Tweet Review | Lwansta – Your Absolutely Right
by Phil Chard
Durban based Lwansta dropped his 9 track EP titled Your Absolutely Right last week, we decided to give it the tweet review treatment. Check it out below.
Mizizi Clothing Looks To Represent Every Afrikan Country At This Year’s Summer Games
by Phil Chard
Hip Hop and fashion have always been inextricably linked almost as closely as the marriage enjoyed by the culture and the music itself. As Africans looking to etch our own unique identity in Hip Hop finding the line where American influence ends and African inspiration begins has always been an ambiguous demarcation. Paakow Essandoh, the President and CEO of the Florida(USA) based MIZIZI streetwear brand is looking to find a way to merge American Hip Hop apparel with traditional African patterns and national flags in a unique way.
MIZIZI came around the spring of 2014; it was originally conceived in the dining halls of USF. My friend George & I would spend hours just brainstorming ideas on different patterns and designs that could be marketable. We wanted to address the issue surrounding the lack of representation of African pride in Florida, as well as on a global scale. We wanted to uplift that African Self-Esteem within everyone and give them something they can wear stylishly and take pride in.
His clothing line targets Africans the diaspora looking to represent their nations with modern designs. Mizi has also recently launched a campaign titled the The Mizizi Afrikan Games Campaign - unless you have been living under a rock for the past 2 weeks you will understand the significance surrounding the timing of this release.
In light of the excitement surrounding the games this summer, we wanted to have something for everyone so that they would feel represented. In the past, we've had collections that only featured certain countries. This time, we wanted to take it to the next level by introducing something that everyone can be a part of, and no one would feel left out.
The campaign marks the release if Mizizi’s largest collection to date and features a line of Basketball jerseys that represent each and every African nation. The line will only be available for limited time and will soon be discontinued.
In recent weeks social media has been awash with horror tales from disgruntled customers of various online boutiques and stores who felt that they had been swindled by these virtual stores and designers. I spoke to Essandoh about my concerns via email
Because unlike many, MIZIZI is a very customer-centric business. Our process isn't because we are bent on delivering quality- from designs to communications to sales. It's a "for us, by us" model; we identify with our customer, because we are them, so we know what they expect and we commit to exceeding those expectations in every facet.
We Are Giving Way 5 Tickets To M.I’s First Performance in South Africa
by Phil Chard
The Chocolate City Music head Jude "Mr. Incredible" Abaga also known as MI Abaga will be performing for the very first time in South Africa at Carfax in Johannesburg on the 26th of August as part of the second A'friquency music event. The event will also feature performances from HHP aka Jabba Man, Dj Lambo. DJ Slique, DJ Speedsta, DJ Waja Waja , DJ Clean, Spontaneous DJ, Sam Haskins
PercyStaysLit, and That Guy Who DJs.
We are giving away 5 sets of double tickets to this event. To win all you have to do is make sure you follow @africanhhb & @afriquency on twitter then like our Facebook pages. Once you have done this tweet us the proof. Winners will be chosen randomly and announced on the 19th.
Tickets to the event are R150
#SubmissionSunday | Nash Da King – Umshini Wami
by Phil Chard
Zimbabwean rapper Nash Da King links up with the ZImbabwean Hip Hop duo known as The Hitmen on his new single Umshini Wami. Despite its cringe worthy intro the song utilises a Swing Jazz sound very unique to Hip Hop coming out of Zimbabwe.
#SubmissionSunday | Caleb Kalz – Rocket (Official Video)
by Phil Chard
Caleb Kalz, who we have featured before just dropped the video to his 80s video inspired song Rocket. The video which was mainly shot on a rooftop features Caleb and his ARTTGang compadres lapping up the views and tempting fate as he literally performs on the edge
#FreestyleFridays With Chanda Mbao, Teeklef, Tucker HD, King Sweetkid & Mith
by Phil Chard
#FreestyleFridsays is a weekly feature where we gather up some of the best remixes, covers and freestyles from across the continent and force them down your ear canal in this easy to digest blog capsule.
This week we have music form Chanda Mbao, Teeklef, Sweetkid and Tucker HD and Mith
Chanda Mbao Featuring Scott & Kaladoshis - Shabba Cover
The Zambian trio of Chanda Mbao, Scott and Kaladoshis rebuilt the beat for Wizkid's Shabba from scratch and re-imagine the song with their twist.
Teek - Timmy Turner Cover
Nigerian born artist Teeklef decided to hop on the Timmy Turner wave and delivered this version of the Desiigner freestyle that somehow morphed into a cult hit.
