Fifth Floor – Attention 2 detail (CLASSIX)

Classix r hardly found in this young Hip Hop industry in Mzantsi. Classix; da evalasting shit, da ever potent spit, tymless shit. Tymless in dat it cannot be confined to a certain era. Classix, lyk Meatloaf, classix lyk the cranberries, classix lyk Sebastian Bach.
Yeah I said it lyk Sebastian Bach. This is how this album feels. Classic Hip Hop which cannot be confined to a place or tym. This 2000000000 Album is one of S.A’s finest works.
Fifth Floor, a crew 4rm CPT gave us an album in the infant stages of our game which was overlooked by the masses. ATTENTION TO DETAIL. That tittle shud be proof enough dat it is a banger.
The album starts of with ‘Higher Learning’, a soft drum track which gives a pace for the album. With lines lyk “for knowing 4 fact, dat Jesus is black, believing he is white” we given there idea dat the album ain’t just punchlines n rhymes but thought provoking music.
‘Creation’ the only track dat had mad rotation on da radio stations, ups da pace as Koriander hits it off with a ragga influenced flow with Camo in tow. 1 cannot wanda were there dude has hid himself (Koriander), mad talent ryt there.
‘Relax’ a track by Camo n Casual T slows down the pace as they tell a story of takin it easy. They paint a picture of how beautiful life cud b if the mind cud be stress free on a sweet beat by K Nzama.
Z Mazola of Freshly Ground lends her beautiful sound to give ‘Siveni’ a mellow tone to the album. De track tells of how Africans r actually rich beings who have just been misplaced and misled into unknown territory. Mayibuye!
Praise to the feminine species is recited on ‘I adore u’ and Koriander and Fungus blast at it with ‘Cant Cool,’ with Final call n the beat.
The album aint one for the clubs or for fast paced atmosphere it needs one to pay Attention in order to feel the gravity of it. It is a collage of storytelling to simple emceeing as we see on the track ‘Celestial Mechanism’
A few tracks slack off lyk ‘How u lyk it’ n ‘Posse Cut’ which features Snaaz D and Gemini 4rm Cashless Society. 1 wud have thought it wud be 1 of the hardest tracks on the album but it sadly it falls short.
Other tracks which r worth noting have to be ‘Imbumba’ n ‘Soul Control’
The crew likes to refer to themselves as the Fifth Floor family. I have no idea how many Emcees r actually part of the crew but lyk dey say ‘de more de merrier’ as it has proven on this album.

Hip Hop is here to save the World

It’s young, its radical, its poetic, its revolutionary, it’s prophetic, its offensive…one music genre that is brutal in story telling in the form of hardcore beats, lyrics and Beethoven notes. It’s a movement that was not only started to save the world but to revive mankind from the iniquity of its own. Well, maybe it’s just here for me and Lupe Fiasco. Remember what B.I.G used to say ‘if u don’t know, now you know’.....this culture made millionaires from drug fiends; it was the same movement that turned gangsters into intellectuals and drug dealers into street presidents. When the music skipped borders and mountains from the native of American boroughs into the rest of the world we embraced it like it’s our last hope. We believed in the brutality of the story telling like it was our religion, we relate to the offensive poetry, we listened with intent to niggas calling revolutionary against poverty, racism and phoney politicians.

It was the 80’s, the street were getting crazy, politics in SA was also reaching its peak, rebellion was looming in the atmosphere; young men were sent to penitentiary for their involvement in the struggle and by then we were awaiting the release of our future black president. Hip hop was taking another form of the struggle; our street revolutionary activist like LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Run-DMC, Big Daddy Kane, NWA and TuPac were doing what Steve Biko, Kwame Nkrumah and Mangaliso Sobukwe did for Africans in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s respectively. Kids were emancipated; we smelled freedom even before it came. Niggas were sharing with us untold-stories that were scary to share or talk about; they reminded us of the street we live in and our roles as men in the society. MC’s spat expletively against anything and anyone they didn’t understand. They called women bitches, called a black man niggas, named homosexuals faggots but we understood cuz they were speaking to us. Hip Hop music logged in a new fresh of breath into our lungs. We run intelligently wild looking for walls to paint, looking for personal space so we can turn them into production houses.

