Pioneer Unit

Our very own Ben Sharpa has just finished a recording session with critically-acclaimed UK Hip Hop crew, Foreign Beggars. They got together to record a track about the lunatics taking over the asylum, which by all accounts, is a banger.

For those of you that haven’t heard of Foreign Beggars, let me put you in the know… the crew have achieved a range high profile accomplishments from appearance s on Bjork’s Medulla album and the Gorillaz single Tomorrow Never Comes, to remix production for Amp Fiddler and Corinne Bailey Rae, and touring the States with James Lavelle’s UNKLE outfit. Whilst also having collaborated with a slew of hip hop heavy weights including Stones Throw’s OhNo, Guilty Simpson, Wildchild and Dudley Perkins, producer supreme DJ Vadim, Dabrye, Scratch Perverts, Skinnyman, Task Force and Spain’s Griffi and Tote King they have worked from a host of other genres including Vex’d, Virus Sundicate, Natalie Williams, Noisia and Ram Record’s Subfocus.

Ben is currently on tour in Europe, performing with groundbreaking UK Bass Music producer Milanese. Check him out at Bangface in London on July 11th, Dour Festival in Belgium on July 18th and at Extrema Festival in The Netherlands on July 19th.

Foreign Beggars on Myspace

Foreign Beggars on Dented Records

Foreign Beggars Official Site

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

Breis (UK) / DJ Spooky (US) / Ben Sharpa (SA) - (click for larger image).

Your boy Ben Sharpa is on tour out in Europe right now. Last Saturday he participated in MCs for Life as part of Bass Festival. Other participants include Black Thought, Lord Finesse, Rich Medina, Ursula Rucker, DJ Spooky, Tumi, Nappo, Omekongo, Lebo Mashile, Charlie Dark, Hymphatic Thabs and many more.

The photo above shows Ben chilling with Breis and DJ Spooky.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrrroll!!

Cash Crusaders invited Pioneer Unit to come and judge at their community initiative Ekasi Hip Hop Explosion in Nyanga.

The Zolani Centre was packed past full capacity to see rappers, dancehall artists and poets battle it out for prizes and the chance to have their song aired on Cash Crusader’s in-house radio station for 3 months.

Big up to the sponsors and everyone who took part.

Check out some photos…

Dplanet, Rattex and Mika - the judges (click for larger image).

Enjoying the show (click for larger image).

The hall was packed (click for larger image).

Performer holding it down (click for larger image).

Rattex spits an acapella (click for larger image).

Rattex announces the winner (click for larger image).

Check out the full set of photos here.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

On Saturday night I went through to Albert Hall in Woodstock to watch Jaak performing at the Max Normal TV show. We’d been at the 7784 launch party in Khayelitsha all day so I was pretty exhausted, but Leon Botha was warming up the set with some classic old skool jams and some tight scratching, which helped give me some energy and get me in the mood.

Jaak, or Jaak ‘Paarl’ as he was introduced by Waddy, absolutely tore up the set and worked the crowd into a frenzy with some banging jams including How We Roll. I was incredibly impressed by Jaak’s stage craft - one of the tightest MC performances that I’ve seen in a while.

We took a breather outside while Die Vegas and Parow Show did their thing, then came back to check out Waddy, Yo-Landi and Neon Don do their thing. If you’ve never been to a Max Normal TV show you’ve really missed out. It’s pure, deranged entertainment.

Check out some photos:

Jaak and fan (click for larger image).

Jaak on set (click for larger image).

The crowd goes befok (click for larger image).

Max Normal TV doing what they do best (click for larger image).

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

There’s a nice feature on The Realist in the latest issue of One Small Seed.

“The Realist deals in bruising combustible beats, caustic rhymes and moments of jarring beauty.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself!

Go and buy One Small Seed, it’s definitely one of SA’s best publications.

(click for larger image).

(click for larger image).

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

I have a lot of respect for what Mizi and his team are doing for SA Hip Hop at Hype Magazine, but I was concerned with the Crack Boys fashion shoot in this month’s issue.

Do we really need to glorify drug dealing, gangsterism and gunplay in South Africa? Is this the sort of imagery we want to have associated with SA Hip Hop?

I know they are called the ‘Crack’ Boys, but as Cash has explained on numerous occasions on Africa’s Gateway, that is just a metaphor borrowed from Juelz Santana to explain the addictive nature of their music and the street hustle associated with selling it (although Cash does stretch the nature of that ‘metaphor’ to breaking point by having white powder on his CD cover, but that’s another issue).

Doing a photo shoot that actually portrays the Crack Boys doing drug deals, unpacking cocaine and posing with gats takes the concept beyond a metaphor. Hype Magazine is buying into, and implicitly supporting, the glamourous gangster fantasy that white corporate America has been force-feeding the world for years. Remember, we’re not talking about real life here - Hype is not addressing the reality of the social situations that lead to gangsterism and drug dealing - it’s just a fantasy fashion shoot.

