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Bosso ke mang? Top 5 essential Motswako albums

  • Khutjisho Phahladira
  • Sep 16, 2015
  • 5 min read

During the late nineties in South Africa, a few rappers from the North West province began to experiment with the art of using the mother tongue of Setswana to create was to be known as motswako, the earliest acts to do so were Baphixile and Stoan of Bongo Maffin fame. Although motswako is directly translated as ‘mixture’, the sub-genre has been associated with rappers that fuse Setswana, English and street slang in their lyrics.

Now, more than a decade later, the sub-genre stands as a monumental cultural instrument that propelled artists like HHP, Khuli Chana and Cassper Nyovest to the zenith of South African pop culture, and the verge of international success. Cassper has been collecting awards left, right and center with his debut album, Tsholofelo. And when earlier this year Khuli released a captivating music videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8T3NRttDjQ for his ode to police brutality titled 9shots, we were reminded once again of the quality of motswako artists that manage to transcend the language barrier in the universal language of music.

As a tribute to the giant leaps made by motswako artists in the past years, I have compiled the top 5 motswako albums, these are the records that helped put motswako on the map, and inspire a wide array of artists while at it. The criterion used is based on three factors; production, lyrical content and cultural impact.

5. Amantsi - Molemi

In 2007, motswako had cemented itself in the South African music industry through works by HHP, Tuks and Morafe enjoying consistent airplay on various radio stations and winning a few awards. However, to the mainstream, motswako was not seen as a platform to talk about political issues. Molemi changed all

that with he’s debut album, Amantsi. The album was a revelation of far-left conscious motswako like never heard before. The production is smooth, mixing boom-bap beats with jazzy sounds, the drum patterns and melodious chords lay a strong foundation for the raps of Molemi.

Mojo man can switch up and go indegenious style, take the track ‘Euba’ featuring Kganyo & Keya where he takes a traditional ‘tswana song and adds some setswana poetry to produce a track that could fit well into a Culture Spears album as it does here.

Lyrically Mo flexes political-class conscious raps “ I lost too many of people in the struggle/ Ke setse ke le phiri every weekend in a jiggi with a shovdel” he sings on the title track. He blends those conscious rhymes with some braggadocio lyrics and some addressing the fairer sex to put out an album that thrust conscious into the mainstream.

4. Maru A Pula – Morafe

Maru A Pula is Morafe’s debut album released in 2005 under Ghetto Ruff. With Towdeemac & Khuli Chana on raps and KayGizm singing, the album was one the earliest to motswako records to attain commercial success on a larger scale, with nation wide airplay and a feature on the Gaz’lam soundtrack. The production was to define motswako for a generation with elements of kwaito gong, hip hop beats and jazz instrumentation fused together with vernacular lyricism and soulful singing.

Lyrically Towdee & Khuli come out with raw lyrical dexterity, whether talking about putting in work ( Money Work), partying (Jaiva Lengwana) or self-destruction ( Jozi City Lights), the delivery is flawlessall the while KayG is backing them with smooth harmonies. After Maru A Pula, everyone wanted to make complex compelling compositions, just dropping a hot 16 wasn’t enough.

3. O Mang? Reloaded – Hip Hop Pantsula

Screw what you heard, this is the album that made tswana fashionable. Released in 2004 , it is the re-mastered version of 2003’s O Mang? With this album HHP boosted with singles that became instant classics, case in point; Harambe, case in point; Tswaka. This is not an album where the singles take centre stage though, Jabba managed to craft a highly experimental album that sounded cohesive and fresh. From the disco funk of He Banna, all the way down to the accapella piece, O Re Jela Bana.

The subject matter ranges from identity making (O Mang?), teenage pregnancy (Danger remix) and introspection (On Own Own). The album is anything but a moody album though, there is enough feel good music to keep a party jamming. O Mang reloaded tore down the boundaries of what motswako was sounding like, it’s influence can be heard from Morafe’s debut as well as records by Molemi and Cassper.

2. Mafoko A Me – Tuks Senganga

At a time when motswako was experiencing a rapid rise in Mzansi’s music scene. Tuks dropped he’s debut album, Mafoko A Me. The production is a mixture of soulful sampling , backdrop hip hop beats and a bit of live instrumentation, credit has to be given to Thasman, who handled most of the production. The lyrical theme is braggadocio ghetto tales, Senganga tackled topics like robbery ( The Need) to poverty (925 600 minutes) with a lyrical maturity like no other, switching between English, Setswana and scamto effortlessly.

Tuks made it cool to talk about serious issues, the album went on to win the best hip hop album at the SAMA’s whilst receiving a gold plaque foe it’s sales, putting motswako in the driving seat of local hip hop.

Lost In Time – Khuli Chana

This album could top the list on credentials alone, I mean it is after all the album that took home the SAMA Record of The Year, which was a first for a hip hop album. But this is not a list compiled on award honors alone.

The album is a showcase of the self proclaimed ‘motswakoriginator’ on cruise control while dishing out tips to the young bucks on how this thing is done. In classic Khuli style, Chana recruits his Morafe brothers for this project, Towdeemac is featured on three tracks and inspires one (Hazzadazzmove) while KayGizm is given the ropes of music direction and singing lekker melodies.

What Khuli Chana did different from his debut album is to enlist PH of Raw X production as the main producer whereas previously he had put Don Juan of Octave Couplet in that role. The result is very pleasing to the ear to say the least. The beats on Lost in time knock harder whilst still keeping a fair share of those jazzy elements that made his debut a success.

Lyrically Khuliano is as diverse and lethal as ever, his energy and rhyme schemes on tracks like ‘Tswa Daar’ and ‘Ketane’ is reminiscent of his days on DJ Lemonka’s standout track on The Motswakotape, ‘Young Man’. While a song like ‘Lenyalo’ shows maturity in terms of subject matter and delivery, a song like ‘Capunta’ shakes you off balance with its playfully provocative lyrics.

This album rocked the summer and the following year whilst still mantaining a cohesive sound that made the album as whole unskippable. A Motwako essential.

 
 
 

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