You might have heard him being interviewed on Good Hope FM or maybe you noticed it on one of the more popular threads on the AG forum. Either way you couldn’t miss the fact that there is a Hiphocalypse Mixtape out. I touched base with Sensai to get more detailed info…

Firstly, why do you call it a mix tape when there’s no deejay on it mixing the tracks? Wouldn’t it be better to call it a compilation?

Well we had the idea of putting out a release that would sound like it had just been recorded off the radio during one of the Hiphocalypse Radio shows. You know like it was back in 1991 again and we was all “dubbing” joints off our favourite radio shows. Besides if you listen to the CD from end to end you will find that it “mixes” nicely into each other as if a DJ was actually mixing them in together. Big up The Innovators for sequencing it perfectly!

You have released a number of albums before, how do those compare in relation to that one?

This is actually the first official HIPHOCALYPSE album released. The albums you referring to were Innovators Albums (Bon Appetite, Sick with the Flow, TNG Presents..The BigUps From SL MAG). Although they did feature the Hiphocalypse’s own artists (Rob 1 & Mental Lyricist) we at the HIPHOCALYPSE have never really released our own album. We just endorse The Innovators & that’s probably where the confusion comes in.

We’ve seen a lot of buzz on the AG forums regarding this mixtape, generating a couple of thousand reads. Where else are you seeing the interest?

MAN! I am literally blown away everytime I peep that thread on AG! We getting some positive interest from the most unlikely of places. SAfm, The Star Newspaper etc as well as the usual peeps supporting (Yfm, SABC, AG, hiphop.co.za, Good Hope FM and off course on our own site hiphocalypse.co.nr)

How many copies did you press up?

We had a limited capital input so only 100 copies were pressed initially. The idea was to make this one a rare classic strictly for the headz. But given the feedback we’ve been getting looks like we gonna have to press another 200!

How is it selling?

Doing good in Cape town & Joburg…will see how Bloem does soon as Pyro gets the package (Damn SA Post Service :-(!!). Grahamstown love is wonderful and that’s where we’ve moved the most units believe it or not!

What was the purpose of the putting this out?

To crush the misogynistic stereotype in Hip Hop. To promote gender tolerance & raise awareness & funds for a local Grahamstown charity supporting rape survivors the RSSG.

Featuring some great up-and-coming “femcees” holding their own alongside their male colleagues crossing the gender lines of Mzansi hip hop! Its just another chapter in the HIPHOCALYPSE MOVEment’s growth…The Radio Show…The Website…The Mixtape…The WORLD!!

I got the final track listing here, can you give a sneak peak into what these songs are about and a brief overview of these artists:

The Interview – Sensai Tate

This is a little radio interview I did on Y promoting the release. We put this one on there first to get the listener in that mind frame of listening to a radio show. Didn’t even tell Lee we were recording it! Straight Bootleg as if you just put in a Maxell C60 Tape and pressed record!

H-team Anthem – Rob One & Mental Lyricist

Rob One & Mental Lyricist are the NOW & FUTURE of the HIPHOCALYPSE Radio Show so it’s only natural that they break it down for everyone what the HIPHOCALYPSE is about right from jump!

A Woman’s Cry – Blakrok, Carol, Spyke & Second Son

This is the theme song of the mixtape. Its basically Second Son playing the abusive male vs Blakrok playing the abused female. Carol does her thing on the vocals and adds just the right touch of soul to the 2nd Son production. Those of you lucky enough to get the enhanced CD will have seen the video (directed by TNG).

I fell in love with an MC – Palimpsest, LES, Bongz

Rumor has it this one’s the single. I met Palimpsest on AG one morning and we started talking about the mixtape we were putting together. She (reluctantly) submitted her track & now it’s leading candidate for the first “radio” single. Good Looking out Phuti she absolutely MURDA’D IT!!

Dominant Aspect – Ree the Enforcer

Ree is a relative new comer to the SA hip hop scene but has been paying his dues in Zimbabwe for a while now with his group “Chikwata”. Rob did an interview with him on the HIPHOCALYPSE and managed to convince him to contribute to the Mixtape. This is basically his intro song for those of yall that don’t know. I’m a grimey hip hop lover. Ree is probably the grimiest mc on this mixtape (sorry 2nd Son) no wonder I’m lovin this track.

Freedom – 2nd Son, Ree the Enforcer and GOlda

“To Be Free, To Be Free, To Be Free!!”- 2 of my fave mc’s (2nd Son & Ree) combine with a vocal sensation to deliver a conscious song for the serious listener. A social consciousness angle is woven in by Ree on the second verse. This ones for the Sunday morning listening.

Blak as I rok the Mic – Blakrok

Allow me to introduce of Eastern Cape Femceeing Ms BLAKROK. This Queenstown native attacks the mic with the ferocity of a thousand hungry pitbulls and hits us with her first single! Look out for her yall she can hold it down with the best of them.

As’Thembe Kuzozwakala – Nomalanga

This mixtape aims to promote artists that wouldn’t normally pick up the mic & do their thang. Nom’s is one such artist. A History Masters student/Junior lecturer at Rhodes University sure to drop knowledge on an unassuming listener.

