On Wednesday night Planet Earth and Manqoba were interviewed by DJ Eazy and the lovely Celeste on Ready D’s hip hop show on Goodhope FM.

Planet Earth is an elusive man and is rarely seen in front on camera, so this is rare chance to check out the man behind Driemanskap’s hits, S’phum’eGugs and I Will Make It.

Manqoba is promoting his debut EP, The Winner, and is about to take part in the The King of Street Rap Championship, hosted by KOL and Slaghuis.

Check out the interview and leave a comment…

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

We’re doing an in-depth video interview with Driemanskap next week. To make sure we ask the questions you really want the answers to, we’re asking you to submit your questions.

You can submit your questions in the following ways:

1. In the comments section below
2. On Driemanskap’s Facebook page (there’s a post asking for questions there)
3. On Driemanskap’s Twitter timeline (@Driemanskap)

You can submit as many questions as you like. The deadline for submissions is Friday so don’t sleep! If your question is chosen we’ll put your name on screen when it’s asked.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrroll!!

Ben Sharpa talks to So Real TV about his recent European tours and his latest project, 4DLS. Check it out…

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

Rattex’s first video interview since he returned from his European tour. He talks to So Real TV about his new EP and previews some of the tracks. Check it out…

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrroll!!

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!!

While we were recording Rattex’s forthcoming EP, Streets, Raps & Us, our friend Mikko Kapenen joined us to take some photos, watch the recording process and conduct a couple of interviews for an article he was writing.

Originally from Finland, Mikko lectures in film, media studies and various radio-related topics. He has a broad background in radio, ranging from commercial, public sector and community. Lastly, but definitely not least, he is also a hip hop head who promotes South African hip hop whenever he gets the chance.

Mikko (left) with the legendary Chuck D of Public Enemy.

After what seemed like no time at all, Mikko wrote a fantastic article on Rattex called, Rattex: Labour of Love & Hard Entertainment. It’s not your typical vanity piece bigging up an artist and regurgitating their press releases, it actually gives you a real view of what being a musician in South Africa is all about.

I attended a Red Bull workshop with Wordsworth where he said that rappers are guilty of perpetuating industry myths because they only ever talk in clichés about everything being ‘all good’, or ‘you know how we do’, ‘we ballin” etc. No one ever talks about the realities of being a musician, so aspiring artists have no guidance to help them navigate the industry.

So, with that in mind, I highly recommend that you read Mikko’s article!

Read and download Rattex: Labour of Love & Hard Entertainment at Scribd

Check out Mikko’s blog, Welfare State of Mind

That’s how we rrrrrrrroll!!

Ben and Raiko are back from their highly successful tour of Europe. Has this given a fresh perspective on our local music industry?…

Everyone is trying to do ‘what works’ instead of creating new pathways for the artists. There is far too much opportunistic greed and parasitic back-biting going on, too much selfish intention and carelessness.

Check out the full interview on Mahala.co.za

Join in the discussion and leave a message there too.

That’s how we rrrrrrrroll!!

Click here for more of Pioneer Unit on Vuzu.tv

That’s how we rrrrrrroll!!

Click here for more of Pioneer Unit on Vuzu.tv

That’s how we rrrrrrroll!!

Last week your boy Ratteezy recorded an episode of SABC 2′s youth edutainment show, Keeping It Real. The issue being discussed was urban poetry and hip hop. Rah and Blaq Pearl dropped some verses and shared their experiences of being performance artists in Cape Town.

The show is due to be aired later this year. Keep it locked to PioneerUnit.com for more info.

In the mean time, check out some behind the scenes photos…

Baby got back (click for larger image).

Rah waiting backstage (click for larger image).

The host introducing Rattex (click for larger image).

Rah keeping it real (click for larger image).

Rah on screen (click for larger image).

Rah serenading Blaq Pearl (click for larger image).

Chillin’ after the show (click for larger image).

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

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrrroll!!