17 posts tagged “driemanskap”
As promised, check out the interview we did on the African Hip Hop Show on Dutch national broadcaster FunX...
Radio | J4, GMB & DJ 360: Dplanet & spo0ky (Pioneer Unit, Kaapstad)
View behind the scenes photos (20) on Flickr
That's how we rrrrrrrrrrrroll!!
I have to say, Back to the City was AMAZING! I can't big up Domz, Osmic and the whole crew enough for the work they put into making the event the massive success it was. It really made me feel proud to be part of the SA hip hop movement!
We arrived straight from the airport and joined a panel discussion about the state of South African hip hop. The panel included Mizi from Hype Magazine, and Slikour and Sugasmaxx from Ventilation Productions. Everything from local music quotas, the quality of production, being self-motivated, unity in SA hip hop, making it overseas and wearing South African designer clothes was discussed. Hopefully everyone went away feeling more positive about SA hip hop.
When the show started there were too many dope performances to mention, but my personal highlights were HHP, F-Eezy, Young Nations and El Nino performing ama Vuvuzela (El Nino's verse brought the house down) and of course, Driemanskap.
Drie were performing new material from their soon to be released album, Igqabhukil’ Inyongo for the first time in J-Section. Judging by the crowd's reaction, the boys are going to take the country by storm. All I can say is that I was grinning like a fool for the whole performance and the boys made me proud!
I'm already looking forward to Back to the City 2010!
Check out some photos by Anne-Sophie Leens...
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Check out the full set of photos (18) on Flickr
That's how we rrrrrrrrrrrroll!!
Press Release
For immediate release
Album Release Date: 11th May 2009
Download the Igqabhukil' Inyongo Press Kit (704k)
Listen to Igqabhukil' Inyongo on Last FM
It has begun!
South African hip hop is about to change forever. An epic, earth-rending collision of two cultures coming together, Driemanskap embody the best socially conscious, cutting edge lyricsm of Cape Town, and the passion and deeply felt African pride of the Spaza movement. The result is a hip hop supernova, the shockwave of which will be felt across Mzanzi and beyond.
Hailing from Guguletu's notorious KYD hood, Driemanskap members Redondo, El Nino, Ma-B and Dla are 4 of the most distinctive, real, unique and talented voices ever to come from the ghettos of the Cape Flats.
Driemanskap cut their teeth at park jams, cyphers, battles and shows for more than 7 years, establishing the beginnings of a cult following in South Africa. In 2005 they took part in the Baobab Festival where they opened for the legendary New York hip hop crew Dead Prez. Anyone who was there that night will tell you that Driemanskap stole the show! They also took part in the 2006 Tri-Continental Festival, warming up the stage for one the New York's illest freestylers, Wordsworth, the UK's Jonzi D and Ben Sharpa. They drove the crowd wild at Back to the City in 2008.
Having claimed number 1 spot in the Hype magazine 'Unsigned Hype' chart, Driemanskap also received nominations for Best Hip Hop Crew, Best Song and Best Mixtape in the 2007 Hype Awards. Driemanskap have released 2 mixtapes, Battle of Gugulethu Vol 1 and Battle of Gugulethu Vol 2. Their street anthem Go and Ask (Hamb’ubuza) also features on Pioneer Unit's Planetary Assault compilation.
Like many ghetto youth, Driemanskap have been exposed to hardships and frustrations. Their unshakeable desire to prevail has turned adversity into success. Their debut album has been a long time coming and Driemanskap have used Igqabhukil' Inyongo to vent many years of pent-up frustration, passion, creativity and raw energy.
Translated literally from isiXhosa, Igqabhukil' Inyongo means 'the gall bladder bursts'. However, it is a common expression that loosely translates as, 'things are about to get crazy' and there's no false advertising here!
On Igqabhukil' Inyongo Driemanskap draw inspiration not only from street life in the ghettos of the Cape Flats, they also delve deep into traditional African culture. The album contains moving songs with universal themes of hope, love and the importance of home and family. It also addresses African unity, the determination to stay strong through adversity and Driemanskap's commitment to their art. The vocal dexterity, fearsome passion and street-hardened lyricism with which Driemanskap deliver each track paints a vivid and moving portrait of kasi life.
Musically, Igqabhukil' Inyongo is a Spaza masterpiece constructed around classic, rugged hip hop beats. Richly layered samples reference traditional South African music, reggae, soul and jazz. Diverse and well-rounded, the album contains inspirational, soulful melodies, visceral, powerful choruses and chants, and, of course, rugged street anthems.
