivery on this, or any other planet, even if you don’t own a record player you need to cop this!

Visit the Jarring Effects Sharpaganda website to order you copy today!!

That’s how we rrrrrrrroll!!

The Ben Sharpa 12” vinyl, The Sharpaganda Theory: Lesson 1 is coming out on 17th November! This limited edition 6-track EP, which is being released by French label Jarring Effects, includes an instrumental of Off the Rails and an acappella of Hegemony.

For our French-speaking friends…

Figure incontournable du Hip Hop Sud-Africain, Ben Sharpa ne vous est pas inconnu si vous avez suivi l’ouverture amorcée par Jarring Effects vers l’Afrique du Sud (Sibot, Playdoe, Fuck’N’Rad…). Déjà présent sur le coffret Cape Town Beats sorti en 2007, le titre Into The Black a vite fait parler de lui, acclamé par bon nombre de radios indépendantes (France, Canada, UK, Allemagne, Hollande, Belgique). Il est également remarqué par l’animatrice de la BBC1, Mary Anne Hobbs, bénéficiant alors d’une visibilité inespérée sur les ondes Anglo-Saxonnes.

Sur ce brillant premier maxi composé de quatre titres, une instru et une acappella, Ben s’est entouré de producteurs renommés tels que l’anglais Milanese (Warp / Planet Mu) ainsi que les sud-africains Sibot (Playdoe, Real Estate Agents / Jarring Effects) et Dplanet (Pioneer Unit). Un terrain de jeu accidenté qui colle à merveille à l’univers et au flow de ce rappeur surdoué. Le chaînon manquant entre Hip Hop US et Grime UK.

Précommande exclusive en vinyl 12” et numérique sur cd1d dans les jours à venir.

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What that basically says is that the 12” is dope and you can pre-order it at cd1d.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!

We are proud to announce that we have completed a deal with Driemanskap.

Hailing from Gugulethu, Cape Town, Driemanskap is a 4-man crew made up of members El Nino, Ma-B, Redondo and Dla. Together they form the vanguard of the new generation of proudly South African Hip Hop artists who understand that Hip Hop, more than any other musical art form, is about addressing important issues and representing where you’re from. Driemanskap are one of the pioneers of the Spaza movement, representing Cape Town with a rhyme style that combines their mother tongue, isiXhosa, with English and Cape Flats slang.

Driemanskap are always on the grind. While work on their debut album continues, they have released 2 mixtapes, Battle of Gugulethu Vol 1 and Battle of Gugulethu Vol 2. Their street anthem Go and Ask (Hamb’ubuza) also features on Planetary Assault, and Intwenje features on the October/ November edition of Hype magazine’s Hype Sessions CD. Driemanskap created the sound track for the Precious talk show on SABC 2 and Itsho Into was used in the international movie Sizwe.

We believe this is an historic moment for Pioneer Unit Records and South African music as a whole. Our mission has always been to give a platform to real African Hip Hop that is at home anywhere in the world - it doesn’t get more real than Driemanskap.

We plan to release Driemanskap’s long-awaited full debut album, Igqibhukile Inyongo, in the first quarter of 2009. Expect a lot of new material before then though.

Driemanskap’s full biography

Driemanskap on Myspace

El Nino in the video for Ama Vuvuzela

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That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrroll!!

Calling all club or radio DJs (commercial or community), bloggers, podcasters and journalists!

Pioneer Unit is dropping two big albums on 15th October 2008; B. Sharpa by Ben Sharpa and Bread and Butter by Rattex.

We’ve put together downloadable promo packs for both albums that include:
- 5 tracks (high quality MP3s)
- Cover artwork
- Document containing production credits, links to press releases and videos

Simply send us an email with information about what you do at your organisation and we’ll send you the download links.

If you would like to arrange interviews with either Ben Sharpa or Rattex, just let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.

Download the B Sharpa Press Kit (510k)

It’s time to B. Sharpa!!

Once in a while an artist comes along with the vision and ability to turn a genre on its head whilst taking it back to its roots. Ben Sharpa has achieved this with his debut solo offering, B. Sharpa, an iconic album that pays homage to the best socially conscious lyrical traditions of hip hop whilst innovating a completely fresh sound that Sharpa himself calls ‘robot army music’…

Keep reading →

Download the Bread and Butter Press Kit (433k)

It’s time for the son of the ghetto to light up the nation!!

Rattex fulfills the promise so much South African hip hop has failed to deliver by serving up one of the tightest, most complete and relevant albums of its genre ever released on the continent. Rattex, or Rah to his friends and fans, brings his own unique variety of deadly lyrical poison to the South African hip hop game with his debut solo album, Bread and Butter…

Keep reading →