Yo,
I apologise for not putting this post up as per tradition...
We just moved to Parkview and have been off line since the move. Thank you for keepin it alive though.
Now, lets get into some immediate business. Jozi on the cover. Jozi is the hardest working, most committed and as a result, most successful group in the country today. As much as alot of us in this forum may not bump their tracks, they are felt nationally. This is as a direct result of their work ethic. No other group in the country can claim that or take that away from them right now.
Cats in SA like to run their mouthes, but never back it up with action. In the States, where there is a strong industry, cats run their mouth then counter what they consider wack with new music. Thats why theres an industry there. When an upcoming artist disses an established cat, he does it with his own complete album in hand. As you listen to him running his mouth, he's handing you his disc and taking your money. Wu Tang was tired of that soft, happy rnb rap they were seeing on TV, Mags and hearing on the radio. So what did they do? They countered it. They came out with Tims and swards on videos, and put that on TV, radio and print. It didnt end at them running their mouth about the Fresh Princes, MC Hammers and Heavy D's, they countered it and became as big as them, using a style that was complely different. So, if you have anything to say about Jozi, do exactly what they did. Follow their exact same pattern, but replace their music with the music you consider to be proper and anti-pop. Until then...
The covers... Always a tricky game. Ben Sharpa cover followd by Jozi. That is a complete 360. From deep underground to extremely mainstreem. Thats an inspired move right there. I would think smart cats would realise that it is an attempt to display the entire SA hip hop landscape fairly and evenly. Instead, cats would double up on the Sharpa and not the Jozi. It shows that HYPE is fair and gives equal opportunities and the consumer is the opposite.
Almost two years into this thing and I'm still hearing comments like "there is no Cape Town in the mag". I have never heard so much foolishness in my life. Quantify your argument. Cape Town takes up half the mag - from the mixtape to the editorial. We even took it upon ourselves to label each article so you can see which city the artists are from. Just incase you dont know certain cats from your home town. Open every mag from the past two years, get out an piece of paper and a calculator. Then go do your nails.
We plan to do a third local cover for April May, and again, it will be the hardest working artist(s) who are dominating the industry. If you want your favourate artist on the cover, tell em to work hard and tell em to dominate the industry the way these boys have.
Cash, you may be right about the mixtape. I hope to hear from the b-boys to see if we aint done that in vein.
Peace beloved
