Simon & Phil List Their Favourite South African-Nigerian Hip Hop Collabos
by Phil Chard
Nigeria and South Africa are undisputedly the two biggest powerhouses in the African music scene and, by extension, the African hip hop scene. Both countries are home to some of the biggest names in African hip hop, and when the two nations collaborate, it often produces some amazing work. With that in mind here are some of our favourite South African - Nigerian collaborations:
Undeniably the biggest SA-Naija collabo team right now is The A-Team, consisting of Da L.E.S, AKA and Burna Boy. The team has 5 singles in varying combinations since their formation- Special Someone, All Eyes On Me, Baddest, Birthday and Paid. Da L.E.S had discussed his interest in doing a full A-Team project in a few interviews, but noted that scheduling conflicts were hindering its completion. .
The two biggest beneficiaries and the South African – Nigerian Hip Hop Trade Scheme are undoubtedly AKA and Ice Prince. The two have mad enough songs that fit the criteria to fill an album.
AKA has manged to secure a number of big SA-Naija collaborations, the Super Mega was one of the first South African rappers to see the massive potential and benefits with the cross continental collabs. From working with Ice Prince on the N Word remix to the massively catchy Same Shit with Wande Coal to his current single with Nigerian Dancehall star Patoranking titled Special Fi Mi, AKA has been playing his part in facilitating the cultural exchange. AKA’s ear for new sounds and “no fee for collaborations” policy has also resulted in the Super Mega working with a number of upcoming artists and providing them with a much needed boost to their burgeoning careers. This was very evident when AKA got on the remix for one of the biggest songs of 2015 – EmTee’s Roll Up alongside Wizkid.
Since 2015, the youthful duo of EmTee and Nasty C have presented the most formidable threat to the dominance held by the old guard of successful rappers like AKA and Khuli Chana. In 2015 Nasty C cemented his arrival on the scene with the surprise commercial hit Juice Back. On the remix, the Durban ‘ute manged to rope in Nigerian superstar Davido and Cassper Nyovest.
The Motswakoriginator, Khuli Chana has also began looking further afield in recent years , working with the likes of Victoria Kimani and Muthoni, his two most impressive collaborations with Nigerian artists have come via E-Kelly’s production. The first of which was his massively popular No Lie that saw him working Patoranking. The second was the remix to YCee’s Condo which also featured KidX and Pato once again
South African DJ Dimples and his brand are synonymous with partying and party anthems. The DJ gave his turn up anthems the West African treatment when he enlisted Ice Prince and Emmy Gee for Bae Coupe and Burna Boy on the high energy Clean In This B.
Emmy Gee’s Rands and Nairas could be the poster child for South African - Nigerian Hip Hop collaborations; on the original he enlisted the help of AB Crazy who delivered one of his most impressive pieces of writing to date. On the remix for the massively popular song he upped the ante and recruited Cassper Nyovest & Anatii from South Africa and Ice Prince and Phyno from Nigeria to lend their verses to the hit single.
In 2014 Ice Prince was undoubtedly the biggest rapper on the continent. At the time he boasted over 500,000 followers on twitter (unheard of at the time) and everyone and their mama was clamouring for a verse from the Jos rapper. One of the few artists that managed to secure his services was L-Tido who got Ice to lend a verse to his song Fresh And Clean which was the fourth single off his sophomore album All Of Me.
Around the same time Ice Prince parlayed his massive popularity to get verse Sarkodie, Wizkid, M.I, Khuli Chana (Mercy Johnson dropped half a line. Her feature was window dressing)
Tweezy has had one of the most eventful careers in recent years. After producing three of the biggest songs on AKA’s album Levels, the producer has also been part of a few song writing controversies, awards show ticketing snafus and then a successful rebrand and transition from producer to performing artist. All within the space of two years!
His first singles as a solo artist was the song Ambitions. After receiving a positive response from critics and the populace alike Tweezy linked up with Khuli Chana, Victoria Kimani and Nigeria’s Ice Prince on the massively impressive remix.
In a recent conversation, M.I Abaga revealed that he just recorded a song with AKA and was keen to work with Nasty C. Long before talk of these high power collaborations floated across our timelines, the Chocolate City CEO did a song with Hip Hop Pantsula titled Superhuman that appeared on his Illegal Music II project.