King SweetKid - DreamWork (Shuga Mix)
South African rapper King Sweetkid just hopped on AKA's Dreamwork beat to deliver an impressive freestyle of his own
Tucker HD & Mith - Back 2 Sleep (So UG Mx)
The Ugandan duo of Mith and Tucker HD hopped on Chris Brown's hit Back To Sleep to give their take on how they plan to cure a woman's insomnia
Chanda Mbao – My Town Featuring Kaladoshas (Official Music Video)
by Phil Chard
Zambian Chanda Mbao just dropped the impressive video for his connection with Dancehall artiste Kaladoshis titled My Town. The song represents the current movement within African Urban music as the lines between Hip Hop and Pop become ever more blurry. On the song Chanda adopts an incredibly simplistic AB type flow that is akin to the most basic of pop songs. I have been noticing number of artists particularly rappers, adopting such styles and flows in recent songs - chief among which is Ice Prince. I am not the biggest fan of this particular brand of popification but its what radio loves rght now, so the trend will continue.
The DJ Lo directed video is stunning as it utilises aerial shots to help show off Lusaka's beauty.
J-Smash I Don’t See You Niggas – Feat Ginger Trill, Tumi Tladi & WiziBeatz (Official Video)
by Phil Chard
“You balls deep in the friendzone, all my friends come with benefits - Ginger”
Limpopo's J-Smash just dropped the video for his trap joint I Don't See You Niggas featuring Ginger Trill, Tumi Tladi and WiziBeatz . We first featured the audio two months ago here. The Kyle White video splits its scenes among an abandoned airport, and the obligatory hood shots , capped off with the posse close up cutaways.
DJ Vigilante – Ayeye Featuring Cassper Nyovest & Carpo
by Phil Chard
Many moons ago DJ Vigilante and Cassper were were not seeing eye to eye . If my memory serves the beef was sparked by the 2014 MTV Base Hottest MC list when DJ Vigi commented that Cassper's album Tsholofelo was all over the place and as a result Cassper was given the number 2 spot , while DJ Vigi's label mate K.O was awarded the peak position. Cassper did not take too well to the perceived snub and went to twitter to vent . Things quickly devolved and a few weeks later a set of not so subtle jabs were thrown at the DJ on Cassper's song Beef.
Well now 2 years on, it looks like the 2 have buried the hatchet and are now working together. On the song Ayeye produced by Air-Dee and Gemini Major the song has the signature elements rooted in Kwaito and 90s House that Cashtime artists seem to favour. Cassper however is once again his growth as an artist with an impressive delivery that suits his style perfectly. This new Cassper is becoming a serious problem. cass
It's now or never time to put the test on the fundamentals
My own numbers got me under a lot of pressure
Mirror mirror tell me who the boss in this kind of setup setup
I remember,started with Gusheshes & Caravellas. Now these WRAPPERS is taking SWEET (shots) like its (Amaretto). Don't sleep on the word play
— FillUpOrlandoStadium (@CassperNyovest) August 12, 2016
Ma-E Has a New Video Hlasela But We Still Have Questions About His Album
by Phil Chard
From my vantage Ma-E has received one of the rawest deals at Cashtime with the release of his debut solo album Township Counsellor . The release and promotion of the album has been plagued by a number of snags and strategic decisions that make me scratch my head. Mainly because these errors were not present with K.O’s album release
It all started when the physical copies of the album failed to be be delivered to stores before the Easter holiday as expected. Then only a few short weeks after the album dropped K.O rained on the marketing parade and released his song Papa Action. Despite releasing 5 singles off the project and 2 videos since the album was released, marketing efforts to push the project have been subdued.
Now on the album's 6th single Ma-E has released the video for track 4 on the project titled Hlasela. The well shot visuals are being touted as a 4 minute trailer to a more detailed movie that will feature the parallel tales of a criminal family man and an incarcerated Ma-E.
4 months after its release Township Counsellor is still unavailable
It almost feels like the it's a little too late in the game to right the ship that is the Township Counsellor marketing train but I certainly hope so. The reviews that I've heard thus far praise the project for its delivery and originality. Sadly I haven't been able to hear it , despite the the album being released over 4 months ago, it still isn't available on iTunes or Apple Music….
