Yeah,,, i agree with a lot of the comments above.
There is no doubt that Maggz has got talent and a killer smooth flow. However, the album is mostly way too generic. Bongz is a very musical dude and a great performer, but his production just sounds like too many big hits that are already out (and have been out for a while). If this was released in the States, people wouldn't be jumping on him for biting Akon / T-Pain. It's not just the auto-tune, it's the melody structures and the actual tone and sound of his voice. There's a track where Maggz sounds just like Lil Wayne with the auto-tune too. It undermines the fact that there are big tracks on the album, and big personalities behind them. Originality can't be underestimated. If you've got the talent, you need the direction too.
I really believe that Maggz and Bongz could be international artists if they took risks and came with a more original sound.
Co-sign everything you said. Am curious though D. There was a time when you were lambasting rappers who 'sound American', saying they weren't representing SA. You seem to have taken a liking to M.A Dub. So, you've finally made peace with the fact that we all don't have to sound like Ben Sharpa, Rattex or PRO? Just curious coz at times you're not really consistent and contradiction tends to creep in.
I have never lambasted rappers who 'sound American'. Ben Sharpa sounds American. 50 Cent sounds American. MF Doom sounds American. Even KONFAB has a bit of a twang.
It's not so much about the accent, as it is about mimicry. How can South Africans ever be proud of something that is totally devoid of originality and takes
all its cues from other artists on another continent?
Maggz and Bongz obviously have talent, but before I can consider either of them to be world-cla** artists, let alone amongst the best in SA, they have to do something original. I think this criteria can be applied to any artist from any continent. I'm not talking about groundbreaking, experimental, never-heard-before originality. I'm talking about bringing some element of their own flavour to the game - something that makes them unique artists in their own right. Wearing a GP fitted just isn't enough for me.
The thing is, it's not about what I want, it's about what the public wants. Gospel, traditional and House are outselling Hip Hop ma**ively. How many units did Da L.E.S. sell?
Threadz has a valid point. If you can get away with making a catchy auto-tune track that sounds exactly like T-Pain, good luck to you. It's just not what I aspire to.
