Cape Town - Rapper and community activist Emile YX from Black Noise has released an album, Songs for my Son.
The CD was recently released in the city. Emile said he was thinking about releasing it for the last three years.
He said he wrote five of the songs for his three-year-old son, Kai-Jeevan. The songs include: Just let the Moon, Bushman Creation Song, and the Battle of Princess Vlei.
“Parents do not realise how powerful it is to sing to their children. But it is also for young people from the Cape Flats to reclaim their identity and values,” he said.
On the album he also talks about the Khoisan. “I want to build a sense of values within young people. And also make them aware of the first nation people, namely the Khoisan. I want to make people aware of how the first clothing, shoes, language was created by Khoisan people, and to be proud of their heritage and where they came from.
"People should not feel ashamed about this. So-called coloured people are too removed from who they are.”
He also started the Heal the Hood project where young people are kept off the street through dance. “You will find a lot of young people dancing in the streets, but not all of them know where hip-hop and the dancing they are doing originated from.” The album costs R100 and can be obtained from him.