Submission | Intelektu – Keimado Pelo Sol EP Stream
by Phil Chard
Intelektu is an Angolan Born MC and Producer based in South Africa who just released his EP Keimado Pelo Sol. The project melds Portuguese lyrics over boom bap instrumentals as Intekelu displays his rhyming skills
Buks – Gangster Party
by Phil Chard
Buks – the other half of the impressive BETR Gang just released a new single titled Gangster Party. The song provides ah heavy dose of nostalgia as it pays homage to the West Coast Hip Hop hits of the 90s and Kwaito legend Spikiri.
Using the "Ooh Song" sample from the mid tempo era as a backdrop, the hook provides a ode to local Kwaito legends Trompies and more specifically Spikiri with the signature "Ain't nothing but a Gangster Party" phrase which was made popular by West Coast hip hop legends like Snoop Dogg in the 90s.
The song is set to appear on Buks solo debut Pegasus. As with the last BETR Gang release from Solo the song can be purchased directly from their website.
J – Smash – I Don’t See You Niggas Featuring Ginger Trill, Tumi Tladi & WiziBeatz
by Phil Chard
Limpopo based 17 year old producer and DJ J-Smash just dropped the trap anthem I Don’t See You Niggas featuring Ginger Trill & Tumi Tladi and Wiz Beatz.
Gemini Major – Ragga Ragga Featuring Riky Rick, Nadia Nakai, Cassper Nyovest & Major League
by Phil Chard
Malawian producer and artist Gemini Major has been cementing his name in the African and South African scene for some time now with his fair share of production and feature credits. Since signing with Cassper’s Family Tree imprint he has helped secure his position in the South African urban movement. Despite a few poplar collaborations with the likes of Khuli Chana & DJ Waxxy , his new single Ragga Ragga looks poised to be his biggest single to date.
The trap and dancehall influenced song features Family Tree and its affiliates - Riky Rick, Cassper Nyovest , Nadia Nakai and the Major League twins (????). The song’s extremely minimalistic and repetitive chorus is a serious earworm that promises to be a dancefloor favourite especially on Thursdays at Baseline.
Ras, PdotO, N’veigh & Blaklez – RAP
by Phil Chard
The year was 2012, December if my memory serves. I was sitting idly by minding my business when I was sent a link to a song titled Al Pacino by the Cap City quartet of Ras, Pdot, N’veigh and Blaklez. The song was incredible and displayed the pure lyrical talent possessed by each of the labelmates, sadly there didn’t seem to be much of a push behind the track. Requests to get hold of the artwork proved fruitless , so I decided to design the artwork for them. (The song was that dope).
Now 2 years later the same 4 rappers are back again to do damage. This time on Rap the four rappers take turns trading bars on a track that boasts a 16 bit game sample and quarter note hi hats . Once again they all display an incredible amount of lyrical prowess as PDot & N’veigh engage in a battle of alliteration while Ras and Blaklez try out punchline each other.
Akan – Helebaba Featuring Worlasi
by Phil Chard
Worlasi has fast become one of the blog’s favourite artists. With his unique style and smooth vocals he has been a breath of fresh air in the sound coming from the West. Worlasi recently linked up with Akan on the Qube produced song Helebaba and the result was nothing short of incredible.
@worlasirb
Akan-Helebaba
DJ Spinall – Package (Official Video) Featuring Davido & DelB
by Phil Chard
DJ Spinall aka The Cap just dropped the video for the Del B & Davido assisted song Package. If my initial thoughts on the Ndvdual Pictures directed video could be summarised in a meme it would be McKayla Maroney at the Olympics. In 2016 a video that relies so heavily on overused tropes and techniques won’t cut it. It is not like I am being unfair, this after all is the same DJ that gave us this video.
The video for Package is not bad , it’s just “meh” from a DJ who has built his brand and persona as someone who would rather be caught dead being ordinary. Last week DJ Spinall was looking to a Ferrari or Lambo in Lagos. I really wish he had found it so the video had more visual appeal than objectified black women and obligatory alcohol placements. At some point after you’ve seen a voluptuous video vixen in leather, you have really seen them all.
