For those who don’t know, Optical Illusion originates from the Vaal Triangle and was co-founded by Logik in 1998. Other members include Genocide, Golden Shovel and Battlekat. With two released albums under their belt these guys aren’t your average emcees like most of these other rappers claim to be. They offer a fresh sound which appeals to both the underground and mainstream markets without compromising the quality of their music. This mini tour is aimed at promoting Optical Illusion’s second album called “The Offering”, released by Outrageous Records in 2005. On this album, the group has worked to exceed all the limitations imposed by the South African music industry, while still appealing to a mass market. Read on for more details…

Street 2 Street presents Project Heart Beat, a Crew Battle on the 6th October at Lepht. Hip Hp crews are invited to impress the judges, who will announce the winners to go to Copenhagen on the 6th November for a 10 day tour. E-mail bios to rastum.solomon@hotmail.com or call Solomon – 082 4916 216. There is still time to enter, so don’t sleep on this brilliant opportunity to represent South African Hip Hop in Denmark.

30 poets from 13 countries descend on Johannesburg for a groundbreaking experience of words and rhythms at the 10th Poetry Africa to take place at Museum Africa in Newtown. The line-up includes the iconic Lebogang Mashile; the return to South Africa of poet-activist LefifiTladi, the poetry of dramatist-columnist John Matshikiza, and the re-emergence of Africanist poet Mafika Gwala. This edition of Poetry Africa sees the welcome return of UK poet Benjamin Zephaniah, whose sharp edge has wowed audiences in previous festivals. Read on for more info…

Philadelphia MC Side Effect is back with his third solo album, “Dirt Hustlin”. The animated veteran MC is blazing his own path, creating rhymes that cross the sub-genres of hip-hop while keeping the essence and roots of the culture a priority. The 15 track album avoids the bells and whistles of the norm and recruits a diverse audience – from those just discovering hip-hop to the b-boys/b-girls that have been breakin’ on broken boxes since the early 80’s.