THE DAWN OF A NEW AGE

People! It's been a minute.

I've been busy. me and some friends (Emm Scarz, S-Lee, Em Tee) have been planting some bombs in every corner of the box. Strategically planning for the day we detonate. And now, we've blown the box open! And we did it right.

I introduce to you, 4FRONT. A group that's bound to re-shape your idea of music. A group I love. A group I'm proud of. 4FRONT fuses every genre that's currently considered Urban into a great cocktail (that word just made me thirsty) of chords blended with drums, garnished with soul and served in a glass of words! Dub Step, Grime, Drum 'n Bass, Hip Hop, Dance, Electro, House, Soul, Pop and R 'n B all find themselves fused immaculately with some creative rapping and emotive singing.

I can safely say that a new era has dawned. It's gonna take a bit longer for you to realise it, but you can hasten the process by downloading #DoItRight ft. Blak Suga (Produced by MarazA. This song is raw from the studio. Unmixed, unmastered) right here ---> DOWNLOAD. This is a song from the upcoming album #ElectricCity. This is not the first single though. That's coming soon and will be titled #LoveMeWhileImHere.

I promise you one thing: You haven't heard something like this recently. In an era where everyone is trying to do what everyone else is doing, we choose to do the opposite. Put a 4 up when you see me.

I BLEED MUSIC

NEW SINGLE - NEVER FALL

"I'll never fall stay firm on the top of this microphone and make records like the mic was on"

Wassup fam! We're back with another blazing hot single! It's called Never Fall and it's gonna be hitting more radio stations in the next week! It's produced by Kay Master and Ngane, and you can stream it for yourself in the meantime HERE.

Please share this with friends. Make the above picture your profile picture on facebook and twitter! We're one step closer to witnessing the release of 20 the album! Don't forget to share this blog with your friends so you can ALL stay up to date!

Follow me on twitter @Marazamc and join the Maraza facebook page.

Lot's of love. Remember, #NeverFall

20!

ANOTHER UPDATE

Sanibonani. It's been a long minute since I blogged. But we been busy re-igniting the flame of 20 the album. And, as hard as this might be to believe, we've finally done it. Pretty soon the album will be available for Digital download and, soon after that, you will be able to hold a copy! #iSupportLocal

Just to show you how serious we are at MUSE Entertainment, we've included an exclusive sneak peak into some of the illustrations that will be on the album cover so THERE IS NO TURNING BACK NOW. YES, this is an actual drawing done by a human being. The wonderful folks at HERE WE GO really came through on this one. The whole cover is "hand written", I chose this because I feel this album will go a long way into "writing" history, and I wanted to reflect that.

Please remember to follow me on twitter @marazamc and join the FB PAGE MarazA . Daily updates are available on both platforms and at least 2 blogs a week from this one. Remember to also catch me on #Headrush , every Saturday at 10:00 am CAT on @ChannelOtv . The show is getting better each week!!!

Till next time. Thank you all for the support!

[.:*20*:.]

MARAZA ft. BLAK SUGA - WATCHU GONNA DO (Produced By Vampire)

Leaked straight from the upcoming mixtape by South West Records, Watchu Gonna Do is a banga of note. Produced by a Durban-based phenom called Vampire, this track promises to mess up the clubs if given the chance.

Blak Suga is one of my favorite rappers in the country, everybody knows that, but I'm not being biased when I say homebuoy SPAZZED on this one. Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by MYSTIK G at SOUTH WEST RECORDS STUDIOS in Braamfontein a few weeks ago, we've decided to let the world have it for free, while we wait to drop the official single for THE SWR MAXXXTAPE. Click here to DOWNLOAD THE SONG FOR FREE NOW.

The song has already been downloaded 470 times in it's first 17 hours online. That's massive where i come from. So, please share the link so we can get to 1000 before Friday the 13th *cue Freddy Kruger laugh coz Jason doesn't speak*

Lookin forward to gettin your feedback. Follow everybody involved on twitter:

@Marazamc

@Blak_Suga

@TouchDa8thWonda (He designed the cover)

@SouthWstRecords

#Team20

APRIL FOOL TANK *NO JOKES*

OK SO HERE WE GO!
HERE COMES A STRING OF MONTHLY EVENTS, AROUND THE COUNTRY, WHERE LIVE-ENTERTAINMENT COMES FIRST, AND THE COVER-CHARGE COMES FIFTH. WELCOME TO STAR STUDDED NYTS . . .

