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rapfornication · 8 years ago

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What 2016 Gave Us: The Year Of The Underdog by Rodey

2016 was definitely the year of the underdog, as much as familiar names made appearances it was hard to focus on what they were doing because the new kids on the block were making just as much noise – if not more. It didn’t matter if it was on an international scale in the likes of Yung M.A, 6lack, Boogie, Eli Sostre, Saba and the whole gang of artists who made their impact on the scene. The new kids who came in punching in South Africa were ridiculously consistent and impressive to say the least, the likes of;

Espacio Dios: and his ‘Backseat Galaxy EP’. Something of a genre totally new to what I’ve heard in the past coming from a local talent, Espacio has some of the most amazing vocals and song writing for an 18 year old. I’m in awe of how concentrated his work is, and the lead single ‘Amen’ sort of just gives you only a glimpse into the project and the trip it takes you on.

It’s available on iTunes and Google Play Store for R29, and it’s worth every buck.

Another cat that came through is Yung Swiss. Yes, that ‘Mayo’ nigga. He gave us ‘#BottomBaby’ towards the end of the end of 2016, an 11 track project with features from K.O and Nadia Nakai respectively. The tape shows how Swiss is not only good at producing amazing hooks, but the kid is pretty versatile when it comes to many so aspects of music.

ByLwansta: and his ‘Your Absolutely Right EP’ was definitely one the stand out projects of 2016, it got a perfect rating from Hype Mag and if Rapfornication had the same platform to do the same I’m sure it’d score an identical rating. ByLwansta was lent a helping hand by an array of producers on the project but you can tell he was largely involved in every nook and cranny of the 9 track project. Features from Cape Town rapper Sipho The Gift and Durban singer/rapper Clara-T complement ByLwansta’s protagonist role in the body of work. What you need to understand id that nothing on the tape is farfetched, it’s just a project telling what is. Also Beatmochini’s remix edition of the tape introduces a whole new side to the project and what it sounds like.

Moz Kid: the 19 year old rapper from JHB dropped an album titled ‘What Were You Doing 19’. I really don’t need to tell you what that means because it’s self-explanatory, but what I need to say is that it is absolute fuego. With an assist from Blaze and Boss Zonke ‘Riky Rick’ on ‘Too Young (Part 2)’ and ‘I Wanna Know’ respectively, the young artist brings so much delivery and uniqueness to the table. He’s the complete package and then some. Highly overlooked, while his peers Nasty_C and A-Reece receive acclaim, Moz produces nothing short of an emphatic project - I really hope he hits the ground running in 2017 and keeps the momentum going into the New Year. I’m surely making the first Hype Mag freshman list will do his career wonders too.

Frank Casino: GET THE FUCK OUT!! Okay before I proceed with why Frank from the East thoroughly deserves to be here and how god damn revolutionary he is about to be for South African rap, let me express how much of a stan I am. Alright, back to the topic – Frank Casino a.k.a Mr. Whole Thing a.k.a that nigga on ‘Mayo’ with the perfectly abstract flow. Then he came out of nowhere and gave us a perfectly put together 16 track mixtape that displays the vast and multifaceted artist he is. ‘Something From Me’ is led by ‘Whole Thing’ and followed by the extended version of the hit single (in my opinion, the extended version is just unfuckablewith in every aspect). There’s something Frank has but I just can’t put my finger to it, it’s beyond talent – he’s a gifted. On the project there are two beats that sound exactly the same and in so being he cannot afford to sound the same on any song. He can do literally anything on a song and this body of work lays proof of that and more.

KLY: First off, an honorary mention to Wichi 1080. The man is a genius, for both KLY and Priddy Ugly’s work and sound. KLY gave us two R&B projects in 2016, two damn projects. I don’t know about you but that is a feat. First off was ‘KLYMAX’, a 10 track mixtape which introduced a lot of people to a very focused and pure vocal approach to trap. I would like to say that this is not trapsoul or anything like that, but instead KLY genuinely gave us an R&B project with a heavy trap influence. The second of the KLY twins was ‘KLYMAX reup’, a 12 track project with completely new songs and a more grown artistic sound (again, Wichi1080 man, what a fucken amazing contribution he made to assuring the project sounds like a sliver of heaven). With features from fellow East Rand artists Priddy Ugly and Frank Casino, and majors like Riky Rick and Nigerian rapper YCee – the project just oozes so much elegance and maturity. KLY really has a mastered sound, it sounds golden in every aspect.

Una Rams: I first heard Una Rams on his ‘PINK MOON’ EP, and at the time that was really the most vibe filled project I’d heard from an artist I’d just come across. That was in 2015, and I really do believe that he has developed as an artist and his sound in 2016 took a leap into something so great to witness. His feature on TRON’s ‘Stay’ was what I think vocal utopia sounds like. It’s going to be a trip seeing how he evolves even further this year.

