REVIEW

Hip hop has always derived its strength and glamour from emcees proudly representing where they come from. The territorial mentality is wholly about the emcee telling the rest what’s so good about their ‘hood. Sometimes the fact that there’s too much crime can be a plus since street credentials are the only honour rappers can carry to the next ‘hood.

So, the second out-of-Shatale instalment of Mpumalanga’s only hip hop movement Luv Ur Hood saw a lot of Thulamahashe’s emcees coming out to drop their verses and share stories about their sprawling township with other rappers and patrons. The show on in early July, themed Mangozi Ya Tala ka Spice, exposed the raw talent that remains hidden in the periphery provinces of this country. Gauteng has nothing on some of the cats that prowled the makeshift stage.

On decks was the province’s only hip-hop DJ, SK, who also dropped a verse with his Krazy Doggz crew which includes many emcees amongst them C-well Shogun, Tazzy Tazz etc. While every DJ is going the house music direction - SK is the Funkmaster. They had the crowd which is familiar with their songs, which are contained in their mixtape, repeating every hook as they ripped the stage apart. The mood was only poisoned by one emcee who saw his moment of glory as an opportunity to push his political party's hustle.

Thulamahashe also boasts arguably the youngest female emcee who, the way she was delivering her raps it appeared that if she’s not genius she has an intelligent ghost-writer. Methinks her hypeman who also happens to be her sister is the writer behind the juicy rhymes.

Lydenburg and Burgersfort were represented respectively by Oscar (Pedi Swagg) and KG who together dropped powerful lines over a beat produced by AB Crazy of Man of the Moment fame. “I like the fact that there are shows this side of town. Quite honestly where we coming from you don’t get rappers meeting like this to share in the music and culture” said Oscar in an interview. We ended up having an hour-long chat about hip hop both local and global.

The regulars were there as well. Mr Doo sampled from his upcoming mixtape. He comically rapped what has become his signature tune, Leya Thoma go e Kwa while Masta H also dropped a song from his upcoming mixtape titled Lepulana Volume I.

Katsuko mounted the stage and delivered his stellar song Re Tswa Bush which has become an anthem with a music video on YouTube. Dialectic was also there delivering decapitating punchlines, first with a Krazy Dogg member then on his own flowing over a Nas and Damian Marley beat.

While Shatale remains the spiritual home of the movement organisers Katsuko and Masta H say they have serious plans to put it on a road show and give it that Made in Mpumalanga identity.

“The next show will be at Mkhuhlu, followed by Bushbuckridge. We are looking at how we can take it to places such as Kanyamazane, Ngodini, Matsulu and others”, Katsuko told the patrons who came to feed off the raps on offer.

Luv Ur Hood, Mangozi ya Tala ka Spice is also used to merchandise and the organisers say it’s now on Facebook, where other people can join to follow the growth.

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VIDEO

Re T$wa Bush

Shatale zone 2, right next 2 Nazareth church is where my head goes to rest,

Still blessed to be living amongst loving neighbors,

I do remember those early years playing le bo Eric,

Sammy always finding us mischievous shit to do, re sadja di Nombela.

Maiba having da fear in their eyes whenever we approached,

Shit! We never got coached on how to be happy,

Be in da wrong, n Mama whipped ur ass gladly,

But we had to grow that is the story, sadly

So hell yeah I will tell u when they ask,

Of course Ket$wa Bush.

Mangozi yatala ka Spice, might get u ill, but damn dat shit is nice.

Happy to see we passed on the tradition,

Course my Nephew still comes through with dat raw ish,

N we start feasting

Ripe ones, u don’t want a lot in ur system,

Thuto bears witness to dat,

N I bet Shatale could go in the Book of Guinness,

As a record holder for the most Mango trees in one kasi,

But that’s just some trivial shit,

My hood is truly legit,

Although we not recognized, I will still say

Of course ket$wa bush.

Marope ra maja, maphopho ra kganya

N if u don’t got u could always ask ur neighbor,

Ladies dat sell those treasures, are the true saviors,

Trying to feed their fams, while they feeding the nation

U could find them at every taxi rank, Selling those health products, produced ku Zoeknog.

True dat, they might be cooked or uncooked, wrapped or unwrapped.

But u recognize u home, when u get home n u find ur mom eating dat shit.

N u recognize the real, n if a udji Marope

I don’t think ut$wa Bush.

Never made it to Lower, but dat hotel was the shit

Probably broke a whole lot of families around Acornhoek,

But when 1 thing goes, another just gets us Hooked.

I cry with the wives whose husbands, booked a room ga- mokanatla

A fetse a teye ka nama, but dats how the story goes,

Dats how life rolls, now we havin strip shows, right here in dwaarslop.

Never been, but 1 day I might just get in, so I may say n prove,

Whenever they retelling, whenever they be asking,

I’ll tell them simply yes, of course ket$wa Bush

(Hook)

Nna ket$wa Bush! Weni ot$wa kae?

Kere nna ket$wa Bush! Mfana weni ot$wa kae?

Nna ket$wa Bush! Weni ot$wa kae?

Kere nna ket$wa Bush! Mfana weni ot$wa kae?

Marope ra maja! Weni ot$wa kae?