Yep! We're gonna be bringing you awesome live-performers. I'm talking artists who get on stage and focus their minds on one thing: ENTERTAINING YOU!

YESSES! We'll be doing best! I'm talking lights, camera, SMASHING! And we start off with
[[[[[[[[[[APRIL FOOL TANK *NO JOKES*]]]]]]]]]]].
1st of April 2011, at Coconut Villa in Rosettenville [Cnr Bouquet and Geranium Str. Opposite Chicken Lickin'], STAR STUDDED brings your a buffet of some of the best live entertainers in the country:

MarazA
iFani
F-Eezy
Kay-E
Oz
Ma-Ar Chronicles
Blak Suga

It's only going to cost R40 at the door, and it's free for ladies before 10pm. There will be specials on certain liquor brands, so, come fill up your tank! There will also be Dj's dropping hit after hit of the best Hip Hop, House and Kwaito jams.
THIS IS NOT AN APRIL FOOL'S JOKE. But if you miss it, the joke is on YOU!

Follow @StarStuddedNyts and @Marazamc on twitter for more information.

#Team20

THEE UPDATE

Whoop Whoooop!
Yep, it's been a minute and 2 seconds, but the blog is still alive and spillin' the spit!
Here's an update of what went down and what will still go down in the life of the RAZ!:

PAST:
1. Shelela Remix ft. Clu (AKA's Do it Do it; SKWATTA's Hey Hey), Tuks (Senganga), Ntukza (Teargas, Cashtime) was recorded and released to stations and has been getting major love. We're distributing it to more stations.

2. I recorded a Shizznizz performance AND a Jam Alley performance that features Clu, Tuks and Ntukza all on one stage for the first time. Look out for all of these on E-TV and SABC 1 respectively, SOONER than you can say 20!

3. 2 weeks ago myself, Pro, Zuluboy, Red Button, Morale , Sean Pages and Tee Pee played terrorist and left Durban city on FIRE after a hectic Joe Cool's performance. Shout out to SAB.

4. This week, we chuffed up the Hip Hop Powernights with that crazy dude C-Live. This one was epic!

STILL TO COME:
1. Tomorrow, I hit Durban again! This time, with a bigger bomb! CLUB PLUSH WILL BURN TO THE GROUND. And you know Durban clubs don't close, so, Zakwe, Oz, Snazzy, Vumar, ABBU, Dr. Sguddy, DJ Mdu and MarazA will party till the sun waves a white flag!

2. We will be shooting the music video for the shelela remix soon!

3. I shot an episode of Headrush with Tuks, and THAT'S gonna be interesting. So far, it's my best one yet.

4. Tomorrow night I'm on Ukhozi from 19:30. Do best and tune in. Live on-air performance of Shelela.

SO...
There is so much going on that I can't reveal yet. But keep your eyes peeled. The rize is everywhere now and harder to ignore. WATCH IT!

PS: Check out my online interview with justcurious.co.za

TWENTY!

GIMME MA MONEY!

So many great developments THIS WEEK ALONE. I'm fresh out the booth as we speak! Just laced a hawt 16 on the remix of Oz's single "Imali Yami" [My money]. A pretty cool video has already been shot for the single, and it's getting spins all over radio and TV. Now my homebuoy Oz has asked me and Kay-E to add some heat to an already erupting volcano.

WAAAAT! I can't explain how impressed I am with Kay-E! As I write this, he is backing up one of the hottest vernac verses I've heard this year! Serious competition on the horizon for these other rappers. Oz is yet to lace, but I know he's got fire only! It seems remixes are gonna be the order of the day for me for the next few weeks, as I'm doing another remix with some very popular cats on Tuesday the 18th. This time for my own track. THAT my friends is going to be epic. I picked up the beat from Yaw Bannerman yesterday, and also caught a dose of groupie syndrome for the guy. He IS the best.

So, look out for Oz' "Imali Yami 2 ft. MarazA and Kay-E" on your local radio station soon. I promise you nothing but heat! And that other remix I was talking about? Well, that's a secret well-worth waiting for!

20!

WATCH SHELELA ONLINE

People told me One Foot In The Game was huge! I obviously can't judge, I can only nod and stay grounded! But my mind was blown away with what has happened with Shelela. What we achieved with One Foot In The Game in 3 months, we have achieved with Shelela in 3 weeks!

