Pioneer Unit

Our very own Ben Sharpa was interviewed by Rob Boffard in the number 1 newspaper for South Africans living abroad, The South African.

Luckily for you, they have an online version so you can check out the piece. Some of you may know Rob Boffard aka Rob_one from his regular contributions to Africa’s Gateway.

Anyway…. check out The Sharpest Knife in the Drawer

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

There’s a nice feature on The Realist in the latest issue of One Small Seed.

“The Realist deals in bruising combustible beats, caustic rhymes and moments of jarring beauty.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself!

Go and buy One Small Seed, it’s definitely one of SA’s best publications.

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That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

Check out your boy Rah in the June/ July edition of Hype Magazine. Like we always say, support local Hip Hop and go and buy the magazine. Rah is on page 19.

That’s how we rrrrrrroll!!

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Putting Heads Together. Your boy Sharpa featured in this short piece in the Mail & Guardian on Heads Against Violence, an anti-xenophobia benefit gig in Johannesburg.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!

Check out our very own Ben Sharpa posing with Yfm’s Lee Kasumba and legendary New York producer/ DJ, J-Live in the 8th May 2008 edition of Drum Magazine. The photos were taken at the annual Back to the City street festival last month.

That’s how we rrrrrrrroll!!

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).

KON! (click for larger image).

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!

24.com homepage (click for larger image).

Big shout out to Tiisetso Tlelima for featuring Pioneer Unit on South Africa’s leading news and lifestyle portal, 24.com.

Check out the interview and free downloads. Don’t say we never give you nothing!

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!

It’s been hard keeping this one to ourselves as we’ve know about it for some time, but December’s issue of Hype Magazine with Sharpa on the cover has finally hit the shops!

Hype’s editor, Mizi Mtshali, has promised that if this issue sells well, more local artists will be featured on future covers. This is good for the whole of SA Hip Hop, so support your local product and go and buy December’s edition!

Don’t buy one, buy four! (click for larger image).

Sharpa cover (click for larger image).

Double page spread (click for larger image).

Sharpa than most (click for larger image).

Reflect on shi*t (click for larger image).

Freshest sh*t (click for larger image).

Sign up to Sharpa’s fan page on Facebook.

Check out Sharpa’s Myspace page.

That’s how we rrrrrroll!!

Ben Sharpa in Cosmo magazine? Yeah, you read it right - the one and only Ben Sharpa aka Oh Kaptin My Kaptin is elevating South African Hip Hop to new heights (and his solo album ain’t even out yet!).

Support local Hip Hop and go and buy yourself a copy of the December 2007 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. Our very own Ben Sharpa is featured in a piece called SA Stars Going Global. It’s on page 49 of the Cosmo Rocks section. There’s a nice photo of Rhianna on the cover, you can’t miss it :)

Rhianna on the cover (click for larger image).

SA Stars Going Global (click for larger image).

Sound Ambassadors (click for larger image).

Article text (click for larger image).

Going global. That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

Pioneer Unit is featured in a nice double page spread in the October/ November edition of Hype magazine (page 34, right in front of the feature on 50 Cent). The feature is called ‘Planetary Assault - A New World - A New Era’.

Thanks to Mizi and Simone at Hype for the support. Also big up to my boys Driemanskap who are at number 1 in the Unsigned Hype chart (we’ll have to see what we can do about that ‘unsigned’ status!).

Support Your Local Product (S.Y.L.P.) and go buy the magazine. In fact, double up and get a spare - someone always steals my copy so I need to have two.

Poppin’ Champagne

Front cover of Hype magazine

That’s how we rrrrrrroll!!

There’s a nice feature on Planetary Assault in this month’s issue of One Small Seed magazine.

For those of you that don’t know, One Small Seed is South Africa’s hottest pop culture magazine. Big thanks to Dylan, Giuseppe and Tracey Lee for the support!

Front cover of One Small Seed

Battle formation!

Get ready for the Planetary Assault!!

Hip Hop ain’t dead, but the revolution starts now.

25-06-07: As of 16:00 CAT- One of African hip hop’s most eagerly anticipated releases is unleashed on the urban music landscape; Planetary Assault smashes its way into the global hip hop music scene with 21 blazing tracks, bringing fire straight from the streets eKasi, the dusty ghetto vlaktes and the grimiest clubs in Cape Town.