Putting a red circle with the diagonal line through it over the guns doesn’t absolve Hype of their responsibility for promoting this imagery. Where is the red circle over the cocaine? Is Hype saying that guns are bad, but cocaine is ok?

50 Cent has a beautifully shot series of photos that portray G-Unit in a variety of strikingly similar scenarios. The difference there is that 50 actually claims that that imagery represents his real life, and has built his whole persona around this.

You could argue that Curtis Jackson has created 50 Cent as a fantasy gangster for the sake of entertainment no different to Ray Liotta playing Henry Hill in Goodfellas. Indeed, this is an argument often used by ‘gangster’ rappers when they get arrested. However, the point still remains; in a country that is afflicted by drugs, guns and gangsterism, is it responsible behaviour to glamourise gang culture, drug dealing and violence to an impressionable young audience?

What would have been wrong with showing the Crack Boys hustling their mixtapes at parties, choosing which Louis Vuitton bag to buy or investing in property? These are things that are based in reality and that would provide something positive to aspire to?

Wordsworth made a great point at the Red Bull Academy talk he gave in Cape Town recently. He said that rappers are often poor role models because, when interviewed, they just talk in cliches instead of saying anything that a young kid can listen to and learn from… “yeah, you know how we do”, “we’re grindin’ dawg”, “we ballin’ out of control”, “we thuggin’ it out big style” etc.

It’s ironic that Hype is guilty of putting out mixed messages. On page 7 of the same issue there’s a ‘Hype court order’ made out to Seida Crook for being involved in a cheque fraud syndicate. It says, “You’re meant to be a role model Crook. Do the right thing.”

Maybe I’m making way too much of this whole thing (it is just a fashion shoot after all), but the Hip Hop community and the media that represents it mustn’t forget its responsibility to the community at large.

Peace to everyone at Hype Magazine and The Crack Boys.

Check out your boy Rah in the June/ July edition of Hype Magazine. Like we always say, support local Hip Hop and go and buy the magazine. Rah is on page 19.

That’s how we rrrrrrroll!!

What better way to start the week than with a fresh new banger from your boy Rah!

In the wake of the xenophobic attacks, Rattex and Jaak got together to record a track that warns Africans not to be divided by language or culture.

For those of you that don’t know, ‘Pasop’ is the Afrikaans word for ‘watch out’ or ‘beware’. ‘Lumka’ is the same word in isiXhosa.

Check it out…

Pasop (Lumka) - Rattex Ft. Jaak - MP3 - (5.59MB)

Pasop (Lumka) - Rattex Ft. Jaak - ZIP - (5.52MB)

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

(click photo for larger image).

Putting Heads Together. Your boy Sharpa featured in this short piece in the Mail & Guardian on Heads Against Violence, an anti-xenophobia benefit gig in Johannesburg.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!

Pioneer Unit is taking Hip Hop entertainment back to the hood with a series of spectacular events that will showcase South Africa’s finest talent, both established and up and coming.

We’re keeping the price of entry down and the quality of the entertainment up at the highest level. There will be super-high quality sound, rap battles as well as dance and singing competitions where the crowd decides who takes home cash prizes. There will also be hot, home-cooked food on sale for only R2 a plate.

This is entertainment for the whole hood, so don’t miss out!

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To celebrate the release of Rattex’s new mixtape, Pioneer Unit Records proudly presents the first in a series of music spectaculars…

7784

“Lezi zezase kasi. Gcwala uchiteke.”

Featuring a full-length set by:
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> Rattex
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Plus extra special guests:
> Driemanskap
> Jaak
> Garlic Brown
> Crosby
> Kanyi
> Sim
> Maxhoseni
> Mic Substance
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> DJ Eazy (Faculty of Hip Hop)
> DJ Azuhl (Beatbangaz)
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Kritsi Ye’Spaza - Your host with the most!
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
> Huge super-high quality sound system!
> Rap / Dance / Singing competitions to win cash prizes!
> Hot home-cooked food for only R2 a plate!
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Date: Saturday 21 June, 2008
Time: 12 - 6pm
Venue: New Hall, Site C, Khayelitsha
Price: R10
Food: R2 plate
Competition prizes: R100 per competition

Click here to join the Facebook event for updates and reminders.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

Check out our very own Ben Sharpa posing with Yfm’s Lee Kasumba and legendary New York producer/ DJ, J-Live in the 8th May 2008 edition of Drum Magazine. The photos were taken at the annual Back to the City street festival last month.

That’s how we rrrrrrrroll!!