PALMTREE PARADISE: WOW, PALMTREE FUCKEN PARADISE. I’ll admit that at first all I was going to hear was a basic copy and paste of WTF but with just more characters. Wrong, because what the six members of PTP bring forth is so so so so beautiful. I don’t know what to call it, but honestly these are musicians and not artist – I’m of the notion that the former represents more skill than the latter. Their latest offering ‘Tropical Reign’ is a 17 track composition of nothing but vibes, a summer’s vacation story, it’s party, recess, chill and repeat. The mix of personalities brings a new dimension, and how they experiment with so many genres and merge them with hip-hop/trap is beyond commendable. With features from Reason, Nhlege, Tribal, and Dontay and above mentioned WTF – the tape is a mash of a sound South African millennials will definitely fuck with.

Naye Ayla: Is a neo-soul artist from Johannesburg and her music is remarkable. Towards the end of 2016 she dropped an 8 track project ‘Exi(s)t’ with features from YoungstaCPT and Una Rams, it really is just refreshing to hear such a soulful project from a local artist. He remix of Nasty_C’s ‘Juice Back’ finds a home in the smooth and composed body of work. Naye presents so much presence in her work, her voice is a silky and assuring in a sense. I do hope she gets the recognition she deserves in 2017, and that more artist of the neo-soul genre garner support and come to the surface.

Thiaps: Yo, I 1) had to wrap up this review with this. 2) I could not even fathom leaving out Mr. SUPERFiSHAAL. You know how New Age Kwaito was a thing a year or two ago? Yeah, this is not it but this is an exact Kwaito off-spring in sound. From the delivery to the lingo, to the confidence, and the whole vibe you get from his ‘SUPERFiSHAAL’ mixtape. I’m in awe at how eargasmic this 10 track project sounds, like in 2016 this is what we’re making? Projects that are perfectly reminiscent of the great era of Kwaito, if so I’m totally stanning for it. Thiaps has a lot of great things coming his way because ‘SUPERFiSHAAL’ is a gem.

A crew of other prolifically talented artists made appearances in 2016. It goes without saying that if this is what this batch of artists consider as warm ups then one can really look forward to a mad lit 2017.

Photograph courtesy of True Africa.

#sa rappers #South African Hip Hop #thiaps #KYL #una rams #bylwansta #your absolutely right #Moz Kid #the whole thing #riky rick #naye ayla #palmtree paradise #youngstacpt #superfishaal #pink moon ep #mayo #yung swiss #hip hop new school #rap

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16barsreloaded · 3 years ago

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TIPS ON HOW TO PLAN AND ORGANISE YOURSELF FOR THE YEAR

It's a brand new year and with every new year comes the pressure to have your goals, plans and some sort of direction for the year figured out. While "new year's resolutions" or the "new year, new me" slogan may be things of the past, it's important to set key intentions and commit to holding yourself accountable for your growth as the year goes by. We've got 5 major notes, tips and excerpts from the #MusicUnscripted Twitter Space featuring ByLwansta hosted last week to get you started in the right direction.

1. Focus on a key theme for the year

Setting a subject of focus as the year starts will help you streamline what you want to ultimately get out of your year. According to Spokenpriestess, theming your year gives you an overarching rule or mantra to live by. For instance, "the year of execution", which means that your sole focus in the whole year is working on executing your ideas, plans and everything else you usually never see to the finish. ByLwansta mentioned two words he intends to live by in 2022 and those are "intentionality" and "readiness" which will drive how much conviction he puts into everything he does all year round. Things that can help you pick a theme of focus can be reviewing the previous year to see what you were unable to achieve and what is still a burning desire to get right or execute against. We all have ideas, wishes and "what ifs", be honest with yourself and be brave enough to put yourself out there by tackling that one thing you have been putting off for years.

2. Write it down and keep it in sight

It's one thing to decide on what you're going to focus on at the top of the year but it's another to actually see it through. Once you have set your theme for the year, make sure to write it down somewhere where you can see it constantly. While we all believe in different things, it is no secret that there is a special power in writing things down that gets you started with the process of realising your desires. Put down your idea and then put reminders within visible view to keep you motivated to achieve your goal or execute your ideas. The more you see something, the more your mind becomes conditioned to it being your reality. Subconsciously you start to either draw yourself towards that thing or become proactive in achieving it because it's always top of mind. Things you can use to write things down are journals (available at PNA, CNA, Typo or any other stationary store), whiteboards (available at Makro, Parrot, Takealot), light boxes (available at Typo and Takealot) and the Notes App available on every mobile device. A more creative way to visualise what you want is by creating a vision board where you can put together images of what you want to see happening in your life from the car you want to drive to businesses you want to work with, artists you want to collaborate with and so much more. It can be as specific as you want it to be - it is after all your life. Keep that vision board close so that you can always see what you're dreaming of and working towards.

3. Get organised in your thinking

When it comes to creativity or artistry there is always some sort of beautiful chaos involved in the process, but there are benefits in being a little more organised. For instance, keeping track of time is one advantage of being well planned. Deadlines, objectives lists and execution plans are important in making sure that your beautiful work gets the tender love and care it deserves before you share it with the world. We're not saying you need to be as precise as the personal assistant of a CEO but some sort of organisation will help you curb the procrastination, teach you to be productive, and nudge you to celebrate the small wins when you tick off your tasks. Tools you can use to plot out important dates or plan a content calendar throughout the year are readily available to you.