Africa is the birthplace of rhythm. Through the songs of slaves, that rhythm found its way to the Caribbean where it evolved into what we now recognize in the forms of Reggae and Dancehall. From there it travelled to the US where it became Hip Hop. Soon after, it spread out around the world and back to Africa, constantly evolving and mutating on its way. Planetary Assault represents one completed circle in Hip Hop’s journey. It also keeps that journey alive by creating African Hip Hop that continues to blaze trails around the world.

Planetary Assault is the first major release from Cape Town-based independent label Pioneer Unit. The label’s unique sound reflects the many influences that have shaped the course of Hip Hop today. Listen closely and you will hear everything from classic Boom Bap, to Dancehall and Dub, to Electro, Detroit Techno and UK Grime. All these influences are brought together to form an epic journey into the future of South African hip hop.

The 21-track project was produced by label founder Dplanet (a Hip Hop veteran of more than 20 years and a pioneering name behind classic material by Pro Kid, Ben Sharpa, Trusenz & Middle Finga). It features a total of 19 different MCs spitting in a combination of six of South Africa’s eleven official languages. The artists featured on the project smashed down cultural, language and political barriers, as well as inter-crew rivalry, to come together and bring this vision to life.

Besides Ben Sharpa, Middle Finga and KONFAB, Planetary Assault is made complete by the inclusion of the unquestionable vocal skillz of Rattex, Jaak, Oracle Flo, Driemanskap, Macho, Terror MC, Purple Simba, Shyam, Rato, T.O.P., Trusenz, Cozi G and the Archetypes.

Don’t believe the hype? After hearing pre-release copies of Planetary Assault, influential cult British radio personality Mary Anne Hobbs was moved to state that Ben Sharpa and KONFAB are “two of the most inspired and agile lyricists in the world today.” Planetary Assault dub plates have featured regularly on her legendary ‘Experimental’ show on BBC Radio 1 since the start of 2007, creating big international buzz around the project’s imminent release. Ben Sharpa and KONFAB performed at Glastonbury Festival and ‘You Don’t Know’ (a Ninja Tune/ Big Dada event) respectively as a result of this exposure.

Planetary Assault is released locally in association with cult Cape Town independent label African Dope Records and distributed nationally by Soul Candi distribution. For heads, limited copies of the album have been made exclusively available to buy at the African Dope online shop and Mabu Vinyl (Rheede Street, Cape Town), or listen & buy tracks off the album at the great South African music portal that is Rhythm Records!

The album is also marketed and distributed globally in a number of digital formats thru dig.it.all solutions in Cape Town.

The album will be officially launched at a star-studded event in Cape Town on the 29th of Auguest at The Roosevelt. (Watch the press for details!)

For a taste of what’s to come, a different free mp3 single will be made available each week leading up to the main launch event on the 25th of July. The first free track ‘Go and Ask’ (Hamb’ubuza) by Driemanskap featuring Macho is available as of today at www.cnet.download.com and www.podshow.com.

Listen to Planetary Assault at Last FM

Make friends with Pioneer Unit at Myspace

Join the Pioneer Unit Facebook group!

Visit www.pioneerunit.com for behind the scenes and frequent updates.

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Note to media: for more information, artist biogs, audio samples and other press opportunities, please contact Plus 1 Media Productions. E-mail: monsoon@p1mp.co.za. Call +27 (21) 426-1623.

For label information, please contact Pioneer Unit. E-mail: dplanet001@gmail.com. Call 083 658-8921.

For national distribution enquiries, please contact Soul Candi. E-mail leyton@soulcandidistribution.co.za Call (011) 880-5662

For global distribution and marketing enquiries, please contact dig.it.all music solutions.

E-mail: dig@itall.co.za.

Nice feature on our very own Ben Sharpa in the current edition of One Small Seed magazine.

Pioneer Unit artist Middle Finga aka Rhamncwa aka Manga is featured in this month’s edition of Hype magazine.

Support local Hip Hop… buy the magazine… tell the radio to stop frontin’ and play Middle Finga’s tracks!

Spaza,,, that’s how we roll!

& Ben Sharpa” />

Konfab’s track ‘Next Statement’ is featured on this month’s free CD that comes with Hype magazine. This track is from KONFAB’s forthcoming album ‘Swart Gevaar’ and features Ben Sharpa. A little taste of the ruggedness to come.

“Before you walk the streets of the Mother City, you better know the anthem, straight up!… this collaboration with Ben Sharpa is for all you notty-headed Hip Hop fiends.”

Look out for Hype magazine in an outlet near you!