For More information you may contact us at grassrootsartsfestival@gmail.com
Pictures courtesy Makhi Concepts
Sunday, 12 May 2013
Indaba Kwamkhozi Video Remake 12 May 2013
Wehad an amazing time today shooting a music video for the viral Indaba kwamkhozi song featuring Phira and Adon Geel on the beat. Peace to Reel Creative Media and The Hebrew Kollective.
For More information you may contact us at grassrootsartsfestival@gmail.com
Pictures courtesy Makhi Concepts
For More information you may contact us at grassrootsartsfestival@gmail.com
Pictures courtesy Makhi Concepts
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Mind That
I am not the one that was born with a silver spoon in my
mouth, I am part of those that had to scramble and fight to get anything going
for them. This trained me very early in my life. It taught me to be a soldier
and it taught me to endure. I learnt to use whatever small thing I had
effectively.
This was critical teaching in my upbringing. “Creating
something out of nothing” is a motto I adopted, or it rather adopted me I don’t
really know. All I know is I had nothing, I have nothing but I am determined I am
going to create something that is going to outlast most things most people have
and they parade every day.
Don’t get this twisted I am not aiming to write and inform
you about material acquisitions. NO! Life is beyond that. I was blessed with an
infinite creative mind-set; it has limitless abilities it can create a new
universe for all its other powers are yet to be revealed as I journey along. I
will guard that mind with every molecule I have in my body. It is a greatest
treasure any human being can ever have.
Your mind is a control station. If you are not in control of
your conditions and thoughts then my friend your mind is a controlled station. You
can’t allow that. You being great successful, your being you and your being
everything that you are at peace with depend on it. Then the question is would
you waste thought trying to entertain what people might be thinking and saying
about you? Or would you rather spend your time discovering your true potential?
You need to make that distinction. Fight for who you want to
become. Don’t let your condition hold you back. Ayililo ilizwe lenkenke eli. If
you have brains you have everything and more remember that. Life is about
soldiering after all.
Friday, 10 May 2013
It is never about the Hype
It is easy to get caught up in the hype of things. it is easy to recite meaningless words when the true spirit of what got you picking up the pen is gone. it is easy to do the right thing with the wrong spirit. it is easy to point fingers. it is easy to be plastic.
the world is transient, organics are expensive because there is always a cheaper imitation just around the corner. this has forced a lot of trusted brands to water down, and weaken their material to keep up with times and survive the times.
you really get cornered empty shows and hungry children. Demanding parents, and rising prices. What do you do? Quit and focus on an unfulfilling job. Do you give in and like Torea release an album explaining why you had to give in. do all these people like when we post status updates calling ourselves Real heads really purchase our albums.
Must we really sound stupid to sell? are people dumb? could the record executives be right that people are dumb, stupid and lazy they dont want to think? if they not everything the labels say they are, why is there no intelligent music on the main stream?
Personally i refuse to give in. i am a writer before i am a rapper. i beleive in the greater cause. i will keep on speaking even though my voice drowns in the mainstream noise. i will not do what i do not like because i need cash.
Deutoronomy 23 vs 23
the world is transient, organics are expensive because there is always a cheaper imitation just around the corner. this has forced a lot of trusted brands to water down, and weaken their material to keep up with times and survive the times.
you really get cornered empty shows and hungry children. Demanding parents, and rising prices. What do you do? Quit and focus on an unfulfilling job. Do you give in and like Torea release an album explaining why you had to give in. do all these people like when we post status updates calling ourselves Real heads really purchase our albums.
Must we really sound stupid to sell? are people dumb? could the record executives be right that people are dumb, stupid and lazy they dont want to think? if they not everything the labels say they are, why is there no intelligent music on the main stream?
Personally i refuse to give in. i am a writer before i am a rapper. i beleive in the greater cause. i will keep on speaking even though my voice drowns in the mainstream noise. i will not do what i do not like because i need cash.
Deutoronomy 23 vs 23
| 23 | That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth. Shalom Family beleive in your abilities you maybe the one you are waiting for. stop looking next door and making excuses. It is not about the hype remember that.  |
Concrete Grind Review by Thandikhaya Mzozoyana
The Concrete Grind ön Sunday was epic. It started late but most of us were late anyway. After the appologies by the Mastabilda, Storm got the busine$$ going with the "THUNDERSTORM PLATFORM".
Storm is a legend period and i always pity an artist that perfoms after his set. Yis tried but lacked energy and delivery. The beat battle between Adon Geel and Subz was mind blowing. Geel was on that soul tip while Subz kept dishing out head bangerz only, and during that battle MC's got on stage and kicked their verses. Romano entertained us with his wacky signature laugh and we got a suprise by the name of X-LYRICIST, the kid packs heat(watch out Yahav).