Review : Rosah-Joy – Pressed EP
by Phil Chard
The best thing about being a music blogger is the rare occasion when someone introduces you to an artist so impressive you are angry with yourself for not discovering them sooner. That is the feeling I experienced when I was sent the new EP by Rosah-Joy titled Pressed.
Rosay-Joy is an artist that fuses Hip Hop, R&B, Soul and Spoken Word into her music to produce an incredible product. Born in the Southern Province of Zambia and raised in Queenstown, South Africa who then went onto attain a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Art Institute of Washington. This eclectic mixture of cultures all play a help in shaping the artistic identity of her music. Her delivery has the distinctive cadence of a Zambian (I can’t explain it but when you talk to a Zambian you will understand), that fuses the isiXhosa she learned in South Africa and the Western influence that paints her style and accent.
I did a brief Tweetview (Review on Twitter, see what I did there?) of Rosah’s latest offering. In summary it is a massively impressive project that takes the listener on a brief and emotional ride from the vantage of a woman as she speaks about the emotional experience of dealing with a failing relationship.
Rosah - Pressed Tweetview - Curated tweets by AfricanHHB
Caleb Kalz – Feedback Featuring Manu
by Phil Chard
South African based Caleb Calz just dropped a new joint titled Feedback . The track is accentuated with piano keys and an infectious drumline as Caleb and Manu (Jack Scouts 2015 finalist) deliver some impressive verse. The big standout of this song was Manu on this joint who we featured before here
The State of Hip Hop In Bloemfontein
by Contributor
We’ve just reached the halfway mark of the year, and Africa is still giving birth to Hip hop bangers that are definitely worth reaching your eardrums and eventually landing on your playlist. I’m here to bring you 2 bangers that were birthed in the city of Bloemfontein not so long ago. The city has been singing along to Badabing and To The Max ,and there’s no doubt that these jams are going be on repeat on your phone and systems for a while. First up, we have Castino (real name Katleho Smaye ) who dropped the ASID produced Badabing
Castino has to be one of the most energetic and vibrant rappers to hit the Bloem Hip hop scene, and I’m sure those that have watched him perform can also testify on this. Castino the Hero describes himself as an Author (his first EP was entitled The Author EP) and the “King of Gomora Rap”: A style of rap that has Bloemfontein lingo and slang. It’s difficult to question he’s talent when it comes to spitting well-crafted rhyme patterns and having the ability to tell different stories through his verses, plus most people would agree that he’s lyrically gifted. With catchy lyrics like
“When I go – Oh my god, Badabing, you go – Santse Re Phela”.It promises to be an earworm.
Moving on, the second rapper I’ll talk about is K.Set (real name Khumo Sethoba) who recently dropped To The Max . He’s popularly known as the “King before the Crown” and he’s also another exciting rapper who never disappoints in the studio or on the stage. One of my favourite bars on this jam has to be “When I kill ‘em don’t tell ‘em it’s me , huh eh, stop snitching//You are now rocking with some kings, only crowns missing”.
K.Set is rapper who says he was inspired by TKZee and J.Cole would be another source of his inspiration. His latest EP titled Girls. Dream. Fun. The City – EP was dropped at the end of last year. He has proven himself to be not just a skilled rapper, but also a hard worker and one of the unique attributes that he possesses is his flow.
These 2 rappers have become regular features on a number of local radio airwaves (frequently featuring on CUTFM's #CUTLocalTop20 charts), and both share an immense amount of lyrical calibre .They always set the bar high when it comes to delivering good music and dope bars, and the city of Bloem is proud to see the success rate of these 2 rappers increasing each year. Castino and K.Set have promised more good music before the year comes to an end. Coincidentally the two have collaborated before on Grown man Steez and MayDay, which both impressed me.
@KSetOfficial @CastinoTheHero
This article was written by @2tukani
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by Phil Chard
Wizkid could very well be experiencing one the most impressive spells ever experienced by an African Pop star as he continues to rack up the wins. The Wizkid assisted One Dance just helped Drake reach the number one spot on the billboard hot 100 chart the song has subsequently been remixed by The Beibs,
Now Wiz is currently on tour with Chris Brown in Europe where he will be opening for Breezy at his tour dates in Denmark, Germany and Holland. While in Holland , Wiz linked up with Ghanaian born DJ Henry on the laid back Like This which was also premiered on Drake’s OVO Sound Radio show on Apple Music.