Thanx to a lot of support from Channel O, this is probably one of the most played Hip Hop videos in South Africa right now. With lots of love from all over the internet (twitter, facebook, myspace), even before this video was available on the net, it's only fitting that we take this to the next level! So here we go: SOMETHING BIG IS ON IT'S WAY. Even bigger than the fact that you can now watch Shelela online, during the few minutes when Channel O is not playing it. And it's also shot by CHRIS GREEN of GREEN FILMS, so, you know to expect only fire. Click HERE to watch Shelela ft. Dezza RIGHT NOW!

Happy New Year people! If it starts this way, it's gonna end phenomenally! I love you all.

20

CHANNEL O EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIER

It's been a hectic year. With lot's of opportunities utilized and a few missed, it's time for us to literally slide into the festive season and Shelela into the new year. So, in the spirit of Christmas and doing it big, me and ma team (MUSE Entertainment/ AMO PR/ JURY MUSIC/ GREEN FILMS) will be hitting all of AFRICA, with a music video exclusive at 17:30 CAT on Channel O (Channel 320, DSTV). It's off of 20 The Album and it features Dezza. Get your 2011 Swagg on . . .

Ingeniously directed by Chris Green of GREEN FILMS, with online editing from Tall Post, I can't help but mention that my second music video is one of the best I've seen in the past few months. Channel O, Africa's biggest music channel, has decided to give this baby special attention. The video will hit African screens at 17:30 CAT on channel 320, DSTV, on the Crispy Fresh music show. It's definitely something to look forward to, as me and Dezza do bestest in threads organized by Vie of Twenty Two. The whole video in itself is in crisp High Definition black and white, and features a guest appearance from SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE finalist Shelley Nicole Christians, but that's all I'm giving out. For the full experience, tune in to Crispy Fresh on Channel O at 17:30 on 20/12/2010.

Oh yeah, the EMERGENCY ENTRANCE MIXTAPE is still available for download. The Album is available in January. Merry Christmas. 20 grand out!

I JUST WANT TO BE SOUTH AFRICAN

I am not the child of a struggle icon. I am but the child of a humble man, who struggled hard to ensure that I had a future that is worthy of icons. I am not born of a fallen soldier. I am the birth-child of a woman who stands today, braver than any soldier, in the front-line against poverty. I do not wish to have land handed to me on a silver platter. I only wish to have the chance to work hard and buy the world with my sweat. I do not care how much Economic Empowerment there is in BEEs. I only care that the bleeding land of my ancestors, still has the enrgy to give me milk and honey. YES, I am a young black person, but what I really want to be, is a young SOUTH AFRICAN.

"Kaptein/ Spaan by die suille/ want sy as sammer myne/ blah blah blaah blaaah want hooooo vir my" - The terribly misspelt lyrics of Afrikaans Pop icon Steve Hofmeyer.

As young people in this beautiful but badly scarred country, we need our uncles, fathers and mothers to guide us on a path that is not only going to lead us into wealth, prosperity and happiness for ourselves, but also to the happiness and prosperity of our country. I spent most of last year dancing to JR's "Make The Circle Beeger" and Steve Hofmeyr's "Kaptein". Although I did not understand the lyrics, I loved how the music was universally loved by ALL South Africans. So, when Steve labeled me, my brother, my mother, my sister, my uncle, my grandmother and my late father as criminals who felt "entitled to everything, including land quotas and low matric-results" and only gave my distant cousin the slight benefit of the doubt, I felt betrayed. Not because I loved his music, but because he falls under the same group of people that I feel should be guiding us young South Africans.

You see, I don't think racism will ever die, as long as we have a distinction between people based on colour. And, unless we cross mate all the colours of the world for 20 generations until we have a single-colour population, we will never shake the colour differences that are both the source of our discrimination AND of our beauty. We won't get anywhere if we keep pointing fingers. The truth of the matter is, most of us young people don't even know who was the one person that had the initial idea to segregate blacks from whites. But I am pretty sure that he is now dead. Why do we not allow Apartheid to die with him? Because most of our elders (black and white) are still clinging on to it's legacy. I have a lot of young friends, of many colours, and all we want to do is grow old in a country where "Farm Murders" are not a race issue, but a crime issue that everyone is working to fight. Where NO ONE is shot and mistaken for an ape. We just want to be South African.