Mangozi atala! Weni ot$wa kae?

Nna ket$wa Bush! Weni ot$wa kae?

Nna ket$wa Bush! Mfana Weni ot$wa kae?

Nna ket$wa Bush! Weni ot$wa kae?

Kere nna ket$wa Bush

Two towns connecting, taxi drivers reflecting

On their lives spent between Acornhoek n Bushbuckridge

Carrying eager moms ready to spend dat grant,

Seems like we famous for impregnating,

Rural twist, nobody is masturbating

So we let da babies live n give a faint smile, when we see a child bearing a child,

N she still has to push a wheelbarrow, just to get some water,

Yes there’s shortages everywhere, Ask them in Bevelsoek or Garapanga,

People in Bushbuckridge don’t complain, and if they ask again,

I will tell them of Course ket$wa bush, no doubt

Nna ba mpitsa leshoboro, was never my cup of coffee,

But we went for some raw shit called mankgorong,

Kgokgo yago sa keni potong, before I new that bottle @ 606

But then I grew up, n found out bout Niggaz like Mingaz

N how they be terrorizing that spar,

By far, I never heard of niggaz living this way, but that’s their way,

N this is my way of relatin to the place I was raised in,

No need to be hating, no need for escaping the dusty roads, that nurtured ur soul,

True dat, no doubt, ket$wa Bush

Now Luv Ur Hood is in the picture,

No doubt we are permanent fixtures,

God giving prescriptions,

Filled with Ghetto Gospel scriptures,

Goodenough be giving us dat energy, to make this shit a blast,

We not testing da waters, we drinking till we overflow,

Mr Do, go ahead n overblow,

Masta H, this is da rhyme stage,

And KFB, hold it down, till we cure Shatale of all these frowns.

And as we propel till Thulumahashe

And excel and hit CollegeView,

The people will say, its true dat they flew.

N yes

(Hook)

Ret$wa Bush

Ret$wa Bush

Ret$wa Bush

Ret$wa Bush

Ret$wa Bush

Ret$wa Bush

Ret$wa Bush

Ret$wa Bush

Nna ket$wa Bush! Mfana ot$wa kae?

Kere nna ket$wa Bush! Kere weni ot$wa kae?

Nna ket$wa Bush! Mfana ot$wa kae?

Kere nna ket$wa Bush! Mfana weni ot$wa kae?

Ret$wa Bush

Ret$wa Bush

Ret$wa Bush

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LUV UR HOOD - MANGOZI YA TALA KA SPICE

Mpumalanga’s flagship hip hop pilgrimage, Luv Ur Hood (themed Marope Ra Maja) kicked off 2011 with a bang. Within a short space of four months the session hosted two shows that exposed new emcees, new voices and new patrons to this grassroots hip hop extravaganza pioneered by Katsuko and Masta H.

The 2011 revolution, started off on 26 March with an outing to Love Life Centre at Acornhoek. Luv Ur Hood has never been held outside of its home Ga-Kabila, which is a chillaz doubling as a car-wash.

In its inaugural outside venture it attracted new emcees who have performed in bedrooms and garages thinking the world was four by four metres wide. It exposed the talent of cats such as Eardrumbusters whose intimidating lyrics reminds one of deceased geniuses, Tupac and Biggie. There was also Thulamahashe’s finest in Crazy Doggz, who are a tight set led by C-well, a

veteran of the game.

Mesmerizing was the performance of KFB and newcomer to the game Young KC. Modelling his style and swag after the Young Money crew, KC had half the crowd eating out of his palm as he was accompanied by his cousin and hypeman for the day Masta H. At least a hundred patrons were entertained. With regulars DJ Sparkle, newcomers JOP, Wonder, Chris Force Feed and two DJs from Radio Bushbuckridge KP and Matt the show gave a platform to b-boys Wild Cats. There were also life skills offered by the Love Life team.

On 24 April, barely a month later the duo took the session, themed Mangozi ya tala ka Spice, back to its spiritual home, Ga-Kabila in Shatale. Characterised by a proliferation of tight emcees and ghetto merchandise on sale and display, the Freedom Day eve show was off the hook.

Krazy Doggz brought their whole entourage to the show which was graced by hundreds of good-looking patrons. Blue Noise from Sabie performed and bootlegged their CD titled Focused. Young KC held down the stage but the show was flipped by Dwarsloop’s manic Dialectic. This brother to Sparkle free-styled with so much flow that even KFB who free-styles had to pick up his game. On the day Katsuko performed what is undoubtedly going to become the Luv Ur Hood anthem titled Ke Tšwa Bush. On a show that was more about flexing muscles and impressing hordes of senhoritas, C-well blasted, KP and Masta H spit rhymes in Get Your Swag On, a song from H’s still-in-the-kitchen mixtape.

On sale were mixtapes from Krazy Doggz and Blue Noise. Also sold were tons of t-shirts by 100% Lepulana/Tsonga, Re Phela SOH, Luv Ur Hood, Shatale Ya Rocka etc. Langa Media’s Nellie Ndlovu (publisher of Bushbuckridge News) graced the event and showed interest in a partnership. The next Luv Ur Hood show will be hosted by Krazy Doggz in Thulamahashe in June.

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