T.shoC- All We Know
by Mayuyuka
T.shoC is a Hip Hop artist from Zimbabwe who is based in Harare. To date he has released records that include the album Diary Of A Mad Black Emcee (2010), a mixtape titled Work In Progress [WIP] (2013), as well as singles Three Ma Zero, Walker TEKs Us and 21st. The latest offering is a song titled All We Know.
All We Know is a song about celebration of self and accepting that everything around you contributes to your whole being. The track sees T.shoC drawing inspiration from past memories and appreciating where he's been, and most importantly; being more confident about the future than he's ever been. Production is handled by N3iboth with assistance from Verseless. The song draws inspiration from Chimurenga/Jitt Music, DKR and a fusion of Rap and EDM.
Odinareh Bingwa- Pressure Official Video
by Mayuyuka
Kenya seems to be making strides in building it’s Hip-Hop presence in Africa and if Odinareh Bingwa’s latest visual for Pressure is anything to go by, they are definitely on to something.
Odinareh is an urban rapper from the south coast of Kenya, Diani. Pressure is the first single off his forthcoming Diani - Papa La Kusini mixtape to tide people over before he drops his Mwana Haramu album. The release date is yet to be announced. Rather than write a young book about the track I’ll the track speak for itself. This one definitely makes it on my #MusicToDabTo playlist. The Swahili-English bars show that music is a universal language and will have you nodding your head to the flow.
Fimfim- Ohene
by Mayuyuka
On a quest to become one of the finest rappers Africa has ever produced, Fimfim tells a Hip-Hop story from an African perspective on his current single dubbed Ohene.
As a follow up to other banging songs like Y3 WO KROM, One Boy One Girl and Etorwor, all from his music lab Platinum Studios; it looks like Therapperman seems not be on a chill pill. Ohene is no doubt promised to be a game changer in the music industry as it defines Hip Hop from a different angle: an African Hip Hop story.
Considering the instrumentation, chorus and the various rap styles exhibited on this master piece, the Hip-Hop artist who doubles as a music producer will take you on an adventure into the rich and beautiful rhythms of Africa. This is an inspirational song that urges you on, no matter the struggle. And did he feature Obrafour on the chorus? Well you can find out for yourself!
iFani’s New Single Raises More Questions About His Current Label Situation
by Phil Chard
iFani is an enigma in several ways. Aside from his eccentric ways, and unique musical stylings, the manner in which he has handled his own label disputes has been intriguing to say the least. After the high of signing with Sony in 2012 things turned sour in 2014 when the rapper took to twitter to vent about his frustration with the deal. Then in 2015 things seemed to be resolved as he prepared for the release of his gold selling (controversially) album I believes in me [2nd Quadrant]. Then mysteriously after the release of four singles and one video for the project all promotional efforts surrounding the album that went gold in a day just stopped. After a 9 month hiatus, iFani returned to release Stay featuring Chad. The video for this song was also released via a brand new VEVO channel on YouTube. All previous videos for iFani since he signed were released via his Disguiz VEVO channel or Sony Music Africa’s channel, while Stay and it's Mother’s Day follow up single uMama were released on a channel bearing Fani’s name.
Stay was announced to be the first single off iFani’s upcoming album meant to represent the 3rd Quadrant in his musical journey. The announcement of his growth also coincided with a brand new image for the rapper. He had traded in the eccentric outfits and bed slippers for bespoke suits, velvet loafers and haircut.