Subz won the beat battle. Hustle Simmons gave a dope set and out rapped himself, there's a track called "ZIKHIPHANI" were he explains that he is doing it for the love(don't get it twisted though he wants the gwap but he ain't gona fake it), it's for the heads. Hustle ain't tryin' to save the world. Sons of ...Law are out to "save the world" and they also killed it with Yahav being the more charismatic member of the duo. During their perfomance my lil' bro was like, "bhuti this is the kind of music you need to sit down and listen carefully". Amandla to the Sons of Law!
Naked Eye almost stole the show and shipped it to the Vaal, it's hard to please a PE crowd especially when you're out of town but Naked Eye had us singing alöng to his hooks like he was our homeboy. He closed his set with a Sotho track and we sang along to that as if it was our first language. Sifuna uNaked Eye abuye qha...
Yahkeem made sure that the title stay at home by starting at a high note "HARD HITTING" and that got us going buck wild(we were not bobbing our heads, we were bobbing from the wast up). The Mastabilda gave his all perfoming tracks from his previous album and current one. Sprite was in the house reminding heads to trust their instinct and big up to Yahkeem for organising that.
We're looking forwad to the next Concrete Grind instalment and big up to the Grassroots Festival. PEACE!
Monday, 11 March 2013
Do not Forget to March
March is one of the most significant months in South Africa.
It is a month of defiance, a month of selflessness most of all a month to
honour and celebrate the martyred. On the 21st March 1960 our people
under the leadership of the Pan African Congress challenged the status quo by
handing in the dompases, the march led to a blood bath which to this day the
actual number of people that were killed by the askaris cannot be verified. This
was dubbed the Sharpeville massacre and subsequently the day as Heroes day.
The day is significant because beyond everything else it
displays the will of our people to move as a collective. It also instils in us
the living the need for sacrifice which in my vocabulary sacrifice is giving up
something of high value for something of even greater value. What is greater
than life? When you give your life away for the cause of the collective what do
you gain? This is a question I cannot be able to answer today nor in a century
to come. I simply scribble to acknowledge and give praise to the unknown.
Honour the fallen and forgotten.
It is indeed amazing how we as a society are selective in
celebrating our heroes. We embrace what media endorses; we are not free to
remember whomever we will, whenever we will. Our perceptions are policed and
channelled in accordance to required ends. We are not even aware that such is occurring;
we wallow willingly in this quagmire with the outmost contentment.
Those that lost their lives so that we gain ours would be
honoured if we could start being radical in our thinking. They would be pleased
by us being modest and carry on the torch for the absolute liberation of our
beings. They would at least smile in whatever form they are in by seeing young
people living meaningful lives that displays totally the commitment to vision
of our people. They would be humbled by our being Valliant warriors who roar
for change.
As you enjoys the crumbs of capitalism and spoils of post 94
be mindful of the sacrifices of those gone by do not squander their blood as if
it were mere swine that was slayed. Do not be a neo colonialist and oppress
your own by introducing self-serving laws. The fight is not yet over because
the current scuffle is not a fight against a race but a war against certain
principalities that fail the efforts of our heroes. I would love one day to
author a truimphant story of the present generation.
This March, do not be afraid to think outside the dictates
of society. This March, do not be timid. This March take on the spirit of 1960.
This March, remember your heroes. This March, forget party loyalty and embrace
Truthism. This March, begin a journey to the everlasting books life. This
March, do not only speak of greatness be about greatness. This March.
Yahkeem ben Israel
Concrete Thought Review Penned by Unathi DarkBlood Slasha
If you are looking for punch lines in a project or music that puts you into a dance mood then you may as well stop reading this! The album kicks off with a nice beat then Yahkeem’s raspy voice is heard polemically articulating his dissatisfaction and concern with the current status quo, and how he is affected and confined to suffer the repercussion of the past socio-political –economic system and white capitalism and its exploitation, blaming them for his present sticky plight.
The second track is on that ‘’ Keep it real’’ steez, it sounds too street yet he drops science with ease. One can easily tell that he despises rap music that suffers from dearth of lyrical depth and substance. Throughout the whole project he embodies and showcases his lyrical ability and flashes his prowess by flossing his creativity as a bilingual emcee when he fluently switches from English to rap in isiXhosa. His vigorous delivery ranges from a conversational rabbi’s typical manner of imparting a lesson to a fast-rap-machine-gun spitting a barrage of literary scripts. My favourite tracks on the album include “They gave us”, “ New Chain” feat Ohayv, “Hard Hitting”, “Come Out Of Her”, “Mind in Chains” Feat Tsviel the Prince, “Letter from the pen”, “ Response” and “Simple truth” featuring the likes of Naked Eye, Quaz,Yahav, Yis and Shmael.