On production is El Nino, Planet Earth, Hipe, Dplanet and Beatology. Between them, they have helped shape the hip hop landscape in South Africa and beyond, having produced classic material for Pro Kid, Zubz, Teargas, Ben Sharpa, Imbube, Black Lez, Proverb, Wordsworth (USA), Tumi, Nemza (Skwatta Kamp), Ready D, KONFAB, Young Nations and many more.
There are guest features by Kanyi (fresh from rocking the Cape Town Jazz Festival with Rus Nerwich), Black Dillinger (making waves in the international Reggae scene), Siya, Sugar, Macho and Bizzah. Guguletu is definitely in the house!
The gall bladder has burst - and things will never be the same.
#**Track List**
01. Intro (02'22)
02. 2000 We Shine Ft. Black Dillinger (03'26)
03. Anti-Xenophobia (05'07)
04. Better Tomorrow (04'20)
05. Bambelela Ft. Sugar (04'44)
06. iSilo (Skit) Ft. Bizzah and Siya (01'46)
07. Camagu (04'43)
08. Ivamna (Love Potion) (04'23)
09. Peep This (Skit) (01'07)
10. iZtreets Zam (03'56)
11. Tsotsi (03'50)
12. Hip Hop SoulJahs Ft. Kanyi and Siya (04'21)
13. Sphithiphithi (04'39)
14. Mama Ft. Siya (04'48)
15. I Miss Home (04'17)
16. I Will Make It Ft. Siya (04'52)
17. Bless Us Jah Ft. Siya (04'19)
18. Ngcosiz from Guguletu (Skit) (01'13)
19. S'phum'eGugs Ft. Macho and Kanyi (05'41)
Booking Driemanskap
Contact Hardy: info (at) hitentertainment (dot) co (dot) za
Where to buy:
Look & Listen (across SA)
Reliable Music Warehouse (across SA)
Musica (across SA)
Ozmic’s Ritual Store, Nr. Carfax, Newtown, Johannesburg
Munks Concept Store, 10 7th Street, Melville, Johannesburg
Mabu Vinyl, Rheede St., Cape Town. (021) 423 7635
Shelflife, 119 Loop St., Cape Town. (021) 422 3931
Hi-Five, 34 Kloof St., 5 Mooikloof Centre, Cape Town. (021) 422 5455/6
African Music Store, 134 Long St., Cape Town. (021) 426 0857
If your local retailer doesn't have it on the shelf, don't forget to order it at the counter!
Links:
Driemanskap Bio (Zipped Word Doc.) (93k)
Driemanskap Hi-res Album Artwork (818k)
Driemanskap Press Photos (Print) (6.6 MB)
Driemanskap Press Photos (Web) (1.2 MB)
Driemanskap on Myspace
Become a Driemanskap Facebook fan
Igqabhukil' Inyongo Press Kit (704k):
Press kit contains: Bio / Album artwork / Igqabhukil' Inyongo Press Release / Track List & Production
Credits
Videos:
Fakes and Snakes
El Nino in AmaVuvuzela by Imbube
I Will Make It (Rehearsal)
Driemanskap Rehearsal Freestyle
Note to media: for more information, artist biogs, press photos, audio samples and other press opportunities, please contact Damian at Pioneer Unit.
E-mail: pioneerunit [at] gmail [dot] com
Call: +27 (83) 658 8921.
For distribution enquiries, please contact Soul Candi:
E-mail: leyton [at] soulcandidistribution [dot] co [dot] za.
Call: +27 (0)11 880 5662.
What's up people.
Have you all heard of Twitter.com? Everyone from Kanye West to Xzibit to Puff Daddy to South African cats like Proverb and Imbube are using Twitter.
Naturally Pioneer Unit has been on Twitter for a while now too.
It's basically a web-based service that works like the status update on Facebook, or in their words...
"Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?"
We'd like our friends and fans to start following us on Twitter because it's a really cool way for you to keep up to date with what we're doing.
What you'll get:
- Updates about live events
- Tour information
- News from the studio
- Behind the scenes updates
- Album release news
- Links to free MP3s
- Links to latest videos
- Random stuff about what we're currently doing
What you won't get:
- An inbox full of junk promo mail
To help sweeten the deal, we will be giving away Pioneer Unit hampers (signed CDs/ stickers/ badges) to every 100th follower we get on Twitter. Every 1000th follower will get a hamper plus a cash prize of R500*.
To follow Pioneer Unit on Twitter:
1. Go to http://www.twitter.com and create and account - it's easy, quick and free.
2. Go to http://www.twitter.com/pioneerunit and click 'follow'.
3. Encourage all your friends to follow us.
That's it.
See you on Twitter!
*South Africa residents only
Driemanskap have been working around the clock on their debut album, Igqabhukil' Inyongo. I can say without any hype, it's going to take SA by storm - there hasn't been anything this powerful since POC.
