Best Hip Hop Projects of 2024 So Far
We’re halfway through the year and there’s no denying that 2024 has turned out to be a year where a lot of artists have put out some of their best work. Whether it’s singles, EPs or whole albums, the hip hop audience has been well-fed. While it’s never easy to compile these kinds of listicles, […]
Where Hip Hop Meets Jazz, We’re The Better For It
The marriage of jazz and hip hop is a relationship dating back to the early days of the genre. Its modern iteration demystifies jazz to a more youthful audience. For a lot of us young music lovers, jazz has mostly seemed like a highbrow, boring and inaccessible genre that holds no appeal to most of […]
PUMA and Rhuigi pay tribute to hip hop in the year of its 50th birthday
It’s been 50 years since DJ Kool Herc hosted the back to school jam at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx. By extending the drum breaks of the songs, he birthed a technique that we later came to know as the groundwork of hip hop. The genre’s been through all manner of transition since that […]
Between Musical Shifts; Kwesta and Kabza de Small Just Want To Speak N Vrostaan
How Kwesta and Kabza De Small’s ‘Speak N Vrostaan’ plots the future by merging the sounds of the present and the past During the early noughties, Kwaito – once the creative outlet for young South Africans in the ‘90s – was supplanted by the breakbeats, syncopated rhythms and layered lyricism of Hip Hop. Fast forward […]
Ego Will Be The Death of SA Hip Hop
At this point, it’s almost an old adage that hip hop is a young man’s sport. While a few anomalies exist, in the form of active rappers in their 40s and 50s who are actually still great and relevant, the median age of rappers and hip hop participants is generally between the ages of 20-somethings […]
Op-Ed: Independence is Stifling Local Hip Hop
Words by Wiseman Ngubo There has been a notable absence of an outright viral local hip hop hit in recent times, the last two years have seen a pretty lukewarm showing from a local hip hop perspective. Given the fact that there has actually been a lot of good quality music being put out begs […]
A Journey Through Travis Scott’s Astroworld
Words by Joey Drumz It’d be easy to understand why people unfamiliar with Travis Scott’s career timeline would be curious about how the Houston-born rapper had garnered so much attention for the release of his 3rd studio album ASTROWORLD. But from as early as 2009, Trav has been slowly perfecting his now signature, dark-spacey sound […]
Vans and A Tribe Called Quest Drop Collaboration
If you’re big fan of the legendary New York crew A Tribe Called Quest you’ll be happy to know that they have collaborated with Vans on a collection of kicks. ATCQ changed the face of hip hop in the early 90’s and ushered in a new conscious era along with the likes of De La […]
[New Mix] DJ Fanatic – The Weekend Fix Vol. 8
It’s been a minute since we supplied you with a hot mix to kick off your weekend. Now that Summer is here it’s the perfect time to bring back the weekly WeekendFix Mixes courtesy of some of the best DJs in the country. This week JHB’s finest DJ Fanatic blessed up with the perfect 30 […]
Hip Hop’s Love Affair With Goyard
Words by Kendra Hunsley “Goyard, the preferred choice of connoisseurs” Goyard is a brand steeped in history and exclusivity. Favoured by the aristocrats, royals, dignitaries and the Bourgeoise. The brand prides itself on its long list of affluent patrons of the 19th and 20th century such as Pablo Picasso, Coco Chanel, Jeanne Lanvin – even […]
Maftown’s Impact on SA Hip Hop
Words by Mercia Tucker Mafikeng is home to some of South Africa’s most talented and celebrated artists. When considering the cultural capital of South African music and entertainment spaces in the 90s, however, Maftown hardly came to mind. Kwaito took the urban youth by storm as the centre of a cultural revolution that validated a […]