Munya Vomo
THIS year continues to be the one in which hip hop took the leap and became mainstream. From the international awards for which several rappers were nominated or won to feats like Cassper Nyovest filling the TicketPro Dome to full capacity, it seems there is no limit to what rap music can do in South Africa. This is why e.tv came up with Above Ground, a 13-part docu-reality series hosted by hip hop veteran Ndabaningi Mabuye, known to his fans as Zubz.
“It’s been a very interesting year for me. The show Above Ground was cooked up by a friend of mine who documented a whole lot of hip hop guys who were doing great things at the time. There were also a number of non-hip hop acts included like 340ml and Kwani Experience. So there was a lot of footage lying there to aid in showing the growth of hip hop into what it is today,” said the rapper.
Given that he has been in the music industry for 15 years and began writing his own material at the tender age of 12, Zubz is the perfect man to take us from where it all started to the present.
“Hip hop is not a genre today. It is a movement, and that movement comes from somewhere. It had bricks laid one-by-one and that’s what sparked the debate between AKA and Black Coffee when they spoke about South Africa’s hip hop’s history. On Above Ground we try to tell people about who laid down these bricks and how the movement has developed across the continent,” said the rapper.
Zooming in on what to expect from the show, Zubz explained that it is more than just an entertainment offering; it is education on the culture of hip hop.
“We try and get our hand on the pulse of what is going on in the music industry today, but what we really want to do is try to give some meat and substance to hip hop because you can get fluff everywhere else. So what you have is a little bit of an in-depth look into the theme of that episode,” explained Zubz.
“I am generally in studio for most of the time but I have a team that will run around and get visuals for our shows. I then get to lay down what we are talking about coupled with a few inserts, making you an instant expert. We then see a key figure in whatever aspect we are talking about and they tell us a bit more of what they do,” he added.
Since it is 15 years since he started and things have changed in how artists get their music to the people. Zubz is happy with the new developments.
“I don’t have a problem with the commercialisation of anything. I don’t have a problem with people bastardising art. The thing about art is that you learn to release and let the artwork do whatever it needs to in the community,” he said.
But given this competitive landscape, would he have made it today?
“I honestly think that I would still succeed today. I think it’s in the DNA; you can’t fake that. Picasso would have been Picasso today. What would be different would be that I would not have a 15-year career. I wouldn’t have been so heavily focused on the introverted aspect of hip hop. I would be more focused on the branding, the marketing and the packaging. Today’s new kid on the block has to be really creative to make a mark.
“I think 2016 is going to be a great year because I feel that gatekeepers are crumbling. We are in a time where not only the major labels can market an artist. Indies have been marketing people to the level of the majors, which means everyone has a chance. The internet is proliferating like mad, and data is becoming cheaper meaning accessibility is becoming wider and wider.”
Above Ground airs on Tuesdays at 6pm eKasi+ Channel 105 on OpenView HD.