The whole project is highly inspired and is dedicated as a salutation to the life and writings of the honourable Livingstone Mqotsi.
He is suggesting that people listening to the project should delve deep and find out who Mqotsi was since a lot of people have no idea who he was and what he has done for the liberation of the black nation. The production on the album is definitely not the dopest you have ever heard. But do not be fooled by that grave statement because Geel does justice to Concrete Thought. Marro, Eden, Xct and Vast words also contributed with beats to this offering to help diversify the sound on the album. I feel that the “Back in the days” track that is produced by Luckeez is not meant to be part of this piece of work. The beat is seriously weak. Or is it me? Or am I too used to Hip-hop sampled beats? Nonetheless the overall of the song sounds dull and it does not arouse any interest that leads one to endure enough and listen to the lyrics. I feel that it should have been excluded from the album. I comprehend that Yahkeem was attempting to have a Radio track that the public may easily relate to. But “Indaba Kwamkhozi” with Phira (the dude is a ridiculously gifted vocalist) sounds pretty fresh, and is one of the most outstanding cuts on the project that Radio stations ought to be playing for the public as a musical treat.
What I enjoy the most on some of the tracks is the art of song arrangement how he appropriately picked relevant audio clips from different revolutionary speakers and meticulously interwoven them with the beats of the songs at the end to further thoroughly explicate and emphasize the point he is attempting to convey. I personally think that this is Yahkeem’s best work ever to be put out for the public. Out of all his previously released material, this is the project that stands out to bare evidence that he is a dedicated and diligent lyricist that waits to be celebrated. The project should be a paragon of social commentary and politically charged raps, and music that carries a message to the masses in the Bay since the realm of rapping is largely dominated and overcrowded by punch line orientated raps. I say this due to the mere fact of lyrical consistency throughout the album. I believe every single head that has love for rhymes that are accompanied by logic and reason is obliged to raise both thumbs with extreme confidence and recommend this offering to others with the same taste in rap music.
The bard
The second track is on that ‘’ Keep it real’’ steez, it sounds too street yet he drops science with ease. One can easily tell that he despises rap music that suffers from dearth of lyrical depth and substance. Throughout the whole project he embodies and showcases his lyrical ability and flashes his prowess by flossing his creativity as a bilingual emcee when he fluently switches from English to rap in isiXhosa. His vigorous delivery ranges from a conversational rabbi’s typical manner of imparting a lesson to a fast-rap-machine-gun spitting a barrage of literary scripts. My favourite tracks on the album include “They gave us”, “ New Chain” feat Ohayv, “Hard Hitting”, “Come Out Of Her”, “Mind in Chains” Feat Tsviel the Prince, “Letter from the pen”, “ Response” and “Simple truth” featuring the likes of Naked Eye, Quaz,Yahav, Yis and Shmael.
The whole project is highly inspired and is dedicated as a salutation to the life and writings of the honourable Livingstone Mqotsi.
He is suggesting that people listening to the project should delve deep and find out who Mqotsi was since a lot of people have no idea who he was and what he has done for the liberation of the black nation. The production on the album is definitely not the dopest you have ever heard. But do not be fooled by that grave statement because Geel does justice to Concrete Thought. Marro, Eden, Xct and Vast words also contributed with beats to this offering to help diversify the sound on the album. I feel that the “Back in the days” track that is produced by Luckeez is not meant to be part of this piece of work. The beat is seriously weak. Or is it me? Or am I too used to Hip-hop sampled beats? Nonetheless the overall of the song sounds dull and it does not arouse any interest that leads one to endure enough and listen to the lyrics. I feel that it should have been excluded from the album. I comprehend that Yahkeem was attempting to have a Radio track that the public may easily relate to. But “Indaba Kwamkhozi” with Phira (the dude is a ridiculously gifted vocalist) sounds pretty fresh, and is one of the most outstanding cuts on the project that Radio stations ought to be playing for the public as a musical treat.
What I enjoy the most on some of the tracks is the art of song arrangement how he appropriately picked relevant audio clips from different revolutionary speakers and meticulously interwoven them with the beats of the songs at the end to further thoroughly explicate and emphasize the point he is attempting to convey. I personally think that this is Yahkeem’s best work ever to be put out for the public. Out of all his previously released material, this is the project that stands out to bare evidence that he is a dedicated and diligent lyricist that waits to be celebrated. The project should be a paragon of social commentary and politically charged raps, and music that carries a message to the masses in the Bay since the realm of rapping is largely dominated and overcrowded by punch line orientated raps. I say this due to the mere fact of lyrical consistency throughout the album. I believe every single head that has love for rhymes that are accompanied by logic and reason is obliged to raise both thumbs with extreme confidence and recommend this offering to others with the same taste in rap music.
The bard
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