- Consider buying a big block calendar (available at Typo, Parrot or Takealot) that you can keep against the wall to write down dates, ideas and deadlines for each month.

- Set reminders ahead of time on your cellphone calendar so that meetings, appointments and activities pop-up as notifications on your screen. This is one of the easiest ways to stay organised without much effort.

- There is an app that ByLwansta cited called TODOIST (https://todoist.com/). It allows you to set tasks, reminders and also helps you organise your tasks or days.

- Use the Google Drive system to type your documents, create presentations as well as spreadsheets online. These documents are downloadable in the Microsoft Office formats of word doc, excel sheets or powerpoint presentations once you're done. The Google system is also very helpful for collaborating with remote teams through file sharing and direct input on the same documents with trackable changes plus live chats or comments.

- Get the OTTER TRANSCRIPTION APP (https://otter.ai), it's a mobile app you can use to voice your ideas, notes or even record meetings and it will turn then into text paragraphs. You can then categorise or arrange your boards in the app to help you organise your thinking. Just remember to execute on your ideas and follow up on everything you write down okay?

4. Share your goals with trusted friends or family members

Keeping track of your progress goes hand-in-hand with being accountable for the things you said you're going to achieve. We're human, things get blurry every now and then, plus we're still navigating a pandemic so things will definitely go off-track. This is why it's important to appoint "accountability partners" to help you check how far you are with writing that book or recording that EP for example. Having a non-judgemental or neutral friend who will ask, "Did you manage to write that proposal for that brand?" is a good way to keep nudging you in the right direction. Try to take responsibility for your own growth as much as you can without completely relying on your support system to remind you of the things you promised to do for yourself. There's nothing like the victory of keeping the promises we make to ourselves, it encourages us to do better and to continue making ourselves proud. Some ways to connect with your accountability partners are through a regular coffee date - be realistic about how often you can meet, scheduling virtual calls, or setting up celebration dates close to your deadlines to push you to stay within your time frames.

5. Take it easy and look after yourself

When all is said and done, it's important to remember that life happens and with that comes challenges that might throw you off course. Aside from that, it's also okay to miss a personal deadline here or there when things don't go according to plan. What matters most is never giving up on what you're trying to do, no matter how much longer it's taking you. A healthy way to check in with yourself is to always ask these three questions:

a) Did I do my best?

b) Is what's happening out of my control?

c) Can I start over and try again?

If you answer "yes" to all these questions then you allow yourself the grace to move through curveballs without beating yourself up over what ifs and disappointments. In addition to this, you need to to take care of yourself in order to maintain a good amount of energy and strength to give your best all year round. Here are some key strategies for self-care and maintenance:

- Visit your friends or family as often as possible. We often get lost in the rut of hustling, working, creating and securing the bag that we become isolated from our loved ones. It's important to make time to go see that friend that brings out the best in you, visit your parents or your favourite uncle and niece/nephew. We underestimate the power this small gesture has in nurturing us emotionally. These people often remind you of who you are, how great you are and how much they believe in you and this will surely rejuvenate you, boosting your confidence especially when things are tough.

- Eat well and stay active. This is a sore point for many of us but there's no escaping the fact that better eating habits and some exercise contributes to us functioning at our best. All the fatty foods in takeaways added with the sugars in our snacks or the excess caffeine we take to stay energised ultimately affects our moods and health in the long run. You don't need to become a fitness bunny but you can take simple measures like ensuring that you eat fruit and vegetables daily, drink lots of water (there are apps that help you track your intake) and reduce the amount of fast foods you eat in a week. This along with stretching daily or doing some kind of weekly exercise routine will help you feel more energised, giving you better endurance all year long.

- You have to get enough sleep my friend. We know that there'll be peak periods where your deadlines are looming, pitches are demanding or you're trying to wrap up that album. However, running on 3 hours of sleep and high levels of caffeine in your system paired with excessive junk food is not the best way to function at your optimum. A good night's rest has the advantages of improved concentration along with feelings of calmness throughout the day. You won't create your best work from an empty cup. So make sure to plan ahead, give yourself time to do the work you need to do, ask for help so that you're not completely overwhelmed, and then get some good rest after you've given it your all.

We hope that these tips will come in handy with getting yourself all geared up for the year. Above all else, it's important to remember that you are in control so if anything is not working in your favour feel free to try something new. If things are not going the way you want them to, don't feel pressured to press on without reevaluating your strategy and getting yourself back in the swing of things. While we want to be organised, we also need to be kind to ourselves and accommodate any kind of circumstance - no matter what happens, you can always start again at any given time. Stay tuned to the #MusicUnscripted Twitter Spaces happening bi-weekly with @spokenpriestess and @16BarsRELOADED as we will be walking the creative journey with you all year round.

Till the next blog, each one teach one.

#musicunscripted #planning #tips #getorganised

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