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!

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!

IF AGE MATTERS, HE IS 12 YEARS AHEAD

I try and keep my blogs to 1 picture/video per post, but sometimes a point needs to be made. If you're a rapper/musician, look at yourself now . . . then look at where you were exactly 2 years ago. Any difference? If there isn't, you really need to read this . . .

On Thursday the 13th of November 2008, US mega star (he was a mega star then, at least) THE GAME put his beef with 50 Cent on hold to come to South Africa to bless the masses and drink unnecessary amounts of Vodka on stage (It does not matter that it may have been water, it matters that he wanted us to think it was Vodka). The Standard Bank Arena was packed! Real Gobhoza was there, E-TV's Showbizz report was there . . . hell even Daily Sun was there - pause for Daily Sun headline:
"THE GAME : CURSED BY EVIL MICROPHONE"
But what people ended up speaking about in the weeks after the event was not The Game taking his shirt off, it was not the over-sized white T-shirts and denim shorts on stage: it was about a 10 year-old boy who went on stage and took copious amounts of shine from The Game, literally. I'm talking chains and all!

Picture No. 2 above shows Mbekezeli, now known as Gamebuoy, on the shoulders of his idol at the concert two years ago. A lot of talk followed; was he just a copy? Is he a phony marketing scheme by the show's organizers? Will he ever release? Is he any good? I laugh. Picture No. 1 shows Gamebuoy as he is today. A fully fledged artist. A young beast that many will make the mistake of undermining. A hustler. A rapper, well-worth listening to. In two years, this kid has gone from bored haters' tea-time subject to THE FACE OF FUBU SOUTH AFRICA, and his album isn't even out yet! Music industry online recently did an article on him where I was mentioned as a contributor to the lyrics of his upcoming album. I'm really happy about this but let me tell you, Gamebuoy MADE the song! This young dude has a delivery so commanding, so immaculate, so perfect that I felt ashamed. Why? Coz I knew that, although I may have wrote the song, I could have NEVER made it sound that good. What we have here is an artist. This kid is dedicated to his craft. I've hung out with him a couple times, and all he wanted to do was rap! In an age where most of us rappers wanna see money in our accounts before picking up the mic, Gamebuoy is a breath of fresh air.

So let this be a lesson to y'all. Let it be known that if you become stagnant, young diamonds that look up to you will quickly outshine you! I'm very happy to be associated with this dude. Very happy that his album is coming out AFTER mine. Very inspired by him. Very happy that South African Hip Hop has gone this far. He may be 12 years old, but he is 12 years ahead of the competition! Don't sleep on him. FUBU, Moshito and the National tour are just the beginning. Shout out to Tsotsi Taal Productions for looking after my young new friend.

20
Youtube
Twitter
Music

ONE HIGHLY-ROTATED FOOT IN THE GAME

I've been looking back at the intense work we put in to shoot my first music video for the MarazA and Bobzin Dash smash hit single: "One Foot In The Game Ft. Kay Soul" (3rd Picture above). We couldn't have possibly anticipated that GREEN FILMS' master cinematography, direction and editing would give birth to such a successful video.

We're already sitting on 1606 views on youtube. The bulk of our success, however, is seen on ChannelO and MTV Base (to whom we're really grateful), where the video is seen EVERYDAY by fans and haters alike. It's really quite humbling. The coat is still highly debated, with split opinions on whether it's a Nay or Yay, but talk is talk and talk is good! I think what also makes the video so powerful, apart from the fact that it's a kickass song and the quality is one of the best we've seen withing these borders, is the muscle we packed in the star-studded cameos. Proverb (2nd Pic), KoldProduk and FratPack (1st Pic) all lent their iconic images to helping me realize a personal dream. That's something worthy of respects in my book! The dancers were also incredibly nanaz! Delta killed it y'all! She went on to win Masters of Rhythm in the solo females category, but that's no surprise.

The support has been phenomenal and many people are demanding that we get nominated for awards for this video. I won't argue with that! To see what the hype is about, peep the video on youtube here. Also tune in to channel 320 and 321 on DSTV. You can keep up with Proverb on his website and follow Fratpack on twitter.

Don't forget to check me out on twitter and facebook, and download some of my music here.

20!

SUPRA-HUMAN

Checking bank balance . . .
Balance insufficient.
Reaching into that nasty impulse to buy things we can't afford . . .
IMPULSE ABUNDANT!
I"M GETTING THESE!

GPY! Ekse, these are hot, right? It's the Supra Society (Black/Blue Suede), released for the autumn season up north in the US. Now, you may wonder what a sneaker is doing on a Hip Hop artist's blog? Go to youtube and search 'RUN DMC MY ADIDAS' and get your learn on. Also, this blog is really about EVERYTHING that inspires me to make the music I do. From cars to cash, girls to gadgets and, most importantly, fellow artists, friends and the guy on the street.

These sneakers inspire me to achieve more . . . so I can afford more of them. I love the merger between polish leather and suede, in that new-age skytop we have come to love Supra for. This brand is kicking leather butt y'all! The way the blue and black meet and greet each other, it's the perfect combination of kool-kid kolour, and Jay-Z approved grown-man black! I would still rock these with a fresh pair of well fitted skinnies though, IN FRONT OF JAY-Z . . . and Beyonce. I recently bought a pair of DC Base Sneakers, part of the LIFE COLLECTION, at the premier sneaker event of the year: STR.CRD KICKING IT WITH SPORTSCENE in Cape Town and, I must say, I hate myself for ignoring the Supra stand.

Let's just hope that my international connect will be at the ready to get me these before they hit S.A, so I can rock them on the set of my upcoming music video for the new single: SHELELA ft. Dezza. We'll be going to the printers next week. Get them Krugers ready. The music is coming!

Twitter: @Marazamc
Facebook : MarazA Watchda Rize
http://www.reverbnation.com/maraza