PSA – To Kill A Baby

Feb 12, 2013 |

With a subject line like the title of this post, I had to check what the email was about, albeit cautiously. With the sick people out in the world, you can never be too sure, but I'm glad I did follow through. Tamara Bubble is a Brooklyn entertainer who is working on an album project titled P.ublic S.ervice A.nnouncement and has initiated a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for promotion. She has committed the first six months of album proceeds to charity - which the public decides by VOTING here. The charities are US based ones. Each song speaks to a different social issue. As a father,...

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Snoop: Here Comes The King

Feb 9, 2013 |

So Snoop Doggy Dogg became Snoop Lion last year as part of a religious awakening in which he's said to have embraced Rastafarianism. He's shot a documentary called Reincarnated detailing this new path and the recording of his reggae album of the same name. Bunny Wailer is said to have called him a fraud. Rohan Marley has defended him. Guess this is one of those situations where time will tell. Snoop has always been adept and evolving with the times to stay relatively relevant, from Death Row to No Limit and beyond. He's just launched the video for his second track from Reincarnated called...

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Digital Crates: DJ Mike Rizzy

Dec 24, 2012 |

One random evening, I was trawling though iTunes podcasts in search of a decent classic soul / R&B mix for bedtime – I generally need music to fall asleep and have even created sleep playlists for me to doze off to. I downloaded single episodes from different ones to get a sense of whether they were worth it or not. And then I came across DJ Mike Rizzy’s  and this has become one of my go-to podcasts  with wonderful mixes of hip hop, soul, R&B, 80s, reggae, old school and the like. Some of my favourites are below with his comments and track listing (Click on headings to link to actual...

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Digital Crates: Combat Jack Show ft Dallas Penn

Dec 3, 2012 |

Sometime in my first 6 months on twitter, I started following Combat Jack (Reggie Osse). I have no idea how it came about but we’ve been interacting – consistently and inconsistently – since. I have been fascinated by his journey through hip hop, starting as an attorney with his own firm as well as part of the Business and Legal Affairs Department of Def Jam. for various artists, including DJ Clark Kent, Rockwilder, Lords of the Underground and Jaheim. He’s been an executive at MTV as well as Managing Editor at Source Magazine. My real introduction to him was through twitter and his blog...

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16 Days Of Activism: Think It Over (SABC 1)

Nov 28, 2012 | ,

My friend and rapper/producer Amu recently asked me to feature on a track he was putting together for an SABC 1 project around 16 Days Of Activism For No Violence Against Women And Child Abuse, which runs from November 25th to December 10th. I haven't been doing poetry much over the last few years but this is something that I couldn't not be involved in. I know there has been much debate about the usefulness of this campaign considering the absolutely tragic numbers and actions taking place across South Africa on a daily basis, but I sincerely believe that, as with most things in life, every...

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Midweek Music: Kendrick Lamar

Nov 27, 2012 |

Not as anticipated as his mentor Dr. Dre’s Detox album, Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city came close. That is what happens when a man who has been integral to profound musical shifts in hip hop takes you under their wing. That is what happens when a man who has been responsible for the birth or rebirth of the careers of some of the most significant rappers in our time is your mentor. While, in some instances, having a legend of Dr Dre’s stature looming over you could be a great disadvantage and immense pressure, the one thing Dre has always done is been able to provide artists with the...

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