SPHEctacula & DJ Naves Featuring Reason, Kwesta & PH Raw X- IDWGH (Official Video)
by Phil Chard
The Dj duo of SPHEctacula and Naves collectively commonly known as the Kings of The Weekend just released the third video from their KOTW album titled I Don't Wanna Go Home. The video which was produced by Uprooted Media sees the duo linking up with Kwesta, Reason and PH for a night of upmarket club fun. The video also featured a cameo from DJ Cleo, which reunited him and with SPHE once again since their first appeared together in a video back in 2011 for Cleo's Bhampa Side To Side video .
The AHHB Podcast Featuring Miikah & Priddy Ugly
by Phil Chard
AHHB Podcast V 2
Fresh out the oven here is another episode if the best Hip Hop podcast in Africa. This week Phil sits down with our #FeatureFridays winner Miikah , a 17 year old rapper who educates Phil on the meaning of big words such as nihilism, entropy and compendium while also discussing how messing around on Fruity Loops helped birth his NegativeXero EP.
Phil also gets hold of Angolan-South African Priddy Ugly for an engaged and insightful conversation about the rapper’s 10 year career, being signed by every major label and dance battles with his girlfriend.
Phyno – E Sure For Me (Official Video)
by Phil Chard
Nigerian rapper recently cum Gospel singer Phyno just dropped the Clarence Peters directed video hos latest single E Sure For Me. The release of this video caught me by surprise since Phyno's last single Fada Fada is still enjoying incredible success in Nigeria . According to MyPlay Data the song has been the most played song on Nigerian radio for 13 weeks now.
Nigerian Top 10 radio songs via @myplaydata pic.twitter.com/zSqR87ZQar
— African Hip Hop Blog (@AfricanHHB) August 10, 2016
The video features scenes of Phyno in a graffiti littered room with hanging mics as he recites the song's lyrics giving thanks to Olisa (God) for the success he has been able to attain. E SUre For Me also sounds eerily similar to Falz song 406 Na Di Code. Let us know if you agree in the comments
Baru – Kingin Featuring Patrobas & Play01
by Phil Chard
Ugandan producer and rapper Baru released his 8 track EP Young King, three months ago. The project which was produced fully by him also features fellow Dustiville/Crane Gang artists Abasaa, Pryce and Patrobas, Play01
Kingin is his first video release form the project and features Play01 and Patrobas riding over a high energy Grime like beat that suits Patrobas style perfectly. Play01 seems to struggle to match the cadence needed on such a frantic instrumental.
You can stream The Young King EP below.
THe Boiler Room SIts Down With DJ Jimmy Jatt, Don Jazzy & Dr. Sid
by Phil Chard
Boiler Room sat down with the Nigerian trio of DJ Jimmy Jatt, Don Jazzy and Dr. Sid for a discussion that is part of Boiler Room’s Guardian Gateways series. During the chat, DJ Jimmy Jatt ranted about the term Afrobeats and how it unfairly limits African and Nigerian artists, while also chronicling how he helped play a part in the popularisation of new forms of Nigerian urban music during his career.
Don Jazzy spoke of how he first met with Dr. Sid and how they managed to record his debut album Turning Point in just 2 weeks. The Mavin Records front man also speaks of how he started Mo Hits with D’Banj and how they went on to sign Wande Coal, Dr Sid, D’Prince and K-Switch.
DJ Jimmy Jatt – The Greatest Featuring M.anifest, Navio, Modenine & Femi Kuti
by Phil Chard
When it comes to Hip Hop icons, DJ Jimmy Jatt has become more of living institution that anything else. The veteran just dropped a video his track Greatest from the Industry Vol. 1 Album. The track features the piercing saxophone bellows of Femi Kuti as M.anifest opens the song with with 20 fire bars as Navio and Modenine pick up the baton while simultaneously trying to out do each other on the following verses.
E.L – Portay Dey Be Featuring Cabum & Edem (Official Music Video)
by Phil Chard
E.L., Cabum and Edem take us back to the late 90s on the BAR’s latest video for Portay Dey Be. The Pascal Aka is an ode to the high budget, pastel colour themed videos of Hype Williams and Director X that dominated the turn on the century.
On the song E.L pays homage to The Notorious B.I.G borrowing the flow made famous by the Brooklyn MC on Victory. Cabum opts to adopt an early Busta Rhymes flow circa his E.L.E album. Edem adopts a flow very similar to that of Method Man.
I have always felt that E.L makes a better rapper than the pop act he usually morphs into for his albums. His recent releases that are leading up to the release of BAR III have been nothing short of stellar.