Late last month it seems whatever rifts that has resurfaced n the iFani - Sony situation had once again been resolved when he released this statement;
"I remember how happy I was when I got signed. I remember how sad I was after I blew up. I was a lost child, kodwa. I'm glad I changed. I was mad trying to get them to change so I could be happy, Little did I know that it's me who had to change before my world could change. I've learnt that blame only destroys the person blaming. Not the blamed. Until that person decides to change and embrace life. Forgiving yourself is the first step towards happiness. Then forgive others. Then learn that nobody can make you happy except you. I've learnt a lot in the past year. A lot about myself, about success, about happiness. I apologise for the person I was. Sincerely,"
Now after announcing his upcoming third album , it seems iFani and Sony have once again rekindled their erratic relationship with the release of February -a song that appeared on iFani’s last album that is somehow being released after he already began releasing music for his upcoming album. Despite releasing Turn It Up, Jonga Ixesha, Ayadelela and Ibhadi before the release of February , only one video for the songs on his second album has been released (Ayadelela).
All this does raise a lot of questions about the direction of iFani’s career and his relationship with the label. I had requested an interview few months ago but did not receive a response nor did iFani respond to my queries on twitter regarding the situation between him, Sony and his own imprint Disguiz.
Considering the incredible amount of momentum iFani had back in 2014 around the time of his singing that culminated in his Best Rap Album win at the 2014 SAMAs his career seems to have stagnated while South African Hip Hop has gone from not even having their award televised at the SAMAs to dominating award ceremonies.
@iFani_Haymani
AKA- Dreamwork Official Video ft Yanga
by Mayuyuka
AKA and Yanga combine on Dreamwork to provided a certified hit laced with quotables from these two stablemates. The two hit the right notes just as they did on AKA's previous single, alongside Khuli Chana and Burna Boy.
The highly anticipated video for the KJ Conteh-produced banger has been exclusively on television screens for the past week, and is now finally freed to the internet...so we can all shout-out art director Don Design! The cinematic release explains the trailer-styled roll out employed during the promotion stage: which piqued many people's interest. With the SAMA's upon us soon, it'll be interesting to see if AKA's previous collaboration Baddest "goes the distance". This one certainly impresses visually with some powerful storytelling, courtesy of director Adriaan Louw.
Blayze – Zwakala Featuring Moneoa & Lebolukewarm
by Phil Chard
Blayze seems intent on changing the perception of his music. Since releasing his debut effort Underdog which he once described to me as “a hard and angry album”, Blayze has released a number of less “aggro” records. From his collab with DJ Cleo Superbossnova to his Ladies Night EP the change in his sound has been evident.
Now keeping with the new brand identity, Blayze links up with Moneoa and Lebolukewarm on the easy listening Zwakala.
Submission | aFTerDeff- foYoMind (produced by K_qo)
by Phil Chard
Sudanese born aFTerDeff who is currently based in Kelowna, Canada just dropped a the rap heavy freestyle foYoMind freestyle produced by K_qo.
The AHHB Podcast Featuring Kid X, Mr. Beef & BK
by Phil Chard
The African Hip Hop Blog podcast returns with another incredibly entertaining episode lined up with news, interviews and music for the AHHB faithful. This week Phil plays music from Cassper Nyovest, Stanley Enow, C-Real, Boolz & Ricky Rick. He also digs into the vast AHHB vault and plays interviews with Kid X, Mr. Beef and BKAHHB Podcast V 2
Kid X speaks to us about his SAMA nominated mixtape ¾ Pace, Mr. Beef shares a brief introduction into his history and release plans, while BK who was recently signed by Sony Music tell us about her long and storied relationship with the music industry. The rapper/vocalist/producer also shares her plans for her mixtape, EP and eventual album release.
Major shout out to Ts’eliso Monaheng (Nemesis Republik) who can be heard as the second interviewer during the BK interviewer, Ts’eliso has assisted countless times with gathering AHHB content.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @pbafrica & @philchard
Freestyle Fridays with L-Tore, BigStar Johnson & Cal_Vin
by Phil Chard
Welcome to Freestyle Fridays where we find some of the best Freestyles from African rappity rappers on the interwebs and present them to you in an easy to consume and digest blog post.
L-Tore #FreestyleFridays
First up for this week we have Maseru’s L-Tore delivering another impressive freestyle in his aptly (possibly copyright infringing) named #FreestleFridays series.
BigStar Johnson Dreamwork Freestyle
Vth Season’s BigStar Johnson just hopped on his label mates beat for Dreamwork and displayed the lyrical dexterity and wordplay that helped him win the inaugural season of The Hustle.