So, Steve Hofmeyr and Annelie Botes, start teaching us something we can teach our children and stop pulling the clock back. After 2010 can only come 2011. You cannot make it 1976 again. And quite frankly, we've come too far to allow you to take us back to our starting point. I AM, PAT RIOT!

RED CARPERT HIP HOP EXTRAVAGANZA with MARAZA

According to Daily Sun, all the country's weird sh*t happens in Limpopo. Well, Daily Sun's reporters need to get out more, because in-fact all the country's beautiful things happen in this province! Polokwane to be precise . . .

I'm at a loss for words when it come to describing what this event was like. I kept saying it was gonna be epic, but now the word "epic" just isn't epic enough. I had imagined it would be too best! Yet it turned out even better! From the food at Cappello, to the hospitality of Limpopo's people, from the love from other rappers, to the props from my own team after I was done smashing that mic and midi, the RED CARPET HIP HOP EXTRAVAGANZA was miles off the chain! Just bossin'!

If a picture is worth a thousand words, maybe one of these photos of the event will have the word I'm looking for.

I love you PLK. See ya soon!

20!

BEHIND THE SCENES - SHELELA MUSIC VIDEO SHOOT

EPIC TIMES ARE AHEAD. It's one thing to have people tell you that you've grown as an artist, and quite another to look back at your years in the industry and see your growth for yourself. 5 months after debuting the "ONE FOOT IN THE GAME" music video, MUSE Entertainment have teamed up with GREEN FILMS once again, to shoot the music video for my latest single: SHELELA ft. Dezza, which is boung to elevate the growth!

I need to tell you first of all that, I am NOT interested in the TYPICAL Hip Hop music video with naked chicks and champagne. Not on this album. So to have a production team like GREEN FILMS, who share the same vision and realize that a music video must be able to tell you a story even when the sound is on mute is quite a blessing. We spent weeks on the concept and the treatment of the video, and it all culminated in a very long but exciting shoot on Sunday the 21st of November. We were up at 05:00 am and getting ready for something EPIC. Lehlabile Mashego, our make-up artist for the day, came all the way from the Vaal to help us out. Thanx a milli to Nini for organizing this. We were quite honored to have Vie of fashion store "TWENTY-TWO BOUTIQUE" dress us for the video! YOH! This lady knows her stuff. And how can I forget Zama and Zonke, the pretty fashionistaz with the sexy accents (not to mention a great eye for photography). These 3 "FASHION POPOs" made sure we didn't break any fashion laws.

It's always a pleasure shooting on the Cannon 5D, especially when the crew knows what they're doing with it. What we have here is a crisp, clean, HD music video which is going to exceed the standard set by ONE FOOT IN THE GAME. A special shout out goes to JURY MUSIC for all their help. Lerato Letsoalo, AMO PR, Coco, YAW BANNERMAN, Shelley Christians, Margarita Naydenova and the rest of the GREEN FILMS crew for everything they put into making Dezza and I look good on TV. We really appreciate that.

For a sexy teaser of what went on behind the scenes, check out more pictures here.

Lot's of love! See you in Polokwane this Saturday!

20!

EMERGENCY ENTRANCE MIXTAPE : PART 1

OH YEAH! IT'S FINALLY HERE! Like I said! 1pm. November 19 (a day before the 20th, I might add). FRESH, NEVER-HEARD-BEFORE MUSIC. FREE!!!. EMERGENCY ENTRANCE MIXTAPE : PART 1. Who is on it? Check out the tracklist below:

1. EMERGENCY EXIT ft. S-Lee, M-Scarz [Produced by MarazA]
2. GOSSIP [A MarazA Remix. Produced by StreetRunner]
3. NAMES IN STARS ft. Money Mosh [Produced by Da Kompozitioner]
4. LIGHT UP [A MarazA Remix. Produced by 40 and HitMason]
5. SKYWALKER ft. iFani [Produced by MarazA]
6. 2011 SWAGGA [Produced by MarazA]
7. GONE CRAZY ft. M-Scarz, S-Lee, Bobzin Dash [A MarazA Remix. Produced by Don Cannon]
8. NANA [Produced by MarazA]
9. WINGS ft. Money Mosh [Produced by MarazA]

