Manqoba Recording with Driemanskap at Red Bull Studios

As you may know if you’re a regular reader of this blog, we recently celebrated our 3rd birthday by hosting a series of open mic competitions with Kool Out Entertainment and Red Bull. If you didn’t know, you can read all about it here.

The winner of the competition was a young emcee from Khayelitsha, Cape Town, called Manqoba. His prize was a recording session at Red Bull Studios where he made an EP that will be digitally released by Pioneer Unit.

We spent 3 days with Steve Elsworth, the head engineer at Red Bull Studios, recording 5 great tracks. 4 of the tracks were solo joints with Hipe on production. For the fifth track Driemanskap came through with an El Nino beat and recorded a collaboration.

We’re extremely happy with the work everyone put in and the quality of the music that was created. We have always believed that there is a huge amount of unrecognised and untapped talent in Cape Town. There’s always a concern that a dope street emcee may not have the necessary skills for a professional recording environment, but Manqoba was a pleasure to work with. He came well-prepared, his delivery was on point and most importantly, his attitude was great.

We hope to have Manqoba’s EP, Khaltsha Stand Up, ready for release by September 2010. Watch this space for more information.

Check out some photos and video of the recording session…

Steve sets up the mic (click image for larger version).

Manqoba on the mic (click image for larger version).

Manqoba spittin’ heat (click image for larger version).

Manqoba and his boys (click image for larger version).

Manqoba and Redondo (click image for larger version).

El Nino rehearses his verse (click image for larger version).

El Nino gives Manqoba some advice (click image for larger version).

Manqoba in the booth with Driemanskap (click image for larger version).

Check out some video courtesy of So Real TV.com

Check out the full set of photos (24) on Flickr

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrrroll!!

Pioneer Unit Creates Soundtrack for Mario and the Rude Boys Documentary

About 2 years ago AfricaSoccer asked us if we had any tracks that might be appropriate for a documentary about an ex-gangster who has dedicated his life to offering young gangsters an alternative to gang life by getting them involved in football.

We loved the project so we submitted some tracks. After some discussion, our very own Pioneer Unit super-producer Hipe was invited to create the sound track for the whole documentary.

Documentaries like this are a labour of love that have to be put together on virtually no budget. Mario is doing fantastic work on the Cape Flats and we believe that this documentary will give some much needed attention to his cause.

In the words of the producers,

“When we met a man called Mario, and heard how in 10 years hitting the streets, he’s already rescued 1,000 kids from the clutches of gangs, drugs & violent crime we were impressed. When he told us he did it through Soccer we were spell bound. When we met the boys and young men that had been changed by him & heard their stories we were humbled and felt that we had no choice but to help.”

After 2 years of hard work Mario and the Rude Boys is almost complete, but still needs some funding to pay for a few final expenses (entries to film festivals, marketing, titling, final post-production etc). The producers have created a page on indiegogo where you can help contribute to the completion of the project. They also have a Facebook fan page.

Take a look a short trailer for the Mario and the Rude Boys…

Mario and the Rude Boys on Indiegogo

Become a fan of Mario and the Rude Boys on Facebook

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

KOL / Pioneer Unit Open Mic Challenge Champ Crowned at Zula

Last Saturday (29th May), Manqoba won the KOL / Pioneer Unit open mic challenge, narrowly defeating Garlic Brown, Lex Luthor and Nicotine Lung. The winner was decided by crowd reaction but, despite great performances by all four finalists, Manqoba’s punchlines and high energy performance sealed the victory for the Khayelitsha representative.

Manqoba’s prize is a recording session at Red Bull Studios where he will make an EP that will be digitally released by Pioneer Unit. All money earned through sales will go to the artist. Because we felt that all the finalists were so strong, and that no one really deserved to lose, we decided to also record a track featuring all the finalists for inclusion on the EP.

Saturday’s event was part of the Kool Out Live / Pioneer Unit joint birthday celebrations. One emcee was chosen from each of four open mic sessions that were held in four different hoods (Kuils River, Phillipi, Khayelitsha and Guguletu) during the month of May. The winners of each open mic session were invited to compete at a final which was part of the KOL Presents: Pioneer Unit All Stars event at Zula Sound Bar on Long Street that featured Ben Sharpa, Driemanskap and Jaak.

Pioneer Unit is proud to have been part of this initiative. There’s a lot of talent out there and virtually no platform for artists to shine. We’d like to thank Red Bull for playing their part, and of course KOL. Also thanks to Camilo, Caveman, Driemanskap, Illverse, Metabolism and Mingus for hosting the various open mic sessions. Last, but not least, big up all the emcees who came through to take part. Keep your dreams alive and keep doing your thing! Hopefully we’ll be doing this again.

DJ ID and Mingus enjoying hosting (click photo for larger version)

Manqoba ripping the mic (click photo for larger version)

Nicotine Lung asking what’s up (click photo for larger version)

Lex Luthor takes his turn (click photo for larger version)

The unmistakeable Garlic Brown (click photo for larger version)

Manqoba and Lex Luthor wait to hear the verdict (click photo for larger version)

The crowd showing love (click photo for larger version)

Jaak setting it off (click photo for larger version)

Driemanskap sending the crowd wild (click photo for larger version)

Ma-B working the crowd (click photo for larger version)

Amandla Awethu! (click photo for larger version)

The aliens are coming! (click photo for larger version)

Click here for the full set of photos (84) on Flickr

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

Artists Against Crime N Drugs

Come join us at Guguletu Sports Complex this Saturday 27th March between 13h00 and 19h00 for an afternoon of great music and basketball. Artists include: Driemanskap, Rattex, Crosby, Fifth Floor, Ill Skillz and many more.

That’s how we rrrrrrrroll!!