Topics

1

General Discussion / Holidays or Ho-lidays

« on: June 23, 2009, 01:41:01 PM »

Do you guys feel that as RSA peeps, especially the youth, we understand the meaning of our Holidays?  Even how we celebrate them!?  I personally dont think that we understand what we are supposed to do on holidays - maybe the only holiday that people (some) do understand and celebrate accordingly is Easter.  Every other holiday is just really a day-off, nothing more.  Even Xmas.  In the 'hood x-mas is really a serious drinking day for adults, and dress-up day for kids.  In the 'burbs x-mas is a serious drinking day for the adults, and Santa day for the kids. I doubt that anyone remembers that its supposed to be Jesus' birthday.

What are we supposed to do exactly on Human Rights Day? Women's Day? Except of cause going to a bash - I've started to see announcements of Women's Day bashes all over the place already...    For some days - June 16, April 27,etc, the government seems to lead the way in properly celebrating them - as ordinary peeps we hardly give a damn, except of cause drinking.. 


I've written a whole treatise on this holiday dilemma, if you are interested:
http://www.streetsheet.co.za/views/2009/06/14/holidays-and-ho-lidays/

Phil O'Good

2

General Discussion / Lack of Professionalism in Hip Hop

« on: April 16, 2009, 11:17:22 AM »

Pls don’t take this to be a generalisation.  But damn, there is a serious lack of professionalism in how some people conduct themselves in the game. 

From shows that start 3 hours late, and to make it worse, without any explanation being given.  Dudes that give out demos in CDs that have no cover, no labelling, nothing.  Engineers that mix your song for so long you don’t even remember what the song was about.  Emcees that show up 2 days late for an interview, without bothering with an explanation.  What about when an artist is on a bill to perform on a show, but he/she never performs, and no one bothers to explain? 

Has anyone come across any annoying instance of a lack of professionalism?

I wrote a whole angry essay about this, check: http://www.streetsheet.co.za/views/2009/04/06/for-the-sake-of-hip-hop-lets-be-professional/

Peace

3

General Discussion / Hip Hop Needs A Jacob Zuma

« on: March 26, 2009, 11:38:52 AM »

Howzit Ladies & Gents ...

I posted an article on streetsheet.co.za earlier in the week, and I have copied a summary of it below (full article at - http://www.streetsheet.co.za/views/2009/03/25/sa-hip-hop-needs-a-jacob-zuma/):

With our general election date fast approaching, I have been doing some thinking.  Is SA Hip Hop not in dire need of its own Jacob Zuma?  Think about what JZ has done for SA politics.  Now, you might not like the man, and I certainly am not trying to endorse dude.  But this is a man who has made the layman feel part of the political process.  Whether that talk is positive or negative, people are talking and have been talking since JZ started running for ANC President in 2007.

In my view SA Hip Hop is going through it’s own Mbeki years.  Where the intellectual elitists rule, and artists are judged by their wizardry on the microphone, not by how they connect with people.  The same way the political intellectuals enthused over Mbeki’s quoting of Yeats and his spewing of unfathomable grammatical zig-zagging, instead of just telling dude to speak to the people.

For now our own Hip Hop Mbeki’s are running things; and just like in politics when Mbeki was the main man, the people would rather listen to the guys who represent money.  In a country where the youth is heavily influenced by Hip Hop, can somebody explain to me why someone like DJ Sbu should be regarded as the voice of the black youth?

I have my own suggestions as to which Mzansi Rappers can get on their JZ ish and lead us away from the Mbeki greyness we are going through.  I even have suggestions as to who those Rappers’ Julius Malemas, Zwelinzima Vavis, Blade Nzimandes and Mathews Phosas should be. 

Dr Phil O
More articles at http://www.streetsheet.co.za/views

4

General Discussion / SA Hip Hop & The Net: Is the Net Really Helping US??

« on: February 06, 2009, 10:44:25 AM »

The discussion below is an extract for an article I wrote for Streetsheet:


With almost everything being computerised, having a studio has become easier and cheaper.  From that point of view, recording and music mixing fees have become more affordable. 


Where the benefits of technology are more obscure is the retail and distribution side of things.  In theory technology should have this covered.  Why not, look at what the Internet did to Lil’ Wayne’s career and generally how its helping with the selling of ringtones and the like in the US.  Here at home it does not seem like technology can help you much with retail. Think of the following facts:

-   According to an OPA (Online Publisher’s a**ociation) report there are 4 million internet users in the country. But of those only 31% have Internet at home.  What this tells you is there are too few people who have the Internet available to them for leisure activities

-    The same report also says that the average internet user is between the ages of 25 and 29.  Hip Hop is consumed mostly by youngsters; OGs in their late twenties do buy it, but not at the same rate. 

-   Hip Hop has a minority of fans in general compared to the other major genres in the country.  So a**uming that you will have a proportion of Hip Hop consumers on the OG group, it will be a very small part of the 4 million users. 

-   Most sites you have to pay by credit card if you buy from them youngsters do not have credit cards.
-   For those with dreams of using the internet for exposure outside of South Africa, you must know that only 3% of the 4 million Internet users of our sites are from other countries. 

-   The only entertainment site that is on the top thirty, between the third quarters of 2006 and 2007 year is 5 FM – it seems the OGs that spend time on the net prefer Media24 more than any other site in the country.  The rest of the top 30 a**umes that depressing mode from top to bottom, not even a Vodacom or a MTN is on the list, and think of how many customers they have.


You can check out the full article on : http://www.streetsheet.co.za/views/2008/12/15/is-technology-really-helping-mzansi-hip-hop


Phil O