Music is Given – The Innovators

You know we had to have an Innovators gem on here right. In this one 2nd Son & TNG rhyme effortlessly blending with the music as if they were just some other instruments. Ingenious stuff!

When will it end – Malik

Nyambz is undoubtedly one of the hottest producers out now. 2nd Son reached out to his Zambian countryman to contribute a track & this is what came thru (in the 11th hour might I add!). Malik is NEXT look out for this cat on PTA Unlimited he is iller than ebola yo! P.S Nyambz laced it!

My Mother’s Pearls – K’naan

We were in the process of hooking up an interview with K’naan when we got to talking (emailing) about the Mixtape we were putting together and he sed he liked the idea and wanted to contribute. So we lifted (read: Dubbed) this one off his mixtape “My Life is a Movie”. Its about his Mom in Somalia (all mothers actually) and what she represents. Her struggle strife beauty etc..we can all identify. There’s a nice Sade sample on there too…

High – Zen, 2nd Son

Absolute drunken / stoned mayhem..Think Madvillian on Mushrooms! Some will remember ZEN (formerly known as Wordsmith) from the Innovators Mixtapes. He featured on all of them. He is a truly talented lyricist & his style knows no father. It’s kinda hard to describe but trust me when I say this cat has got MAD/CRAZY Styles. I guess he’s sort of a cross between Quasimoto, Mandrax & Common Sense. This one will have you in giggles and scratching your head going WTF is he on about?! 2nd son flys “high” on this one elevating his craft to heavenly heights. “I’m so high as I climb the sky, elevating into pace when I rock rhymes..”

Dream Team – Hiphocalypse Allstars

Bringing them all together: Rob One, 2nd Son, Zen, Ree the Enforcer, Blakrok, Mental Lyricist on the classic posse track. This one is the classic posse track of the mixtape everyone with different styles coming together and showin & proving. 2nd Son does something with the beat at the end that’s nothing short of Genius.

O seke Wa Boifa – Motsamai & Legae

Errr…What can I say about this one? Well Motsamai & Legae went to Nyambz with this one & he referred then to 2nd Son who out them on. This is a crazy song incorporating an amandida (a xylophone of Ugandan origin) rhythm with Motsamai & Legae’s rapid spit-fire flow. Peeps are really feeling this one. Experimentation at its best!

Psychomantis – Mantis

NOT Mantis the Graf Head! G-town’s own PSYCHO-Mantis doing his thing in an “abstract” (I hate that using that word but it fits) little piece I can hardly describe. Deep Underground tunnel production by 2nd Son less than a minute long leaving you wanting more.

Pelo – Konfab

The Last song on the mixtape (or is it?) by my man Konfab. A nice mellow conclusion to proceedings. It’s a love song as far as I can tell. Just a taste of what’s to come from Maseru/Cape town’s finest. This is a beautiful song and we are very grateful to Konfab for letting us use it. Ladies this one is sure to woe its way into your ‘heart’.

I believe that organizations such as the Hiphocalypse Movement do a lot for SA Hip Hop in terms of developing the scene (not to mention AG as well). What plans do you have to make an even bigger impact. Also can you tell us what other initiatives you are currently involved with?

Let me humbly say we consider AG our big brothers in terms of web representation of African hip hop. What you have done we can only hope to contribute to… Next year we forging forward with the Syndication as well as broadening our reach as far as Cape Town with a branch of the HIPHOCALYPSE on UCT radio. You may have heard that we are looking into organizing a streaming server to broadcast episodes of the HIPHOCALYPSE over the internet. Looking into more releases under the HIPHOCALYPSE brand as well as coordinating some events. In short its gonna be the year of the HIP-HOP APOCALYPSE!!

I read about that SAFM thing. Tell us more.

Yeah we tapping into previously untapped markets/listenership. Since the mixtape tackles some important gender issues Safm’s women’s lib show “Otherwise” stood up & took notice. Blakrok did that. To be honest it was quite a shitty interview since the lady doing it was asking ignorant shitty questions about Hip Hop vs Kwaito which wasn’t what we were there for. But hey at least
they played some hotness from the Mixtape!

What are Rob One and TNG up to these days?

Rob is continuing in his role as Executive Producer and co-host of the HIPHOCALYPSE Radio show.

T has got MANY projects lined up I don’t wanna let the cat out the bag just yet but guaranteed there’ll be a lot of Xmas goodies from the Innovators.

Will there be more albums, and if so do you have time frames?

We looking at dropping another similar mixtape early next year sometime but for now we really pushing this one as you’ve seen on this site.

Where can we get the cd?

You can get the CD from the following distributors:

Sara aka Naturelle in Windhoek (emancipation@webmail.co.za)
Sol in Canada (solguy7@yahoo.com)
Mass Dosage in the Netherlands
Sensai Tate in Joburg (072 520 2227)
Rob One or 2nd Son in Grahamstown (g03b1178@ru.ac.za)
Bhlakhroze or Konfab in Cape Town
Pyrokinetics in Bloem

Press Release here. http://www.africasgateway.com/article805.html

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