Just a quick post to big up Thando, Qhama, Sara and everyone else who made the effort to arrange the gig. I always have a great time in Gugs, and yesterday was no different. We were treated to some quality entertainment too.

I was having too much fun so I forgot to take photos, but here are a few…

Emile YX (click for larger image).

B Boyz (click for larger image).

The crowd (click for larger image).

Rah (click for larger image).

Rattex (click for larger image).

Rattex and Ma-B getting down (click for larger image).

Rattex and Ma-B finishing the set (click for larger image).

Africa unite. Say no to xenophobia.

The recent wave of brutal xenophobic attacks on fellow African brothers and sisters in South Africa has left 56 people dead, 650 injured and tens of thousands of innocent people displaced and living in fear. The situation is fast becoming a humanitarian crisis.

The South African government has begun to set up ‘shelters’ to house people seeking refuge from the violence. These ‘shelters’ are being described by international aid agencies as ‘refugee camps’.

The Hip Hop community has come together to raise its voice in protest against this unacceptable situation. We want to let the world know that we condemn these attacks, and that whilst many South Africans are living in situations of unacceptable poverty and hardship, turning on fellow Africans is not the solution.

Pioneer Unit is supporting various anti-xenophobia initiatives. Rattex and Ben Sharpa will be performing at 2 awareness and fund-raising gigs this weekend (see below). We have also contributed tracks to Emile YX’s Heal the Hood CD and book project (more details soon). We will also be contributing to Nymabz’s forthcoming anti-xenophobia mixtape as well as releasing our own material. Keep it locked for more info.

State of Emergency (CPT)_

Date and Time: Sunday 1st June @ 12.00 - 19.00
Venue: All NYz, Gugulethu Sports Complex, Cape Town.
Cost: FREE! Please donate clothes, blankets, nappies and non-perishable food.
Performances: Rattex, Driemanskaap, Nosisi, Tapedeck Circuitry, Jitsvinger, Sketch, Khanyi & many more.
Speakers: Emile YX, Lizo (Round Table), Xito
DJs: Quake
Dancers: Black Noise
State of Emergency Facebook Event page

Headz Against Violence (JHB)_

Date and Time: Sunday 1st June @ 12.00 - 22.00
Venue: Baseline, Newtown, Joburg.
Cost: R50 Please donate clothes, blankets, nappies and non-perishable food.
Performances: Ben Sharpa, Tumi, Tuks, The Hymphatic Thabs, Reason, Middle Finga, Snazz-D, Koldproduk, Jub Jub, Zubz, Jozi & many more.
DJs: Papercutt, Bionic, Kenzhero, Beatoven, Redwood & Raiko
Headz Against Violence Facebook Event page

Ben Sharpa will be taking his next-level robot army Hip Hop to Europe this coming June and July to create mayhem with heavyweight UK Bass Music producer, Milanese. For a taste of what to expect, check out the first track on Milanese’s Myspace page.

Ben Sharpa + Milanese Euro Tour Dates 2008:

• June 6th - Warp Light District - Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• June 28th - S7 (disko404) - Graz, Austria
• July 11th - Bangface - London, UK
• July 18th - Dour Festival - Dour, Belgium
• July 19th - Extrema Festival - Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Ben will also be participating in MCs for Life as part of Bass Festival in Birmingham, UK, on 28th and 29th of June. Other participants include Black Thought, Lord Finesse, Rich Medina, Ursula Rucker, DJ Spooky, Tumi, Nappo, Omekongo, Lebo Mashile, Charlie Dark, Hymphatic Thabs and many more.

If you would like to book Ben Sharpa & Milanese, contact Paul at Surefire Agency: paul [at] surefireagency [dot] com

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!

The party on Saturday was OFF THE HOOK!! Big ups to Loggaheadz and everyone involved (Johnny Steaknife, Garlic Brown, Enmity and Diddi Yang) - definitely the most banging party since the Planetary Assault Launch.

People keep telling us that Hip Hop club nights just don’t work and that you need to make superficial pop music to bring in crowds and sponsors. We’ve never believed these people and we never will!

Naturally Pioneer Unit represented to the fullest with ill performances from The Realist, KONFAB, Ben Sharpa & Rattex.

Check out some photos…

Kid Klever in battle mode (click for larger image).

KONFAB artikulating (click for larger image).

KONFAB, gift of gab (click for larger image).

The crowd (click for larger image).

Ben Sharpa and The Realist (click for larger image).

Kid Klever (click for larger image).

Triplet of Bellville and the singer from Enmity (click for larger image).

It’s REAL! (click for larger image).

Salute the Kaptin (click for larger image).

B. Sharpa (click for larger image).

Rattex in the house! (click for larger image).

Sharpa and Rattex (click for larger image).

Sharpa and The Realist tell it like it is (click for larger image).

Check out the full set of photos here.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!