Reggie Nkabinde Of Mabala Held A Press Conference But We Still Have More Questions Than Answers
by Phil Chard
After the serious allegations mounted against them by Julius Malema on Friday afternoon, Mabala Noise owner and ANC Youth League Treasurer General, Reginald Nkabinde decided to get out ahead of the scandal and convene a press conference of his own where he addressed a number of issues regarding the allegations laid against him and his company.
In response to how Mabala Noise is funding it operations and the allegations of an illegal relationship between the government , the ANC and the record label, Mr Nkabinde has this to say
“Mabala Noise is not doing business with any government.You are all welcome to go to the departmewnt of water affairs and seek a report about Malabla Noise. Malaba noIse is not doing any tender[s]”
In response to where the Mabala Noise gets its money, Mr. Nkabinde was defiant and openly declared that he has never received any funds directly from the ANC to fund Mabala Noise . He openly expressed that he was a businessman and he used the proceeds from his other businesses to fund Mabala’s operations.
“Mabala is an independent black owned company. It is not getting funding from anywhere else [besides Mr. Nkabinde himself]”
Major League G-42
Riky Rick at Major League Gardens
When asked about the potential conflict of interest that could occur if Mabala artists are booked to perform at ANC Youth League events (an organisation where Mr Nkabinde is the Treasurer General) he expressed that he was in business and running Mabala Noise long before he was elected into current position as the Treasurer General , yet he failed to actually answer the question. Whether he has been running the company for 5 weeks or 5 years the fact that he holds an active position within the company will present a massive conflict of interest if the man responsible for overseeing ANC Youth League funds is paying artists that work for his company.
In response to the insinuations made by Mr Malema about Mr Nkabinde's relationship with Minister Nomvula Mokonyane, Mr Nkabinde described it as as a mother and son relationship.
However when asked asked to address one of the biggest questions we have all had about Mabala Noise, a question I have had from long before Malema's accusations - about what Mabala Noise is offering these artists, Mr Nkabinde once again failed to provide to concise answer. He also kept referring to Riky Rick as Riky Riky which I found very amusing.
“Riky Rick[y] it's a public knowledge that he charges R65,000.[per performance] . There’s never been a weekend where Riky is not working . Just in a weekend Riky Rick[y] maybe he has 2,3 shows. When you calculate that in a month, it tells you that Riky Rick[y] as an individual, as an artist he is able to make R500,000 to R600,000 . And that on its own suggests that Riky Rick[y] can live a comfortable life as artist so why go and sell yourself for 5 million when you can live to live comfortably and he has been an independent .”
Major League G-15So let's use the figures provided by Mr Nkabinde and use some rough calculations and estimations. Please note these are not based off any actually figures. If Riky is doing 2 shows a weekend at R65,000 that comes to R520,000 a month in gross revenue. Riky doesn’t have a band , so let's assume that his tour DJ is taking 20% and a manager/ booking agent taking another 20%. That estimation leaves Riky with R312,000 a month. Which is R3,744,000 a year. That's a pretty decent living wage. So the question remains Mr Nkabinde. By your own admission, Riky was earning upward of R3.7 million a year (we have not factored in brand endorsements), so why would he sign onto your label for anything less that what he was already earning? Even if you subsidise the costs of music and video production. Why would he sign onto a label when he was doing pretty well for himself as an independent ? (those are also your words)That R5,000,000 figure does not seem so far fetched now that you have given us a glimpse into Riky’s earning potential. (Sidebar; get your paper Riky)
This press conference seems to have left more room for new questions rather than addressing the ones raised on Friday. I am still wondering about the conflict of interest if Mabala artists are booked for ANC gigs . I am still wondering how lucrative these contracts are and what their details are; does Mabala own all the publishing rights? Is it a 360 degree deal? Do artists have signing bonuses and album budgets?
Juju The Magnificent
While we ask these questions we should not let Mr Malema distract us from the fact that this whole incident might have been inspired by sour grapes. Besides what you may think of him or how the media paints him, Mr Malema is a very intelligent man who has used smoke and mirrors on a number of occasions to twist the narrative in his favour. Throughout his conversation on Friday Mr Malema continued to reiterate that his small upstart of a political party could not keep pace financially with the ANC and their main opposition the DA. According to Mr Malema the ANC spent R1 Billion where the DA spent R350,000,000 and the EFF pledged to spend no more than R10,000,000 on their campaign budgets. We should also not forget that artist like Cassper Nyovest, Riky Rick and Major League seemed to have aligned themselves with the EFF as well performing at EFF events.
