Motswako - a seTswana word meaning mix. It is also a cultural movement of some sorts involving hip-hop rapped in seTswana.
"Yeah, but it's much more than that," say Morafe, Tuks and HHP, the current three hip- hop leaders in motswako.
Okay, a quick background for those who aren't hip-hop fans or who don't come from Tshwane or north of the boerewors curtain.
The motswako movement was originated by Bongo Maffin's Stoan back in the early '90s. He was trying to mix cultures - traditional and modern lifestyles. He was also rapping in seTswana, which had never been done before. This was pushed on the underground by rappers like Baphixile and Crowded Crew. It has finally caught the attention of the masses through Morafe, Tuks and HHP.
In the past year they have exploded on the SA music scene and are seen as the coolest cats on the block. HHP is riding high on the charts with his hit Jabba. Tuks is authentically underground and Morafe are so popular among the chicks that there are cat fights at their concerts.
"When we first started back in 2001," explain the trio of Morafe, "it was so difficult. We had record companies saying, 'if you don't rap in Zulu you're never gonna be successful'. We even had some dumbass white record exec tell us this. We got up and walked out of that meeting so quickly.
"You gotta understand where it comes from," they continue. "Mafikeng or Maftown, as it is known, is a fun-loving place. There are no crazy bad things happening. It is a non-violent, easy-going place."
"Exactly," affirms HHP. "Growing up I never ran away from thugs or cops. In our lyrics we don't swear. Tswana rappers are sweet guys."
They say the vibe in Maftown is reflected in their music. Their sound is a happy party sound. Morafe says their producer, Thaso, aptly reflects that vibe. He is the main producer from Mafikeng and one of the main boys behind the motswako sound, having produced both Tuks and Morafe.
At times his sound is also reflected in Zola's music. Before the kwaito star worked with Thaso, Zola's sound was heavy, aggressive and dark. Think Umdlwembe, Zola's first CD. On his third album, Bhambaata, Zola worked with Thaso, who gave him a lighter edge.
The rappers say the motswako movement isn't about being Tswana. "The irony is that between all five of us only Tuks is Tswana," laughs HHP. "The rest of us are Pedi, Venda, Xhosa and Shangaan."
They are careful to avoid the tribalism connotations. "In a way it is kind of forced on us," says Tuks. "We're known as Mangope's children."
HHP jumps in: "I remember when I was a child and Lucas Mangope would drive by in his presidential car. We'd all have to stop and show respect. The government of the day was strict. It was run like a patriarchal family. You couldn't gossip about the president in public."
"My album cover is a metaphor for motswako," says Tuks, trying to grapple with the definition. On his cover, which he designed, there is an image of his face. Just behind that image is a ghostly image of him with a hood on. It is kinda scary.
"Not at all," he says. "We are still in the dark as to how to define this. With motswako you see things but you still can't really grasp it. We need to define the mystery behind motswako."
Morafe, Tuks and HHP were dubbed the Three Kings (even though there are three people in Morafe) by a promoter for a gig in Mafikeng. The name has stuck.
"I don't like that name," states HHP. "Look what happened to Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. Look what happened to Arthur, the king of pop. Kings are vulnerable."
"The thing is we don't really have a choice in this one," says Tuks. "We were just thrown in. But now we must deal with it as best we can. Someone has to take the rap. Once you are labelled you can't do anything about it."
"I don't suppose we can really define it as it is evolving all the time," says HHP thoughtfully. "But get this: People are even seeing our merchandise as motswako merchandise. It's getting branded. And someone is going to take the concept further. But we need all the help we can get.
"The nice thing is that motswako caters for non hip-hop people, too. Even the older people like it. The deeply traditional people love our metaphors. Coloured rappers love our flow."
Morafe say their style differs from the usual SA rap, which is performed in Zulu, which is far more hardcore and aggressive. Their sound, they say, is more musical.
"Woah," interrupts HHP. "You're heading towards tribalism. And that is not cool."
"Not at all," say Morafe. "In the beginning we were told that to succeed in the music industry in SA we had to rap in Zulu. But, through our success we have proved that as long as your music is good you don't have to be understood to be popular.
"For instance, we were in Botswana performing with Zola before we released our CD. Most people there speak seTswana and don't understand Zulu. Even though we were rapping in their vernacular, Zola went down better than us because he was a more established artist.
"With our success we feel we have triumphed because now we can rap in any language."
If anything, the motswako movement proves that if the music is good it can appeal to the whole world.
* Morafe are quoted en masse because interviewing the three of them is like interviewing one person.
They are in constant agreement.