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!!

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!!

Kool Out Live and Pioneer Unit are searching for the illest unsigned emcee in Cape Town as part of our joint birthday celebrations.

One emcee will be chosen from each of four open mic sessions in four different hoods. The four winning emcees will perform at the Kool Out Live event on the 29th of May in Cape Town. The winning emcee on the night will win a recording session with Pioneer Unit at Red Bull Studios.

So far we’ve been to Kuils River and Phillipi where we crowned two winners; NICOTINE LUNG (Kuils River) and MANQOBA (Phillipi).

This weekend we turn our attention Guguletu and Khayelitsha…

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SATURDAY 22nd MAY – GUGULETU
2pm – 5pm at the Sports Complex
Hosted by Driemanskap
Live performances by Driemanskap and Ill Skills
Sound by Red Bull
Skateboard workshop
FREE!

For more information contact Dla on 082 067 9297

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SUNDAY 23rd MAY – KHAYELITSHA
2pm – 5pm at I Section Park, Nanana St.
Hosted by Metabolism
Live performances by Metabolism and Rattex
Sound by Red Bull
FREE!

For more information contact Metabolism on 072 264 4327

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You don’t have to be from those hoods to enter, you just need to bring your A game and be ready to represent yourself to the fullest.

Please note: we cannot accept entries from crews, only from individual emcees. If you are in a crew, each member can enter separately.

See you there. May the best emcee win!

Check out the Facebook event page

Phillipi representing (click photo for larger versions)

Manqoba – the winner in Phillipi (click photo for larger versions)

Big crowd in Phillipi (click photo for larger versions)

The crowd in Kuila (click photo for larger versions)

Nicotine Lung representing (click photo for larger versions)

Nicotine Lung – crowned champ of Kuila (click photo for larger versions)

Click here for the full set of photos (28) of Flickr

That’s how we rrrrrrrroll!!

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!!

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

Last Saturday 10th May I was honoured to be invited to be a judge at the Conscious Connectionz Be Heard! concert to celebrate the achievements of the learners from four schools in Cape Town; Andile Junior Secondary, Heideveld High School, Kensington High School and Lentegeur High School.

Over the past three months, learners from these schools have attended the Conscious Connectionz workshops that raise awareness of HIV/AIDS to fight its spread by promoting identity, self-empowerment and independent decision-making in response to meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MGD) in 2015.

In order to internalize the Conscious Connectionz workshops in their own lives, the learners were challenged to narrate what they have learned in the form of a poem, spoken word, lyricism or song. As part of the Conscious Connectionz project, these expressions were then recorded using a mobile recording studio. The learners that best narrated their peer’s voices from each school competed live against each other at Be Heard! for a grand prize of R5,000 (and R5,000 to their school) – and that’s where me (and the two other judges came in).

I got to Joseph Stone Auditorium in Athlone at 3pm and the place was already packed. The kids were going wild to all kinds of crunk and snap courtesy of DJ Azhul. A number of dance battles popped off in the auditorium while we waited for the show to begin.

I met up with the other two judges, Teba (The Original Social Worker) and the host of MK89′s Hip Hop, Contro’Versy, and we took our seats as the show began. We were treated to a really professional and entertaining show as the kids came out and performed their pieces. First up were the kids who didn’t qualify for the final. Some of them were obviously nervous stepping out in front of a packed auditorium, but they still managed to do their thing. The partisan support from the crowd was wild, although I did feel a bit sorry for the kids from Heideveld as they seemed to have brought the least people with them.

Before the main event, crews from the various schools held an impromptu dance battle. The standards were pretty high, but the attitude and energy was intense!

Then it was time for the main event – the competition to see who was going to walk away with R5,000 for themselves and an additional R5,000 for their school. There were four finalists, one from each school. First up was a learner from Kensington (I think) who rapped and sang. Next was a learner from Lentegeur who recited a poem. She was followed by a learner from Andile who also recited a poem, but this time in Xhosa. Finally a learner from Heideveld performed a rap.

It was tough to have to choose a winner when everyone had put so much work in, but that’s how it had to go down. Although everyone did really well, we felt that there was a clear winner. The person we chose impressed us because she wrote a memorable song with a catchy hook – perfect ‘edutainment’ to get the message across.

The winner was Amanda Bonani from Heideveld. It was really moving to see how much it meant to her. Her victory was even more impressive as she had performed earlier and forgotten her lyrics. When she tried again, she got feedback from the mic and left the stage having not managed to do her thing. It took a lot of courage to come back and perform again, especially as Heideveld had the least support in the audience (in terms of numbers).

Big ups to DJ Eazy and the whole Faculty of Hip Hop for giving me the chance to participate in this event, and maximum respect to Conscious Connectionz for their important work.

Check out some photos…

Impromptu dance battles (click for larger image).

DJ Eazy hosting the show (click for larger image).

More dance battles (click for larger image).

The big finale (click for larger image).

Teba addresses the crowd shortly before announcing the winner (click for larger image).

The kids posing for the photographers (click for larger image).

Check out the full set of photos here.

Check out the Conscious Connectionz website here.

Check out the Faculty of Hip Hop website here.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!