Shout out to MZI for recordin', mixin' and mastering SKYWALKER. And of course to Hhay' Mani, iFani, for the feature. We made magic! PATOU BISSAY and FORTUNE of CAMASA studios where most of the tape was recorded, mixed and mastered. A special shout out to ma brotha from down under: DA KOMPOZITIONER for that sick beat on Names In Stars, featuring the BADDEST CHICK IN SA HIP HOP RIGHT NOW: MONEY MOSH! This tape also features two of my favorite nu kids in rap: M-Scarz and the soulful vocalist rapper: S-Lee. He reminds me of Kay Soul (you ain't heard jack if you ain't heard Soul rap). Part two of this mixtape series will feature more of my favorite new acts like BEYOND MUSIC and BLAK SUGAR (Let's blow you up kid!).

Special shouts to ma home: MUSE Entertainment for the creative freedom I have. OWN YOUR MASTERS you rappers. Also, shout out to AMO PR and MANAGEMENT. I actually can't wait for y'all to hear this! Leave a comment, let me know what your favorite jam is and why. Fav lines. Fav beats. Fav fav! SHOUT OUT TO HEADRUSH! So, the link will be available at the top of this blog on the left corner. If you can't find that, then download the mixtape here.

We, MUSE ENTERTAINMENT, grant you the right to copy as much of this as you can to your friends all over the world. Don't sell it! It's free to download. We're counting down to the launch of 20 THE ALBUM. IT'S ABOUT TO GET STOOPID!

WATCH DA RIZE!!!

INVADING POLOKWANE (27th NOVEMBER 2010)

There are big and great things happening over the past and next few months. My first episode as a ChannelO presenter aired on Saturday the 13th at 10:00 am on ChannelO's HeadRush! Watch it every weekend for the hottest interviews of Africa's prime Hip Hop talent. Another great thing is, I'm shooting the music video for the my new single "Shelela ft. Dezza" this weekend. The jam is already playlisted on Yfm, 5fm, BCR fm and VIBE fm. But the BEST thing about this month? That's PLK . . .

ON THE 27th OF NOVEMBER, THORNHILL IN POLOKWANE WILL COME TO A STANDSTILL. Hip Hop heads and great music lovers alike will make their way to Cappello's to witness the first of my "DIGITAL LIVE" performance set. Yes ladies and gentlemen: I have been practicing for MONTHS and I am ready to get digital with you, as I bring my PC and MIDI controller to the stage, adding sounds and playing solos LIVE as you see it. I might even make a BEAT ON STAGE and FREESTYLE OVER IT. It's basically limitless and the creativity is unboxed. So DON'T predict it, BE THERE. The only sure stuff is, THE FIRST 50 ENTRANTS will be the first people in the world to get AUTOGRAPHED COPIES OF MY MIXTAPE which drops this FRIDAY. It's called EMERGENCY ENTRANCE and will only be available on this blog! FREE!!!

So, wherever you are, if you've got the transport, bring your lovable self to CAPPELLO's in THORNHILL in POLOKWANE and EXPERIENCE the "RED CARPET HIP HOP EXTRAVAGANZA with MARAZA". There will be a lot of local acts as well to get the mood pumping. R50 get's you in, halla as soon as you see me! PS: Bring some comfortable shoes: YOU'RE GONNA DANCE!

20!

20 THE ALBUM - TRACK PROFILES (SHELELA)

Making this track was a great pleasure for me. There is always that one artist that you will always respect. Whom you believe is very good, but always get blown away every time you hear him. He is the shit and you know it, but everytime he puts pen to pad, he takes his shit to a new level. That artist, for me, is DEZZA!

My old-time friend and colleague, Dezza is a rare breed in South African Hip Hop. First and foremost, he is his own harsh critic. This guy scrutinizes his work man! Extensively. The result? A 16 that's perfect every time. So when I heard Dezza was coming up to J-sec, I knew that I had to do a joint with him. If it wasn't to feature SA's finest, then it must have been for old time's sake. As a much deserved ode to Jus Dat! The beat had to be proper, after all, this is Dezza we're talking about! So, Yaw Bannerman was the logical choice. Yaw gave me a beat titled "Mellow Keys" at the time. This was a certified banger, he said. And he was right!

So me I gave Dezza the beat and the concept, and a week later we were in studio. 2 hours later, and with lines like "I accept my life as it's been given/ not just living my dreams, my dreams is living", the second single for 20 The Album was born. And, after getting one foot in the game, the only thing left to do, is to shelela (slide) to the center of it! Thanx Dezza. And lots of love to Deejay C-live from 5fm and THE BIG ZILL from BCR fm in Barbaton who are already bumping the joint! Peace!