And finally, the last song from this collaborative list of some of the best South African and Nigerian collabs is a song that has been my ringtone for close to a year now. Possibly one the of the best dance tracks to ever be released. A song by a Nigerian Rap/Pop star and a South African outfit more famous for their contributions to House. Banger by Runtown and Uhuru shall be taught in schools one day
There are also a number of impressive collaborations that appeared on albums that were not released as singles such as the only Doc Shebeleza remix we acknowledge featuring Burna Boy and Anatii’s Proper featuring Tiwa Savage. There is also Dreamteam’s Talk That Shit featuring AKA and Ice Prince.
Watch Ice Prince Lyric Video for Excellency Featuring DJ Buckz
by Phil Chard
Nigeria's Ice Prince links up with South Africa’s DJ Buckz on his latest release for Excellency. The dance floor centred song merges EDM and Dancehall as Ice Prince delivers a series of simple bars that lead into the Buckz chorus.
@Iceprincezamani @Deejay_Buckz
Ice Prince Explains His Relationship With Chocolate CIty Music
by Phil Chard
Ice Prince recently stopped by The Juice to give his first interview on the show in almost three years. While on the show Ice Prince spoke about his new position at Chocolate City as a Vice President who recently signed his own imprint Super Cool Cats to the label. When asked about how he was appointed to be the Vice President he said“ It happened as an honour from my bosses, I am talking about Audu Maikori , I am Paul Okeugo who deemed it fit for me to be Vice President of Chocolate City Music. My role is really to mentor the artists and guide the artist and not sit in an office…..”Ice Prince also spoke about what it is like to have MI as his boss “MI has always been my president ... my mentor, my big dog” before Zamani discussed as now dual role at Chocolate City and running his own imprint Super Cool Cats, “It’s not that difficult, it’s just relationships, it’s just vibes, it’s just how you connect with each other” .
Ice Prince also discussed his current musical direction and was quick to point out that he has always straddled the line between Pop and Rap, before speaking on the drama surrounding his relationship with his current girlfriend that unfolded on social media a few months back and also what it is like being a celebrity dad.
Meet JayDogg Beats, The Cape Town Producer Working With Ice Prince, DJ Speedsta, DJ Dimplez And More
by Sabelo Mkhabela
JayDogg Beats is a producer from Cape Town. He is silently working with superstars – the likes of DJ Speedsta, DJ Dimplez, Ice Prince and more. His biggest production is “Bae Coupe” by DJ Dimplez featuring Ice Prince, Emmy Gee and Riky Rick.
In the interview below, he speaks about how “Bae Coupe” came about, how he got to work with all these stars, how his life has changed, money, his current projects and more. He also plays some of his new material. Listen to the interview below, and check out his SoundCloud page.
@jaydoggbeats
Tipping The Skales: We Take A Look At Bad Recording Deals & Disgruntled Artists
by Mayuyuka
There have been great breakout successes for independent artists all across the world lately. In the States Chance The Rapper hasn't relied on any deals, and in South Africa Cassper Nyovest has built himself an empire with his record label Family Tree.
It's an investment the label makes in an artist, and like any other investment a healthy return is expected
For every great indie success, however, there's a lot more successful artists with label backing. Now what about those successes who we see hit the limelight but are signed to deals which seem aren't in their favour. Once in awhile, the curtain is pulled back and the façade of bottle popping and fresh whips gets put firmly in the spotlight. Well, Skales is a prime example of a major signing gone wrong it seems. Although since resolved; news of his and his managers arrest brought about a slew of documentation online.
The Nigerian allegedly signed a 200 Million Naira deal with the then Howie T and Dipo Abdul-helmed record label Baseline Music. Now if this is all factual, it intrigues me because the deal purportedly included a new car, a lifestyle allowance and a new house (legally, and not mistakenly referred to as property). Now I say that somewhat facetiously but the point of ownership is essential to talk about when we speak of record deals. Along with an artist receiving an advance to record music with the best facilities available to them, all these other perks are considered loans from the record label. It's an investment the label makes in an artist, and like any other investment a healthy return is expected. That means any advances offered to an artists have to be paid back through sales and a cocktail of other revenue streams. Before that debt is settled though... the label has access to any surety it can get. Surety is literally insurance on the prospect of future losses. Put simply, an artist's value is tied to the label for as long as they're contracted to them: until they recoup a return.