I have to honestly admit that the music has evolved from the consciousness that we are used to, to a commercial money making system. Just like our politics, technology, fashion and lifestyle the music has changed, and we changed with it. But unlike politics, religion and technology this music, this Hip Hop has a chance to save this world. It’s the music of the youth, the Y generation; I’m talking Bo- Proverb, Tumi from the V, HHP, Khuli Chan, Maggz, AKA, Mode9, 2Face, Tay Grin, Sugasmaxx, K’nann, Zubs and 9ice. These are young men with a message to share, like Martin Luther, they have a dream to tell and only if the world can listen. Its unfortunate that the world can’t see the graffiti on our walls, it can’t listen or read the poetry we write, it can’t interpret the dance moves we make, its unfortunate. The Greek philosophers like Socrates, Aristotle, Plato helped shape up the world and this culture is about to embark in that mission, where politicians failed. This is the culture that is here to revolutionise the fundamentals values of life, it is here to revive our Trust, Love, Ubuntu, Respect, Pride, our Integrity, Humility, our Intentions to live.

XO's PODCAST 2 (Nauts & Crosses)

If this is called Podcast 2, I wud figure dat ther is a podcast 1. Unfortunately I did get to hear it, oh well, m stil alive ain’t I? There’s stil chance 2 cop it. A buddy of myn recommended this, (the Jacket Shop). 2 put it simply he hustled me 2buy it. Ain’t disappointed though. This is an album/ mixtape 4rm X rate (who took center stage during the highs of Optical Ill,he not part of crew though) and Ootz a producer of note slash Emcee.
1 thing bout this album is dat it is short. As in, it plays 4 lyk 30min 4rm track 1 to de last track. Some of de illest spitters feature in this mixtape. We got Reason, Zubz is also featured, with Nthabi lending her feminine toxic spit (the poison ivy in the album). Battlekat lends his Rhymes n a classic (Battlekat) beat on the track “for the cause.”
Tracks dat really stood out are “1 Word Trigger”, “1 thing on my Mind”, “It’z a problem” and the ode to Mpefa, Motekwane, Mpange, Patje “the Khala Green.”
The Mixtape tends to b monotonous @ some point; in dat de beats n styles of flow seem to b chopped 4rn the same tree. Over all it is a gud buy, another one 4rm S.A 2 add 2 my collection. Big up 2 all those who were involved in de project.

Track Listing

INTRO – Oh my go0dness (Prod. Ootz)
SINK OR SWIM – Xo (Prod. Ootz)
THE FOURTRISS – Big C’s n Recoil (Prod. Reason and Ootz)
XO ROCKSTEADY - SKIT
ONE WORD TRIGGER – XO feat Ph n Nthabi (Prod. Ph)
SIPPIN ON (INSTRUMENTAL) (Prod. Ootz)
TIME WASTIN – X-Rate n Zubz (Prod. Battlekat)
ONE THING ON MY MIND – Ootz n Eli (Prod. Ootz)
FOR THE CAUSE – X-Rate n Battlekat (Prod. Battlekat)
JUSLIVIN (INSTRUMENTAL) (Prod. Ootz)
X RATE BAD LUCK Verse (off Nthabi’s 4rm the Lab 2 da Streets Ep) (Prod. Mr C)
THE KHALA GREEN – Greenh0use Producti0ns Feat XO, Ph, Nthabi, Killa, Reason(Prod. Madnick)
XO IN THE BUILDING – SKIT
IT’Z A PROBLEM – XO featuring Headbanger (Prod. Headbanger)

