KICKING THE BLUES MONDAY #1

I cannot begin to stress how much I love the Nike DUNKS. This has to be my favorite sneaker of all. The practicality of the package just mesmerizes me. As opposed to AF1's, which can often be too bulky for my liking, the Dunks also come in a trendy "skinny" fit, perfect for skinny jean deans like myself. Plus, like the legendary Air Force 1, they're a joy to customize.

Meet BRASS MONKI. Apart from NASH MONEY, this dude is my favorite customizer in the world. I've been trying to get a pair of customs from them for a while, but for their commission price tag (around 400 pounds. That's more than 4 bricks) I haven't been able to come up with a sneaker concept that will be worth the moolah, effort and wait. One of the reasons I love them so much is the two sneakers pictured above. Their COMIC RANGE. These guys got their illustrations ON POINT YO! I love Wolverine AND The Flash and when my two favorite comic icons are on my favorite iconic sneaker, it's not hard to understand why life is beautiful. THE FLASH DUNK is an awesome colorway for Dickies khaki shorts, or even pants with a plain white Tee. Perfect for evening outings. The Wolverine one just screams Zoo Lake on a Sunday. Nicely fitted skinny jeans (crisp denim blue) and a plain or minimal detail white Tee (Proper size and fit) should complete the outfit. Honestly, these are too expensive for me, but with a bit of patience I can surely save up properly for one pair. So, to help me (and yourself) choose, go on my Facebook Page or follow me on twitter, and let me know who takes it for you? Is it Mr. speedster THE FLASH, or the near-immortal animal WOLVERINE?

Having the worlds fastest superhero on a shoe that's a joy to run in is quite a dope punchline if you know what I mean. But, in the end, I think Logan's regenerative powers will make this WOLVERINE DUNK last that much longer. So, for now, Adamantium wins!

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

OP-1 On My Christmas List

I can't stop raving about this nifty little gadget. This is a dream for producers who are serious performers like myself. I first saw this synthesizer in the music video for Swedish House Mafia's global club-crusher "One (Your Name) ft. Pharrell". In the video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxuEl8qkErs ) , you see a bandaged hand creating a sick, filthy synth from a simple 4 beat kick! SICK!

This is the part where all beat-makers/slash kool kinders pay serious attention: This small baby (about 30cm give or take) features 2 octaves of keys that have been well tested for repeated bashing when the music and lights bring the clawing animal out of you. The way I see it, the OP-1 (that's what it's called) together with my new ibanez electric axe, will soon become a regular feature in my stage performances. Not only does it feature great workability with an insane library of beat-raping sounds, it's also got the sickest colour-coding, making it an absolute essential for the artist who wants to rock the crowd in monstrous style.

Next time you see me on stage with a drummer, a keyboardist, my axe and THIS BABY, just know that I'm packing one helluva voetsek-attitude! Gadgets like these bring that out in me.

20!

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

CAPE TOWN

I just came back from a 3-day performance marathon in Cape Town. BEST THREE DAYS OF THIS YEAR FOR ME I TELL YOU!

First up was an in-store live radio performance on Goodhope FM hosted by Grandmaster Ready D, at the Sportscene launch of STR.CRD KICKING IT WITH SPORTSCENE. Sharing the mic with Ill Skillz and Driemanskap is always a pleasure.
Lot's of love goes out to Eric from PBTV and the kid with the beard Riky Rick for setting up the second performance and hosting me in their haven of awesomeness. I've got black holes in my mind from that Thursday night! SEASONS will definitely be seeing a lot more of me.
And last but certainly not least, I got on stage just after Ill Skillz at South Africa's first sneaker expo, STR.CRD KICKING IT WITH SPORTSCENE. This was Nanaz. Much love to Hardy McQueen and DC shoes for getting my cred worthy of the streets, sneakerwise. Kid was fresh.

The weekend was given further authenticity by peeps like P-Kuttah, Blackmoss, Siyabonga Ngwekazi, Lungsta, Akio, Walter, Uno July, Jimmy Flexx, Nonku, Sally and a lot more who made it a phucking memory! Bring your best amnesia, this one won't be forgotten! I would say a few copies of DA RIZE DVD were definitely left in random places in Cape Town for all to watch. Came back to Jozi quick to discuss with an investor for the next two videos. Check out www.rikyrick.blogspot.com and www.strcrd.com to peep some of the action from the past weekend.

Always keep in check with @marazamc on twitter, MarazA Watchda Rize on fb and this blog right here! 20 the album on sale in 4 weeks!

A CONSTANT INSPIRATION

It's been a pretty good minute since I blogged!
Fiddled aroud with a few new blogs: dope aliases, great intentions, NOT A SHRED OF TIME IN THE WORLD. So I've decided to revive my very own, with the little time I have. I promise a fresh blog EVERY week. AT THE VERY LEAST!!! Starting off with . . .

I've been spittin' and scriptin' for a while. On and off. That was a mistake. Not the "for a while" part, the "on and off" part. If you look at the history of music, the greatest and most long-loved artists never took breaks or hiatuses. Look at Madonna: she was a pop culture icon! Then she took a short hiatus, and never again regained her elite status. She's still huge, just no longer colossal. Then you look at peeps like weezy: Dude is in prison, but he even prepared for THAT. Shooting videos and recording tracks to keep his fans entertained until he got back. That's puttin' in WORK!

So, I myself have left the comfort of the queen's cell, and joined the worker-bees in the rest of the hive. And we grind HARD and are in no hurry to taste the honey. I've been recording, writing, making beats for almost two years STRAIGHT. My first album is finished, but it's not even in stores yet and I'm already working on a mixtape and the second album. The picture above is from a studio session last week. There have been 4 more since then. Even had a straight 12-hour recording that gave birth to 5 songs.

So what I'm basically saying is: Work hard and never stop, unless it's retirement. Keep your eyes on this blog, @Marazamc on twitter, MarazA WatchDaRize on facebook and www.reverbnation.com/maraza for the fruits of my labor. When bees buzz, honey will soon out.

Lots of love

20