South Africa is an interesting nation; a country that is constantly making efforts to deal with her chequered history. From the ruins of the obnoxious apartheid policy springs forth a nation trying to cope with the intricacies of its past. Although the efforts have been complex and sometimes challenging, but nonetheless, progress is definitely being made. No wonder the country was referred to as a “Rainbow Nation”; an appellation coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and later used by Nelson Mandela to describe the country’s multicultural diversity. Incidentally, South Africa’s history has often been overshadowed by its colonial heritage, and without any doubt, the racial conflict between the white minority and the black majority sometimes threatens to be a thorn in the fabric of the nation. However, everything put in the right perspectives; this wonderful nation has more to offer. South Africa is a hotbed of musical originality and creativity. Indeed, the music scene is very much alive like a pulsating heartbeat. This great country is undoubtedly a nation of iconoclastic leaders. What with the aforementioned duo of Mandela and Tutu; world acclaimed and time tested civil rights activists and others like renowned authors Michael Coetzee and Athol Fugard. Not forgetting the likes of the versatile and talented women like Miriam Makeba, Charlize Theron, etc. Nonetheless, the power engines of this country are the youths as they chart a new future for their country through the arts, entertainment and music industry. At the forefront of this group is the talented and multi award winning music star known as HHP (Hip Hop Pantsula). Born as Jabulani Tsambo, Hip Hop Pantsula is a lyricist, entertainer and a rap phenomenon, who has been at the forefront of the South African entertainment scene for over a decade. Because hip hop runs through his blood, inseparable from his heart and soul, HHP has been able to carve a niche for himself by being original especially the way he raps in his native language. In a very unique way, he blends native South African languages like Setswana, Zulu, Sesotho and overlaying them with beats that are not only unique, but also very catchy. Through this he was able to form a new genre of rap known as Motswako. Very upbeat and highly danceable, Motswako is music from the streets. HHP’s kind of hip hop is eclectic especially taking into cognizance the gamut of his music repertoire. His song Darfur and Breadwinners confirms the point about the inextricability of art and social reality, while his Music and Lights song is a highly danceable track that is capable of setting feet agog on any dance floor. In a lovely sense, this guy is a lyrical baaadman to the core and of course he is energetic, dynamic and very passionate about his music as evident in the way he keeps music fans dancing on their feet wherever he performs. When HHP performed at the opening ceremony of the FIFA world cup in South Africa, even the Archbishop Desmond Tutu could not resist the contagious nature of his music as television camera zoomed in on the septuagenarian showing him dancing in his seat at the VIP section of the Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg. At the first ever MTV awards in Africa that was held at the Velodrome in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2008, one of the very memorable part of the event was the performance by ASA and HHP. With their exceptional performance of ASA’s Jailer song, the two had the crowd wanting more, and at the 2009 awards held at the Moi International Sports Centre, Nairobi, Kenya, HHP carted home the Best Video Award. Without any doubt, this guy is one of the most nominated artists in the African music scene. On the charitable fron, HHP has initiated many community awareness programmes, no wonder he was the recipient of many humanitarian awards, especially in recognition of his efforts to promote education and literacy skills among the youths of South Africa. As a prolific artist, HHP has performed or collaborated with some of the most prominent and accomplished musicians, like Angelique Kidjo, Snoop Dog, Wyclef Jean and Nas. Please, I implore people to check out the music video from the duo of HHP and one of Nigeria’s best, Naeto C. The song titled Boogie Down is a collaboration showcasing the brilliancy of both rap artists. The cohesion between the two was a perfect harmony that is very honest and highly inspiring. The song is very lyrical and the video did not disappoint. Its a very interesting video with lots of pomp and pageantry. The facts speak for the man, so what more can I say than to hail one of the kings of African of hip hop, HHP from South Africa.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 08:18:50 +0000
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