:lol: This is an old interview,just for reference,U dig.??
Contrary to what MTV and Snoop Dogg would have you believe, not all rappers are mother-swearing, play-gangsta types who glorify women as having big bootys and have a penchant for peppering their lyrics with the un-PC.
In South Africa, for instance some rappers have chosen to stay close to the original soul of rap and hip-hop, where it's about the lyrics and belief systems and not only about how much money you can make and how many "bitches" you can get.
Now, this respected underground hip-hop artist has finally dropped his debut album, "Yes I want my records to sell, yes I want the women in clubs."
Mr Selwyn also deals with other issues in life. His biggest beef is with the banality that is dance music, particularly kwaito, and the latest house trends which are taking the black youth market by storm.
"I want people to get away from dance music and start listening to lyrics," explains Mr Selwyn. His belief system comes from his thoroughbred background. He started listening to rap when it first broke in 1988 with the Black Consciousness sounds of Public Enemy et al, where it was about bettering yourself spiritually, bettering your community. Hip-hop was yet to be tainted by gangsta rap.
By 1992 he was writing his own lyrics. Then he started hanging at the now legendary matinee sessions at Le Club in central Jozi. It was here that he met Amu, Zubs, the Skwatta Kamp boys etc.
"The hip-hop community was small back then," he recalls. "I was just a guy in the hood but at Le Club, I was a Rapper. It was so cool. For a full six hours we listened and lived hip-hop only."
"Hip-hop was also very therapeutic to listen to at home," he adds
. His talent was growing and he and the hip-hop movement were being noticed by some important players in the commercial recording scene.
When, in 1996 The Muthaload hip-hop album was produced, Amu asked Mr Selwyn to feature on his track. (The Muthaload, the brainchild of Deon Maas of Gallo Music, was the first time many of the big hip-hop boys of today featured on a mainstream release. It is considered a milestone in the South African hip-hop history).
Mr Selwyn then went on to feature on POC's Ghetto Code. However, it was still a battle against the establishment.
"In those days rap was viewed as us and f**k you. Except, of course, you couldn't swear. It was difficult. The record companies had old people on their team, people who didn't understand our music. So without record contracts and the support of the mainstream, we had to push ourselves."
Mr Selwyn chose to do music as a hobby instead. He studied marketing and went into the corporate world for a few years. That is, until Amu dropped his debut album, The Life, The Rap And The Drama. "Amu and I used to fantasise a lot about how we were gonna make it big," he laughs.
Encouraged by Amu's success (which included doing tracks with Ishmael for the Yizo Yizo soundtrack and featuring on Zola's debut album Umdlwembe), Mr Selwyn was again drawn into music.
When the groups Hip-Hop Pantsula, Skwatta Kamp and Pitch Black Afro broke he left his job and focused on recording an album. He asked Amu to produce it. The result is the remarkable Formula. It's low-key but with great beats.
Its witty, lyrically intelligent and explores various sides of hip-hop from the unique dance hall style Shake to tracks with bits of R&B and good 'ol homegrown style.
However, unlike most hip-hop albums, it doesn't grab you immediately. It grows on you slowly. But after the fifth listen, its like damn! this be a hot album.
"I enjoy humour, I use it to tone my messages down sometimes," says Mr Selwyn. "My lyrics are mature. I'm not just saying Yo! I'm not one of those rappers. I'm different. I'm Mr Selwyn!"
He grins that fabulously charming grin. And I realise - he is different. And this difference may be the Formula to success.