We know you're hungry for the album to drop but hold tight fam - soon come! In the mean time, Ma-B and El Nino blessed a killer Hipe production yesterday. Check out eKapa Silapha (Cape Town, We're here)...
eKapa Silapha - Driemanskap - MP3 - (7.29 MB)
eKapa Silapha - Driemanskap - ZIP - (6.15 MB)
That's how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!
Check out the brand new video for Snakes and Fakes by Driemanskap. The beat is by El Nino who will be handling quite a bit of the production on their forthcoming album, Igqabhukil' Inyongo. Expect the album in stores in May this year.
You can also download Snakes and Fakes here...
Snakes and Fakes - Driemanskap - MP3 - (12.59 MB)
Snakes and Fakes - Driemanskap - ZIP - (11.5 MB)
That's how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!
Check out some video footage of Driemanskap in studio working on their new album, Igqabhukil' Inyongo, which we will be releasing in May this year. Beat by Planet Earth.
That's how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!
Lots of people have been calling, emailing and commenting on the blog, wanting to know what's happening with Driemanskap's debut album. I just wanted to take this opportunity to assure people that we're not sleeping and to give a progress update.
An album is a major undertaking. At PU we will never throw music out there for the sake of it. Everything from the track selection, to the mixing, to the packaging, to the distribution, to the marketing has to be done properly and this takes time. We believe that Driemanskap are going to be major artists in South Africa so we want to make absolutely sure that everything is on point so that they get the attention their talent deserves.
So far, Drie have recorded around 20 tracks on beats by El Nino, Ootz and PH. They have just got 3 more beats from Planet Earth and 3 more from Hipe. I will also be giving them a couple of beats. The boys are busy writing to these tracks and we have recording sessions booked for this week to record their new material.
We had some quality issues with some of the recordings that Drie made before they signed, but we're going to get busy in the next two weeks re-recording anything that isn't up to scratch.
We're half way through shooting a video for Snakes and Fakes, a track which addresses a lot of issues the group have faced, including why they are still called 'Drie'manskap now that there are four of them. Watch out for that on Youtube, and as a free download on PioneerUnit.com. All the tracks that don't make it on to the album will be released as free downloads before the album is released.
We would be disappointed if we didn't get the album out before May but there are a lot of factors that could effect the actual release date so we can't make promises. All we can say is that we're going to do our best to make it happen.
People have also expressed concern that the label is going to change Driemanskap's style or force them to make music that they don't like for the sake of selling units. This is absolutely not the case. Drie are selecting their own beats and writing exactly what they like with no interference from the label. We will give our input where necessary, but we would never try to dilute the essence of what makes Drie what they are. If you hear a track on their album, it's there because they want it there.
Let me assure you, Driemanskap's album is going to be a South African Hip Hop classic - it will be well worth the wait. Hold tight people - soon come!
That's how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!
We are proud to announce that we have completed a deal with Driemanskap.
Hailing from Gugulethu, Cape Town, Driemanskap is a 4-man crew made up of members El Nino, Ma-B, Redondo and Dla. Together they form the vanguard of the new generation of proudly South African Hip Hop artists who understand that Hip Hop, more than any other musical art form, is about addressing important issues and representing where you're from. Driemanskap are one of the pioneers of the Spaza movement, representing Cape Town with a rhyme style that combines their mother tongue, isiXhosa, with English and Cape Flats slang.
Driemanskap are always on the grind. While work on their debut album continues, they have released 2 mixtapes, Battle of Gugulethu Vol 1 and Battle of Gugulethu Vol 2. Their street anthem Go and Ask (Hamb'ubuza) also features on Planetary Assault, and Intwenje features on the October/ November edition of Hype magazine's Hype Sessions CD. Driemanskap created the sound track for the Precious talk show on SABC 2 and Itsho Into was used in the international movie Sizwe.
We believe this is an historic moment for Pioneer Unit Records and South African music as a whole. Our mission has always been to give a platform to real African Hip Hop that is at home anywhere in the world - it doesn't get more real than Driemanskap.
We plan to release Driemanskap's long-awaited full debut album, Igqibhukile Inyongo, in the first quarter of 2009. Expect a lot of new material before then though.
El Nino in the video for Ama Vuvuzela
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That's how we rrrrrrrrrrroll!!
We've got another Spaza banger for you to download for FREE!.
Check out this brand new remix of Cape Town (iKapa) featuring Ma-B and El Nino from Driemanskap. The original track is on Rattex's newly released 7784 Mixtape.
Cape Town (iKapa) Remix - Rattex Ft. Driemanskap - MP3 - (3.99MB)
Cape Town (iKapa) Remix - Rattex Ft. Driemanskap - ZIP - (3.95MB)
That's how we rrrrrrrroll!!
