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*:.]

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.

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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!

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!!!

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!

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!


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FREESTYLE FILEZ - JHB CBD

I've been getting a few challenges for a battle (yeah, really). From sober people. Which is weird. The thing with battles, which is the same with everything that's about immediate satisfaction, is that they're more enjoyable when they're a gas station on your journey towards a bigger destination. And I've passed that gas station ages ago! Why should I walk backwards . . .

I've uploaded a freestyle I did last night (recorded by Mason at the Colosseum i JHB) coz that's something I still do, and still understand it's importance towards the growth of an artist. What is it? Well, you get to practice. More than anything, practice is important. Keeping your brain on it's musical toes. It's also very entertaining for the consumers of your music, and does not seek to specifically degrade another artist. Battles aren't bad. Making battles your ultimate destination IS. There is so much more to be achieved from making great timeless music as opposed to being involved in one forgettable street battle. Besides, if people like us, who have been in it for a while, start hogging the spot in the battle scene, what are the upcoming kids gonna do to sharpen their skillz?! And who are they going to look up to and aspire to be, if their idols are in the same cipher as them? Battles may give you street cred, but they don't make you a great artist. You have to leave the cipher to find out what it means to be a good musician.


So peep the freestyle above and enjoy the genuine mistakes and off-the-top lyrics. The album will be available for purchase in a few weeks. Support local music. I will upload the lyrics, as soon as I've figured them out, on my youtube channel. Follow me on twitter and facebook to see what others are saying about this freestyle. Leave a comment here as well. Click here for more of my music.

20!