We Used To Be EFFriends - Curated tweets by PhilChard
Now every artist has the right to be compensated for their work and they are free to perform at events organised by any political party , even if that means performing at a party they may not necessarily support. But in all honesty, South Africa might be free a country but it is not THAT free. Just ask iFani about the fallout after he accepted a DA cheque. We also have the tweet spectacle AKA made on about Cassper , Riky Rick and Major League returning to ANC from the EFF. The timing of their return, just before the elections and just after signing their deals at Mabala is more than curious. (as far as we know Cassper is still independent and has he has no affiliation with Mabala) .
There is clearly more to the Mabala story that meets the eye , whether or not all these questions will be answered remains to be seen. At the very least I hope this results in an incredible record label versus political party musical beef that is on levels we have never seen before.
Riky just dropped his new FAIRFAX freestyle where he declares “when you see me going up you wanna see me going down, every time I need you , you never come around “ . Considering the fact that the video dropped just 4 days after Julius’ statement sit is high likely that this song was recorded before the allegations. But we can always speculate can’t we ?
When Rap & R&B Meet| Three Soulful Hooks By South African Singers
by Mayuyuka
There's nothing more memorable than a soulful hook. One that stirs your spirit, rings in your ears all day and has you humming the melody through your weekly escapades to the grocery store. A good Hip Hop track has the qualities, that inspire such a reaction, we think. So here are three very different hooks, helmed by South African singers, that promise to stand the test of time.
TUMI & THE VOLUME FT PEBBLES- PEOPLE OF THE LIGHT
RAPSODY FT NOMSA MAZWAI- KINDA LOVE
PROVERB FT THE SOIL- BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVOURED
Let us know if you catch yourself singing to these in the next couple of days!
We spoke to the SA-based Ghanaian artist C-Tea about his new EP
by Sabelo Mkhabela
C-Tea, a producer and vocalist from Ghana is on the come-up. He has songs by the likes of Sarkodie, Bolo J and Davido bearing his production credits. The man also recorded and mixed most of the Swazi rapper 80 Script’s EP You Do The Dishes (read our review here). C-Tea moved to South Africa in 2012, and recently released an EP called I’m Alive which caught our attention. We threw a few questions his way.
Interview done by Themebelani Gina
Who is C-tea?
My name is Jonathan Takyi Mensah aka C-Tea. I am a young afro pop singer and producer. Humble and I love God. I grew up in Agona Swedru in the central part of Ghana.
Tell us how you got or came up with the name C-Tea?
In secondary high school back in Ghana, my friends called me Cocoa tea just because I use to make the best Cocoa tea (hot chocolate) in school. I never expected nor loved the name but it stuck, so then I decided to shorten it to C-Tea.
You started off as a producer then branched into a recording artist. What inspired the move?
Growth was a big part of it; I did not want to limit myself to just only one aspect in my career since I had the passion for singing too.
What is the biggest challenge for you as a music producer?
My main challenge is the people that I work with. People tend to want the full job done but they don’t like to pay the required amount or the amount that you charge, therefore it is very easy to get ripped off, especially by people who have known you for a long time.
You have worked with Sarkodie, Bolo J and Davido. Are there more big names we should look out for in the near future?
Yes, there are big names but I would rather let that be a surprise for everyone and keep people guessing.
You are a Ghanaian artist based in South Africa, how have you been received by the locals, both fans and other artist?
The reception is good and I need to get myself to the people more to gain more fan base.
Tell us about your EP “I’m Alive”.
This EP basically gives you a clear understanding of who I am as an artist. It is versatile; there is a little bit of something for everyone. The EP came about when I actually started understanding who I am as an individual and what my purpose is. The title says it all, I am now alive and ready for whatever comes my way. I have now decided to be alive in music and not let myself die in my career by things that surround and distract me from being focused. I only understand that perfections will only exist when you constantly practice.
There are a lot of successful self-taught producers. How did going to school help your production?
I got to have more understanding on the little that I already knew and also got a better understanding of the business side when it comes to music. Going to school also got me more informed and made me more technical about things.
Take us through C-Tea’s Song making process?
Start by saying a little prayer, start-making melodies which gives me the idea I am going for while opening a new session. I then lay down the progression I got from the freestyle melody I was going for. I then build the drums, play the ideas that comes in my head and then the arrangement. After arranging, I then start recording the freestyle to get the melodies I am going for or sometime write the song and now find melodies to it. I then head on to record, believing in my heart that it’s good. I then export the raw song and listen over and over again for a couple of days to see what needs to be fixed or added, then I come back to finish to project