Now let us track back a little: A label willing to give an artist an extreme makeover (rapper edition) deluxe package isn't being charitable and is just putting as many eggs into a basket they believe in as they see fit. So it wasn't a surprise to hear that Skale's earnings were reportedly divided in a 70– 30 percentage split in favour of his label.(of course Skales has denied these rumoured percentages to be true, so let us assume that those are splits, or arguments sake.) This agreement applied to income from both his current and any previous deals apparently, meaning he sold off his previous and potential earnings to a corporation. What's most striking is the alleged 10 Million British Pound fee he'd have to pay to buy himself out of the contract.
I'd hazard a guess that the typical 360 Degree Deal is responsible for a lot of artist's unhappiness. In such a deal the label has access to an artist's image rights, copyright, performance fees, syndication fees, royalties, publishing rights and literally any other income the artist earns from. All signed away in exchange for the access and perks the label provides. As preposterous as that sounds, it is somewhat the norm. It sounds harsh on an artist, but when you have access to an allowance, studio facilities, distribution and other perks the price to retrieve your freedom is pretty high! In Nigeria alone there have been a range of artists leaving after being at loggerheads with their labels.
Here's a few of the verifiable accounts we have so far:
Milli just parted ways with Chocolate City apparently due to having his music unsupported by the label and a collaboration with Wizkid shelved. He goes so far as accusing label honcho M.I Abaga of stifling his career! We've seen contractual disputes between D'banj and Don Jazzy tear apart their partnership as well in eerily reminiscent fashion. Meanwhile, Ice Prince has moved on to form his own label, an imprint under Chocolate City, after announcing that his original deal with Choc City had expired two years ago.
What seems very unnatural is the relationship with Runtown and Eric Many Entertainment. His label allegedly breached their contract after failing to pay him his 35% split over a couple of years. He has a sordid tale to reveal which includes broken promises, extortion and death threats! The artist was banned from performing due to an injunction and subsequently terminated the agreement.
And now a run-down of other Nigerian acts who split from their labels, as per Pulse:
This sort of strife for artists isn't only isolated to Nigeria, as in South Africa there are plentiful stories with artists signed to labels such as Ghetto Ruff where popular musicians such as Ishmael and Zola have had varying disputes with label head Lance Stehr. The problem is clearly not limited to individuals either as the issues Zambian outfit Zone Fam have with Kenyan label Taurus Musik proves. Kenyan femcee Xtatic recently had an online outburst aimed at her label: she blames Sony Music Entertainment Africa for allegedly shelving her project even though she met her end of the deal. She goes on to list more East African talents she feels have been exploited in her exasperation, such as Ugandan rapper Keko.
It seems year after year we hear stories of beloved artists passing away broke and the like. And this is where stories like these take my mind. There are whispered tales of composers of indigenous music having their work owned by people with foreign names... and even artists' families inheriting their indebtedness! The vast amount of African legends, in any genre, that have been dealt hands they either were unaware of or misunderstood is extensive. Even if a label sounds like the underdog in relation to mainstream players... every label operates like a label: whether it is indie, an imprint or multi-national. In the relationship between artists and label the word partnership only counts in press releases and is rarely accurate. You are employed by a label to recoup its earnings, and in the meantime anything attached to you they own!
The tales of these artists converge to remind us that the music industry functions on a lot more than just talent, hype or the glitz and glamour us consumers literally buy into. Even talented artists require an understanding of what they seek to achieve. Sometimes being independent is the best way and other times a label provides much needed structure, distribution and reach. All this, however, should be negotiated. When signing to a label not every right needs to be cashed in! Without keeping some form of musical ownership... great strides such as the quotas in Nigeria or the newly enforced 90% local music on South African radio will all be in vain (like only play-listing songs from decades ago). With no publishing or royalties to their names, there'll be very few benefits for the talented folk who entertain us!
We've spoken about having a great team around you in a musical sense before. But an artists squad goals should include certified managers, publicists, accountants and more especially lawyers. We need people to turn up with, but we also need people to turn up... when we're signing on the dotted line!
“I see too many rappers, and not Enough CEOs”- Cassper Nyovest (Skelm)
Ice Prince – Chike Feat Korede Bello
by Phil Chard
Ice Prince has been teasing and hyping the release of his new single Chike featuring Mavin Records artist Korede Bello. The C Kay produced song is a fast paced offering with live instrumentation and sees Ice Prince delivers a set of rapid verses in a monotonous 2 beat flow while Korede delivers his signature R&B – Pop vocals.
Are you Chike?