BACK TO THE CITY

They came. They came in droves n in drags. The hip hop generation. Yes, they came to da sick city of JHB 4 a celebration on another level. They were all there, the poets, biters, retired emcees, the future, punks; skaters, graff artists, b-boyz/girlz, abomrapper, pot heads, hype men, emcees, beat boxers, the illusive cipher disciples and extra fine hunnies. They came.
The 3rd annual BACK 2 THE CITY gig saw me drag my homie Khulumane along on a freezing 2sday to Newtown 2 witness S.A Hip Hop @ itz best. Shit! Did I mention dat it was freezing? Oh well, we weren’t the only 1’s who braced da cold 2 enjoy hip hop.
The gig supposedly started at 10h00 but we only made it there at bout 13h30, hoped I wud not be late but shit happens. The first thing I noticed as 1 approached the venue was baggy pants, baggy pants. Shall hip hop ever loose dat trademark? Yeah, I had made it 2 my 1st BACK 2 THE CITY gig. I felt lyk a kid who just received dat sought after present, excitement to the 3rd degree.
The cover charge was R50, we got dat settled n entered da venue. Yep, it was all there. All dat cud encompass hip hop was all there. I was awed at the amount of luv peeps got for Hip Hop considering dat it was freezing. I was caught between goin from 1 vendor, to the B-Boys stage back, to the main stage, n back 2 the vendors. I was …… (Fill in a profound synonym 4 excited).Der I was 1 moment listening to Kwesta the next I was checkin out da B-boys, the next I was witnessing da graff artists. It was a wild 1 4 me. For some reason I ended up doin wat I had intended on not doin (sippin). 4 a second I actually cursed de excitement.
I caught da homie Dynamic pushing his album de Rhyme Chamber, n not far 4rm him was R-Senic also pushin da mad hustle. Do what u gosta do homies! A few other vendors were present. Butan wear had slashed their prices to a minimum n I also came across a crew pushin a sneaker brand called Kgolelogo Sneaks. The Jacket Shop was also present n still doin his hustling straight 4rm out of da jacket. “Much respect homie, u a true hip hop ambassador.”
The Emcee stage had many rappers to please the average hip hop digger. We had peeps from CPT, Bloem, Durban, P.E, and Jozi but sadly a whole lot of other cities still did not hav representatives. A whole lot still has 2 be done in order 4 da movement 2 reach da darkest spots of our country. Harembe my ppl.
Adbus gave a wild performance with his Zulu punchlines and 4 sum reason, we seem 2 have an escalating number of emcees who b spittin hard punchline rhymes in isizulu. A certain dude with a name dat sounded lyk Mhlithi impressed the crowd with his calm, raw flow. The Federation also gave an outstanding performance. AKA hit the stage n held it down, as he gave way 2 Khulu Chana. Light showers started hitting us for short repeated intervals, but cats just stayed in da rains the emcees serenaded us with beautiful music. Talk bout luv homie!
There were 2 many performers 4 me 2 recall who did what @ what tym, but I did witness the crew Black Gold get boooed at the end of their set. Fifth floor gave a performance dat was received with much luv. I was actually surprised @ the reception dey got. Have dey bcum legends? Lee Kasumba n Siya Mkwanazi did a good job in keepen the crowd in a hype mood. As I went hither n tither I came across a few ciphers, with passionate cats battling it out, all I gots 2 say is, dnt stop dnt quit, it might be u on dat stage next year. The homie Ondeground was 1 of the homies who threw a few lines durin 1 of da ciphers. Shud he not b on da line up, homie been ‘round 4 years.
Other emcees who came through were Black Moss, Deep Soweto, KGB, Deep Level, Takeaway, Projectah, Glitz gang – I heard day also got booed – n a whole lot of others artists I did not get 2 c preform. De sound got cut off during de show while 1 of da cats was doin his set. I at 1st thawt Telkom but den realised dat de lights weren’t off. After waitin 4 lyk 15min dey managed 2 repair what had 2 b repaired. Music banged on. I got 2 hear Kenzhero do a set, the legendary DJ at his best, C-live and # of other DJ’s were also present to do their thing on the ones n twos.
Ill Skills 4rm CPT, also put on a set but 4 sum reason their performance was not audible. I have 2 say their music has a high quality but the same cud not b said bout their performance. As de nyt progressed n it got colder, we got 2 c Mr Selwyn hit da stage n he gave us a warm up with da hot 16 from Amu’s track Attention. He went on 2 perform his recent tracks with a good reception Pro Kid closed the show alongside Red Button. Ppl braced da weather 4 his performance n I hav 2 say de wait was worthwhile.
@ bout 22h45 we found ourselves havin 2 hunt 4 a cab 2 get us back 2 Germiston. All we wanted was 2 rest our cold tired bones. (Did I mention dat it was freeeeeeeezing)? I came across de emcee Substance on our way out n requested 4 a pic n had 2 explain why I needed it. Does he think I’m part of da CIA or sumthin? Gee, dnt u hav fans homie? We managed 2 get ourselves into a cab at bout 23h45. It was a quite ride home, I guez we were both in a hurry to get sum rest. It was fantabulous day with minor disappointments. Now to those who hav neva attended any of the BACK 2 THE CITY gigs. U shud fucken get ur behinds ther next year 2 b embraced by da future b4 we enter da future. I surely ain’t missin it.
Peace.