DJ Raiko_

Raiko is a true soldier of the South African hip hop movement, having established himself as a DJ, producer, broadcaster, promoter and writer, since his career began in 1998.

One of the most hard-working DJs on the South African hip hop circuit, Raiko is known for his eclectic sets underpinned by the classic 90s Golden Era hip hop sound.

As a promoter, he was a member of amuchDarkerPromotions, an independent production company that was responsible for a number of legendary Cape Town hip hop events including:

Boogie Down Knights_
Between 1998 and 2001, this was Cape Town's biggest monthly hip hop party. The event featured performances by U.S. hip hop outfit Dead Prez as well as respected U.K. DJs Kofi, Semtex, Olabean, Asif, Woody, Mr. Thing and French DJ K-IM. Resident DJs included Big Dre, Azhul and Ready D.

WordLife_
Between 2000 and 2001, WordLife hosted monthly MC battles with DJ sets by DJ Semtex (U.K. Def Jam), Ready D and Hamma.

The Lounge Sessions_
The Lounge Sessions weekly Friday night party was set up to cater to anyone who appreciated good hip hop music. Resident DJs included Doberman (U.K.), Hamma, Raiko and Big Dre. It also Hosted hip hop DJs from the Red Bull Music Academy, which included DJ Spair (Oakland Faders). This event is, to this day, one of the most talked about hip hop sessions in Cape Town history.

Raiko has a pedigree few South African hip hop DJs can touch: • 2008 - Featured in Vincent Moloi's SABC 1 documentary Are we Dancing to the Same Beat

• 2008 - Produced music for 13-part SABC 1 documentary, Trace Your Roots, including the music for the end credits.

• 2008 - Started writing Heads of State column for BPM Magazine

• 2008 - DJ for DMC DJing Finals in Johannesburg

• 2008 - Official tour DJ for Gini Grindith

• 2008 - Official tour DJ for Ben Sharpa

• 2008 - Performed cuts and scratches on Robo the Technician's self-titled album, released on independent imprint Iapetus

• 2008 - Tour DJ for Wordsworth / Ben Sharpa in Cape Town

• 2008 - Performed cuts and scratches on Nigeria rapper Modenine's track, Dissing on the Low

• 2007 - Performed on DSTV's MK89 show, Hip Hop with Cape Town hip hop pioneers Mr. Fats and DJ Azhul

• 2007 - Performed cuts and scratches on Tha Hymphatic Thabs', The Age of Horus, released on independent imprint Iapetus. Also performed at the album launch show.

• 2007 - Released free downloadable mixtapes on the internet, including Under the Table, The 3:30am Tape and 20/20. These were available on various blogspots including mixtape.com

• 2007 - Mixed Hype Sessions Vol. 15 CD for South Africa's number one hip hop magazine, Hype. This included a downloadable ringtone from MTN Loaded, as well as a feature tutorial page in the magazine.

• 2006 - Compiled the soundtrack for Mike van Graan's hit theatre production Mixed Metaphors

• 2006 - DJ for Johannesburg leg of the Tri-Continental Hip Hop Festival. The line up included Wordworth (EMC, Lyricist Lounge) with DJ DP One (U.S.), Jonzi D (UK) and Ben Sharpa (SA).

• 2004 - DJ for Abnormal Detail, a hip hop theatre concept crew that consisted of two underground legends, Tha Hympathic Thabs and Gini Grindith. Abnormal Detail performed at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown in 2004 to great critical acclaim.

• 2004 - Initiated the monthly Speech Therapy sessions that hosted Local MCs competing in freestyle battles that gave the winner free studio time as well as a cash prizes. Alternative months were used for artists to showcase their talent with the aid of a live band. Singers, MCs and DJs were also encouraged to participate

• 2003 - Closing set at the Cape Town launch of hip hop magazine, C.O.R.E.

• 2002 - DJ for MTN's Free2Speak campaign which included a set at the premiere of the Eminem's movie 8 Mile in Cape Town

• 2002 - Resident DJ for The Hotbox, a seminal underground hip hop show on UCT Radio that was hosted by members of the iconic crew GroundWorks

• 2001 - Helped co-ordinate the Cape Town leg of Black August with International hip hop acts Black Thought from The Roots, Dead Prez, Jeru the Damaja, Boots from The Coup and Talib Kweli.

• 2001 - Opened for Ready D's very first Beatbangaz show

Booking DJ Raiko

Contact Hardy: info (at) hitentertainment (dot) co (dot) za

Downloads:

DJ Raiko Bio (Zipped Word Doc.) (93k)

Links:

DJ Raiko on Myspace









View the complete DJ Raiko tour schedule