Setting a new trend, this is an exciting, fresh initiative on the part of the Cape Town Festival organizers. The Hip Hop Festival represents the vibrant local Hip Hop Scene that has been flourishing in Cape Town since 1982. The line-up is awesome and you can expect to be up on your feet jamming to the beat as Cape Town’s best DJ’s, B-boys and MCs’ spin, break and rap you into the vibe. Says Cape Town Festival CEO, Yusuf Ganief: ‘Hip Hop has become one of the most popular music styles among a large sector of young people in our city. This initiative has been in the pipeline for some time now, and I’m over the moon that the Cape Town International Hip Hop Festival has become a reality this year. We’re looking forward to a sold-out concert ’.

‘Organizers of the Hip Hop Festival are Emile Janssen of Black Noise and the guys from Heal the Hood Project, who do great work with the youth within our communities, and are a force to be reckoned with in terms of bringing about social reform and awareness. Black Noise has worked with us over the past three years, primarily within our Youth Festival at the Company’s Garden where they’ve facilitated workshops and performed on our Youth Day programme. They’re great guys and this partnership is one that we’re particularly proud of’, he added

More than a music style, hip hop is a culture with a mission – to act as a mouthpiece for the social conscience, and engage the audience with positive messages for social reform. Organizer Emile Janssen of Hip Hop outfit Black Noise is upbeat about the concert: ‘Hip Hop has a huge following among young people in the Western Cape, and the Cape Town International Hip Hop Festival is an exciting endeavour for us. We want to show the world what Hip Hop is really all about, as opposed to what is punted in the media. We’re really excited about being on the Cape Town Festival this year and we’d love to make this an annual event’, he enthused. ‘We’re going to raise the roof at the City Hall!’, he added mischievously.

The Cape Town Hip Hop scene has a fascinating history. When Hip Hop broke into the South African youth market in 1982, it was in the form of ‘B-Boying’ (the original term for breakdancing). The first Rap groups were formed in Cape Town between 1984 and 1987. Back then Hip Hop received no airplay on South African radio stations, and sustained itself with live concerts in local music venues, amassing a large youth following. The first Cape Town Rap group to sign a deal was Prophets of the City, followed by Black Noise. These groups pride themselves on not only having a socially conscious message and agenda, but also putting their words into action. Interestingly, these are the groups with the largest following. Cape Town has always had a very political Hip Hop voice, with positive messages for social awareness being the driving force. Hip Hop in Cape Town takes the form of DJing, MCing (commonly known as rapping), B-boying, Writing (wrongly named graffiti) and Knowledge of Self.

Tickets to the Cape Town International Hip Hop Festival are R20 and can be obtained by calling Emile Janssen on 021 706-0481 or 082 3958125. Proceeds from the ticket sales will be redistributed into a fund that provides training for young artists, provides access to recording facilities and develops a foundation for artists in the basics of business management in the industry.

For the full Hip Hop Festival line-up visit www.capetownfestival.co.za

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