20!

VANDALISING THE BANK

Ma people! It seems I'm destined to celebrate other people's birthday parties for the remainder of this year. And, by so doing, RIZE higher! It's only been two weeks since we did major damage at THE BANK for K.O's birthday party, but we were back VANDAL-eyes-ing the poor little rich spot for Trevor Madondo's do.

I was quite honored to be given the platform to showcase my stuff at an event that was STRICTLY DJs. Being the ONLY live performer of the night either meant I was going to be crowned king by the time the night is over, or get booed of the stage by a mob of angry people who would rather dance than watch some rapper sweat. I was nervous, and thirsty. Do you know how much a bottle of Jack costs over there? They don't call it THE BANK for nothing. Better see your financial adviser before going in fellaz. Speaking of adviser, my ever so gorgeous stylist @NellyLeo wasn't around to smoothen the edges around my look. So, I asked myself, "what would Nelly want me to wear?". I ended up putting together a colour co-ord she would be proud off, but missed the dress-code by a long shot. I was the only dude I saw wearin' some hot sneaks. Which ain't so bad as far as non-conforming goes.

I guess I've postponed the stage long enough. I mean, did I get booed off the stage? Well, I was scheduled to go on at 00:15 am. But it went to 00:50 am (We are still Bantus you know). The audience was packed to capacity, vibing to their favorite house jams. A couple of handshakes later and my manager, a friend, and I were outside McDonald's getting an early morning feast before bed. You can see a few pics of me on and off stage here. Much love to the Vandals @DjSbuOnline and @TrevorMadondo for letting a brother shine. Now, let me get back to polishing this new crown.

Drop me a comment. Vote. Socialise.

Lot's of love.

MarazA.

20.

20 THE ALBUM - TRACK PROFILES (THE BRIGADE)

Alright, the countdown has re-erupted. We are officially weeks away from releasing the album nationally. With that, it's time to give y'all a sneak peak at the craftsmanship that went into making the album. First track for us to dissect is the highly talked about, THE BRIGADE Ft. ProVerb, KoldProduk, Zakwe and Zubz.

This track came about quite curiously. It was mostly a result of me bumping into rappers I liked and respected, and realized that the respect was mutual. I knew however that I wanted this to be epic, so I opted for nothing less than the BEST beat I could find. My old time friend, and one of my favorite producers, Kay Master, provided the perfect canvas for lyrical painting. The first cat to agree to get on the Joint was Proverb. I've been a great fan of this giant since THE BOOK OF PROVERB, and he realised potential in me after Jam Alley Versus. It also helped that dude is just an all-round nice guy! With lines like "Forget a 16, drop 20 there ought'ta be some change/ my thoughts will be deranged coz I fought to be on stage/ so take it from me, go after the fortune leave the fame", the bar had been set pretty high. I then hooked up with Moki from KoldProduk at the MTN HYPE AWARDS Nominees Party, and dude was more than happy to trade digits! After hearing him spit "Don't speak about beef we got mad cow disease and best believe there ain't no antidote" on the track, I knew we had created a monster! I went to Durbs and got my boy Zakwe to drop a hot 8 barz as well. The line "And if you wanna be my fan, woza ng'kwenz' uphephe la" set the right standard for the legendary golden mic holder to start on. Zubz loves starting it on a high note.

Closing off this track was difficult. I mean, how do you even begin after such a lyrical assault from industry heavy wights like Zubz and Pro, kasi lingo crunchers like Zakwe and the urban crossover specialists, KoldProduk? What do you do? You go in with that braveheart mentality. Sharper than the tip of Mel Gibson's sword and more demented than it's owner. So that's the joint! Track 10 off of 20 the album. And what did Zubz and I spit? Well, the album will be in stores in very few weeks, as I'm sure you're dying to find out!


WATCH DA RIZE!


20!

FAN OF A iFANi

I pride myself in being one of the few rappers I know, who is able to admit that they love another rapper's music without putting "but" at the end of that sentence. iFani is one of those rappers I digz!

