// Featuring Mrisi ; Phlow ; B.O.M ; Andy Mkosi and Arcane //
Wattup wattup fam. I hope you are all well. Today we got some more Hip Hop lined up for you, and we've decided to switch it up a little bit, so you're definitely gonna be hearing a variety of sounds. We got music from England, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe, so I hope you enjoy the mixed bag of dopeness that this article offers.
First up, we got Mrisi who dropped his latest single earlier on this month called "West Baby". For those who are not familiar with the brother (in the picture above), he is a pianist, rapper and producer (so basically he's a multifaceted artist) with a varied musical background, by which the development of his sound has sought to unify these areas of influence. This has included a range of sounds from traditional South African music to Jazz piano and grass roots Hip Hop. Over the years, this has enabled him to perform at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, The Brighton Fringe Festival, Sofar Sounds and all over the UK and in South Africa, supporting the likes of Omar, Prince Fatty, Rizzle Kicks and along side working with the likes of Rag N Bone Man.
I like the simplicity of the beat that's guided by the piano chords alongside the kick and snaps on "West Baby" , and when it comes to the lyrics and flow that Mrisi brings, I can totally understand why James Keith from Complex UK described the track as a "slow-burning meditation with a truly poetic flair". This joint is a fusion of his South African and British influence, so don't be surprised when he says "Amandla". lol The bruv got some South African blood in his veins. That's all that I'll say about the track for now, because I really want you to listen to it and experience it for yourselves (and also get a feel of why the song has been added on #ThePitPlaylist: AltHipHop and UK BoomBap Hip Hop playlist on Spotify so far). Make sure that you follow Mrisi on Facebook and Instagram so that you know when he drops the video to "West Baby". In the meantime, you can buy/ listen to the track here/ click on the image below:
The second rapper on our line up today is Phlow all the way from Nigeria. She's a Lagos based emcee who started penning rhymes as an outlet of expression and later started recording her demos in her closet to prevent her parents from discovering her newly found hobby. After obtaining a degree in computer-science she moved back to Lagos and by happen-stance met Str8buttah founder/producer Teck-Zilla at a show via a mutual friend. Both of them developed a mutual working chemistry which led to the recording of her debut EP "Mind, Body and Phlow".
Earlier this month, the talented lyricist and songwriter dropped her latest EP called "Marmalade", which is a sleek body of work with an urban feel. As an African hip-hop project, it shares little ground with its contemporaries. Each song on this 6-track EP, true to the most succinct and literal definition of the word “marmalade”, is an alternative jam; individually implanted by Phlow’s creative genius - promising to indeed germinate and sprout novelty in the African hip-hop space. As per usual, I like to mention which tracks are my favorite when it comes to projects, so yeah: "Cheque" , "High for you ft. Blaqbonez" and of course "Energy ft Tomi Owo" are my faves. This EP made me think that we deserve a collabo between Phlow and M.anifest (or with Oshun too, just think about it), because wow fam, these emcees together would just be perfect for our eardrums. Shout out to the producers on the beats because the Afro vibe melodies are on point. You can buy the EP here or click on the EP cover below, & you can follow Phlow on Insta & Facebook.
Moving on, we're going to touch base with South Africa for a minute. We have B.O.M, a rapper based in Bloemfontein, South Africa. He blew up on to the Hip Hop scene in Bloemfontein in 2018 with his hit single "Nna" that was featured and remained on the CUT #05Top5charts on the rap up. This was his second single with producer #HamsterOnTheBeat after their debut single Vent (featuring then Vaal based vocalist Noxy). He has since went on to perform and record alongside Kenyan producer and live looper M. Rumbi, and Congolese Guitarist and bassist Moise Archipe on songs like "The pessimist" and "Part One". He Opened up for Kabza De Small and Black Motion at the Kovsie Music Festival and has performed at a number of events. He is now working on his debut E.P titled , "On Race, God and Other addictions". There are 2 tracks that I would like you to listen by B.O.M just to prep you for the EP.
The first track is "Part One " and the second is "Sophia, can you hear me? (Almost)" and both tracks feature and were produced by M. Rumbi (the Nairobi Nomad). I really like his wordplay & deliverance on these two tracks which blend well with the beats. You can listen to the tracks here, / click on any of the images of B.O.M below. You can follow him on Insta & Facebook so that you don't miss out updates on his debut EP.
While still in South Africa (now in Cape Town to be exact), we're gonna turn our focus on Andiswa ‘Andy’ Mkosi. She's a multimedia artist who uses art to reflect and interpret life as it exists both outside and behind her eyes. Her music is an extension of this reflexive exploration of the world around her, a way of understanding her own lived experience, and she presents her observations with a startling sincerity. She holds contemporary society up to the light to see where the holes are, investigating the chaos, while making her work honest, graceful and raw in equal measures. Mkosi has exhibited alongside award winning photographer Neo Ntsoma: a result of a week long workshop in Cape Town. The group exhibition titled "Inequality: A different Picture", has been shown both in Cape Town’s Company Gardens and Johannesburg’s Constitutional Hill during Human Rights Day.
I recently came across her music for the first time after watching her perform at the Digitally Yours Live Connection, episode 7 which was themed around Gender Based Violence (Side note, you can watch the discussion here. It's very informative and worth every second of your time). Andy performed towards the end of the discussion, and the first track she did was "90s baby" followed by "Untitled ft Deslynn Malotana", and I was hooked. These tracks (among many others) are great examples of how she makes music to spark conversations. These tracks are taken form her album "This Audio Is Visual". I decided to look for more of her music and came across a music video that she dropped in 2015 with Sabza called "Livumile" and it features OBie Mavuso (This track is taken from her EP that she released with Sabza called "Bread and Sugar Water"). It's definitely one of my faves, and you can listen to the track on SoundCloud or watch the video below. Do make sure to check out her YouTube channel to see the other amazing music & content that she has released like her latest video called "Set if off". You can click on the album cover to buy/ listen to the album.
Last but not least, we're going to head over to Zimbabwe real quick and catch up with Arcane's "Precursor" mixtape. Arcane (Panashé Madziva) is a poet and rapper from Harare, 2014 Shoko Waves Finalist, featured on #ThisIsACall Season 1 on @iflixzw and has performed some of his #SpokenWord on ZBC. Those familiar with the Creative sector in the capital city will probably have frequently seen him behind the camera lens. If you haven't heard him rap, you should check out his #ColdSummerChallenge video here. He dropped his mixtape mid April, and most of my favorite jams are the songs with that Afro-beat vibe (which resonates with some of the jams on Phlow's EP). My top 3 tracks on the tape are "Everywhere (With Mr Rebel)" , "Sugar sugar (with Aytee, Mr Rebel and Bryan K)" and "Hiwe (with Teysean and Wishez)".
I really love the beats on these 3 tracks, and I can proudly say that the rappers and singers who featured managed to do justice. "Sugar sugar" has to be my ultimate favorite track. I literally had the track on repeat while finishing this article, and it eventually got me thinking of one of my crushes. lol Anyway, the mixtape is really a great vibe, and I hope you enjoy it too. You can listen to the mixtape here/ by clicking on the artwork below and don't forget to follow Arcane on Insta and Facebook.
That's all we have for today fam. I really hope you really enjoy the music, and do feel free to leave a comment on what you enjoyed the most. Let's connect on Insta / Twitter @2tukani, and don't forget to subscribe to the blog. Stay Blessed.
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