Luv Ur Hood - Mkhuhlu


The fourth of five annual instalments of Mpumalanga's flagship hip hop movement Luv Ur Hood kicked off a storm on October 1. The session, still themed Marope ra Maja saw hordes of emcees from this sprawling township coming out to trade verses and asset their position in the province's hip hop landscape.

Hosted at Snoepie's Bar by Community Radio Bushbuckridge's hip hop deejay Matt, tens of fans lounged their Saturday afternoon under the barrage of unadulterated verses.

New voices and rappers of note who surprised many through their talent includaed dreadlocked Eghemu Village native Ronza Wakhona, Blazin' Blaze, Two Spin, Peta, Royal Air, Trick Boyz and the Skwatta Gang crew.

As it has become custom the movement's founders Mr Hlompho 'Masta H' Lekhuleni and Khutso 'Katsuko' Malele were also there not only to increase patronage but to explain how the movement works. Masta H, who already has a record titled Marulaneng Mix tape Volume 1 blew the crowd to smithereens with his opening freestyle verse during the open mike. Katkop was compeering the event and dropping impromptu lines which robbed him of an opportunity to perform his anthem Ke Tswa Bush.

However, Crazy Doggz's Shogun C-well was at his best and so was Mr Doo (Yo Hip-Hop) who displayed his multilingualism by dropping rhymes in Xitsonga, Sepulana and SiSwati.

The organisers say that this year's closing session will go back to its spiritual home, Ga-Kabila car Wash on December, where they expect all emcees sourced from Acornhoek, Thulamahashe and Mkhuhlu to converge for a grand finale.

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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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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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NEWS

Luv Ur Hood 7th Session

Marope Ra Ma Ja

Mpumalanga has another clear shot at bringing home a Metro, Channel O or South African Music Award next year. The last time such happened was with Sdunkero who took home a SAMA for Best House track. It was such a joke that the award alone attracted controversy from none other than deserving Cleo, popularly known as DJ Cleo. Some rappers in Jozi even went on to ask in songs, “i-award uyitholile/ Kodwa ubani okuvotele”.

This time the next award will be in the hip-hop category and it will be deserved if the progress made by emcees in small towns and villages is anything to go by. Quite frankly the next best emcee will come from a village – same as Jesus Christ coming from Bethlehem instead of Jerusalem.

This past weekend saw this year’s first installment of the now seasonal seventh chapter of Luv Ur Hood Sessions, the brainchild of Khutso ‘Katsuko’ Malele and Hlompho ‘Masta H’. ThemedMarope Re Ya Maja, the session saw emcees from as far as Acornhoek, Nelspruit and Bushbuckridge trading verses over own beats. This was encouraging because previously people had to freestyle over other producers’ beat. There was a sizeable assortment of those who would bring Pro-Kid and Proverb to shame with their punchlines uttered in fluent isiZulu and English.

The bunches that stole the show came from Acornhoek and Bushbuckridge and had emcees such as 3G, Vulgar G, Proxy, Khongz, 16 Bars, Raiders, EDB and Airforce. Madjembeni had Slow Poison as a killer emcee who cracked a lot of enthusiasts with his delivery that reminded a lot of the late Tupac Shakur. Mega-Mak’s director Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane was so enthused that he even contemplated signing the rapper to his indie label.

The pioneering voices of the initiative were also there to witness the elevation of the platform to something bigger. Last December’s sixth show was even graced by Kwani Experience’s Nkoto Malebye who delivered a rap verse about being an African Queen. Mr Boo was at his element with storytime rhymes reminiscent of Slick Rick.

The hidden gem that has always graced but never performed which on the day finally shone was eseng Mogakane. In his seminal Mali Yam, which had the crowd in raptures he sings, “don’t try and interfere when I change my gear/ nobody interfered when I shed my tears/ nobody gave me a hug not even my peers/ not even my dad so don’t blame a n*gga if I want them dead”. He juxtaposes Jacob Zuma’s Mshini Wami with a chorus that says ‘Awuleth’ imali yam/ awuleth’ imali yam”.

Katsuko, who does not really rap came all the way from Johannesburg where the hustle exiled him to compere the session. While Masta H decried the absence of female emcees in an interview with Kasiekulture earlier this month this time he shared a stage with a sharp female rapper named Blackpearl who stood her ground.

It was such exchanges of rap venom by emcees from different backgrounds who have different experiences of life that indicated the readiness of this province to win the first hip-hop SAMA, after AB-Crazy’s production company Octave Couplet scooped a Hype Award early this year.

Apart from the talented voices that graced the Luv Ur Hood sessions there are those with CDs out such as AB-Crazy’s Gossip Folks and eseng Mogakane’s Tshesa Spakan Vol 1 which has controversial songs such as Mali Yam and Shepherds and Sheep. The next Luv Ur Hood session will be in September and Malele says they hope for more participants.

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NEWS

My Hood Comes Alive!

More than ten rappers with the ability to spit fire when provoked and b-boys are billed to perform at this year’s first installment of Luv Ur Hood Hip Hop sessions. Seasonally themed Marope Reya ma ja in line with the Winter season the show on the first week of June promises to live up to the reputation of these ghetto story-telling occasions modeled after traditional camp-fire tales where oral literature was imparted. In the Afrika we lost knowledge was inculcated over campfire by the elders and the same went for literature. Stories passed from one generation to the next without having been written down.

Organisers of the gig Masta H and Mr Doo told Kasiekulture that while they are bringing the house down with raw indigenous lyrics and other facets of hip hop this Winter show will also promote entrepreneurship and life-skills. They are not the ones who see rap as being an art for the starving but a platform which if well-explored can make businesspeople out of emcees. “We want businesspeople from around Bushbuckridge to come aboard and sponsor aspects of this session. We want them to emulate the example of Geesound Promotions who have been our sound system sponsor since we started. They need to understand that this is part of our celebration of Youth Month and welcoming the FIFA World Cup to our shores” said Masta H, urging business to come aboard. Businesspeople can, according to the two organisers buy and print t-shirts, sponsor prizes or just pump money into the event.

Mr Doo added that they have engaged Love-Life – the youth sexuality and lifeskills organisation to use the opportunity to inculcate life skills on the youth who grace the sessions. “We want to see more women emcees coming through as we currently only have one and we need more”, he said. Familiar faces billed to perform include the lyrical genius Mr Doo, the spitfire Masta H, silent assassins The Mighty Killaz, gigabyten 3G and suave Katsuko. Katsuko will also bring some emcees from Gauteng to share skills with locals.

“Bushbuckridge Local Municipality is showing commitment and we are currently awaiting their input. We hope for more youth taking part since this is our way of taking the youth away from the streets and channeling their energies into an avenue worth pursuing” said Masta H. He said he was impressed with the co-operation they seem to be receiving from their municipal regional manager.

Dwarsloop based rapper/entrepreneur and blogger Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane of Makgema Entertainment is also expected to perform and retail his two CDs Hit List and Chisa Spankan’ Vol I at the sessions. The last session of 2009 was graced by Kwani Experience’s Nkoto Malebye who delivered a freestyle performance, much to the amusement of the crowd.

Katsuko says they hope to hold their next session at the newly completed Shatale Community Park which will be a Fan Park during the FIFA games.

The Luv Ur Hood session will be held on 5 June 2010 at Kabila’s Car Wash. They start at 13h00 and entrance is free. Anyone wanting to take part should contact Katsuko or Masta H at +27720320805 and +27761609278. Anyone willing to sponsor can email Katsuko at km1984@live.co.za or hook up with him on Facebook/Khutso ‘Katsuko’ Malele.

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