I just met dude a few moments ago, and he hooked me up with the video (Alpha version, we deal with exclusives up in this!) for his latest hit single "Ewe", which is Xhosa for "Yes". You won't be saying no to this dude once you hear him. Especially the joint that got me hooked, the highly controversial "Hola Heita". Looking at this dude's video, one thing is certain: HE IS CONSISTANT. iFani has come to fill a gap left by Pitch Black Afro, the way I see it. He is comical, and does it very well. But one thing that's bad for me about his humor, is that many people will focus on that more than the fact that his lyrics are actually very witty and cleverly constructed. There is a lot more to him than the jokes. The concept of his video alone says a lot.

We're probably gonna have a joint together soon, coz that's what happens when I meet a rapper I genuinely liked. I've got a copy of his album, cleverly titled "i believes in me". I think it's safe to say that, while we wait for 20 The Album to hit the shelves, "i believes in me" will keep us all company.

Click here to go to the guy's facebook page and place an order for his album.

20

ALEX NASH EXHIBITION AND PUMA PARTY

Every era has it's heroes. THIS is the era of sneaker culture. And Nash Money aka Alex Nash aka Mr. Second Son, is my Jet Li. I've been working with this guy on a project for SABC 2, where he designed and customised 11 sneakers, drawing inspiration from the 11 "cultures" (official languages, really) of South Africa for Heritage Day. The end result? Awe inspiring!

Nash arrived in S.A in late August from the UK to work on this project. We had very little time, as delivery was in September, but we pulled all-nighters and got it done. He had an Exhibition on the 15th of October, before he left. It was a collection of his best work, including the SABC 2 Heritage Sneakers, the Lacoste x Alex Nash designs, and a wealth of the sickest Air Max and Air Jordan customs out there. Speaking of AIR MAX, I can't help but respect those drops. Those is legends, and I have a feeling I'm going to be getting myself the Glory Red Air Attack Air Max 1. That's just an epic cut. The Exhibition was brought to us by the good guys at Miller, Vitamin Water and Greyscale. We see you ninjaz! For more pics from the evening, click here.

Later in the evening, my much better half and I headed up the road to THE ALEX THEATRE for the much awaited Puma Suede launch. This was an epic way to end what Nash Money started. Did someone say "Free Bar". I'll have the whole thing! Ahem. I also met Solly from ChannelO who had some bad news for me. And my boy Phiko from Red Bull who had worst news. All I can say is, I'm gonna be getting a lot less sleep. Might have to start complaining soon! Cameras were not allowed at this event though. So no pics. But I'm sure peoples got some snappies with their BB's. My boy Mr. Calibre, whose sneaker game is inspiring, was at both events. So was SCOOP MAKHATHINI! Have you seen this dude's sneaker collection? Nigga got a room for his sneakers yo! Now THAT'S a sneakerfreaker!

This was a great weekend that ended with me making a sick beat on a chilled Sunday. Life ought ta be loved! Peace and happines to you all.

MaraZA
20!

KO's BIRTHDAY PARTY PERFORMANCE

It was a hot night! Someone got older. Someone saw me perform for the first time. Someone undoubtedly had no recallection the morning after. Me? I just did bestest!

My boy K.O from Teargas . . . actually, I'm lying! He isn't my "boy"! He's just a cool cat and we happen to know each other. We haven't hung out enough to refer to each other as "boy" and attach ownership before it. But isn't it irritating how people throw that term around? Back to THE BANK. Someone better fix it because myself, Teargas, Pro-Kid, Red Button, Shluda Da Guru, Soosh, Romz Deluxe and L-Tido BROKE IT when K.O celebrated his birthday! It was a great night that got off to a slow start, but once it got packed, everyone was glad they were there early.

My set was short-lived, but the memories permanent. I got the show off to a great start (Or so I was told) and Pro-Kid, L-Tido and Teargas kept the lava smoldering for the rest of the evening. Everybody seems to know One Foot In The Game now. So, it wasn't hard. But look out for the new single "Shelela". We will be shooting a video for it soonest. For more pics from the Birthday Party, click here. You'll notice I had on my DC Base Hi-Tops which I've been raving about ( SUPRA HUMAN). I love these shoes, but at 3 am in the morning when I got home, even they had to have less feet in them. Slept like a baby on Chloroform.

Once again big up to my . . . uhm . . . fellow rapper . . . and . . . ALL ROUND GOOD GUY (yeah, that's very true) K.O for seeing another successful year. Y'all cat's is here to stay!
So am I!

MaraZA