15 Emcees

"Kill you then vacation in Knysna"

Remember that line? Yeah, that was Black Lez making everyone scratch their heads on the 15 Emcees Special joint that's taken off Reason's WenzTheAlbumCuminOut? mixtape. Truth be told that was a gem and a half and I for one wish it woulda received the radio airplay that it deserves. Big up to Instro who produced it.

In case you couldn't keep up, in order of appearance, here are the 15 emcees: Naked Eye, Saint You Know, N'Veigh, Dismental, Arch Rival, Miss Nthabi, Mr Beef, Poltagyst, Black Lez, Mo Katalyst, Big Ben, X-Rate, Iamaze, Mothipa and Reason.

15 Emcees Special by Instro01

Kings Of Another Kingdom

This past weekend presented history-in-the-making for some of us rap lovers. Not since Optical Ill was a rap crew and not a distant memory have hip hop luminaries, Golden Shovel and X-Rate, rapped on the same track. If you've been a longtime blagger or blaggette then you know how we feel about Brotha X. If not, see theblagg's bio on the side strip of this site. Go.

Are you back? So now you understand that a meeting of these minds is a big deal to us and, I'd like to think, to hip hop. Anyway, the two hooked up with Mothipa at King Katta's studio in the V and recorded a joint called Kings Of Another Kingdom. The verses complement a Battlekat fire-beat and also feature the singing styles of Battlekat, Genocide, our favourite female producer, BK as well as Lindiwe.

Instro, who was the sessions engineer, was reluctant to explicitely express what the joint is about but one thing is for sure, the producer is ecstatic about the parallel universe concept and can't wait for you to hear it.

theblagg hit up X-Rate, who told us what the experience was like. And before you ask why his arm is bandaged in this photo, we've learnt that when it comes to injuries, it's better to not ask rappers questions like "how did you do that?" This is what the half of X and O had to say about recording Kings Of Another Kingdom, a song that will appear on Golden Shovel's (Shove to those who like things, ha!) upcoming album, The Lost Gospels:

"Well, the beat was sent a week before the recording and we were supposed to start writing then. However, Mothipa and I didn't do that - as if we ever do what we are told. So we got there and Shove was finishing off a song he was busy with. After that, it was on. That beat was played and we hit the pen and paper. There were a lot of loiterers at the studio though, which was a bit different for me. As we were writing, Shove laced his verse and I think 2 hours after that Mothipa got in and then I followed. It was fun but... different for me."

If you'd seen Instro's tweets (@instros), you'd know that touching the mic after Shovel was not easy to do. But we're keen to hear the final product and hope we'll get it first - hint, hint - so keep your eyes on theblagg for that.

Podcast Put On

An exchange between The Ordinary Girl and "Vaal Triangular Son, To Be Particular" originator X-Rate on an early April morning.

The Ordinary Girl: What is the Nauts and Crosses Podcast II? Do you and producer, Ootz, present or just rap?
X-Rate: It's really songs that didn't make the album [that Ootz and I are working on]. We are just showcasing our work on this podcast...yameen?
T.O.G: So how does it work? Are the songs just played non stop or is the podcast in radio format with breaks in between songs?
X: Well...it's a medley of songs so how it works is that, basically, you can't skip a track because all the songs are presented as one mp3. So you just play the mp3 and you'll find about 14 tracks on it.
T.O.G: What exactly is on the podcast?
X: Those are songs we did just nje! Plus some of the older songs we did in our individual capacity just to show what we do. We feature Zubz, Battlekat, pH, Nthabi, Reason, Eli and more.
T.O.G: The podcast is great but when can we expect a X-Rate and Ootz album?
X: Sooner than soon. Its finished its just admin now...

Uh-huh, we've heard that one before. Download Nauts and Crosses Podcast II for FREE here and here.

And yes, although we know what Brotha X was saying theblagg cannot advocate the use of "yameen" in public or around small animals.

Imitation: The Highest Form Of Flattery

So theblagg shows love to rapper, Mothipa, as much as the next person. Ok, maybe just as much as the average rap fan because we have nothing on these groupies! But we digress. If you haven't already, go out and get a copy of Mothipa's EP, Cure For The Pain. The cover (see above)in all its awesomery was crafted by Vaal Brotha and one half of rap duo XO, X-Rate.

But back to the reason for this post: while scrolling through all the mess that is found on these mean internet streets, theblagg came across this cool ass Industry Hi-Jack Unplugged video. The "lead single" or "street single" as some would term it was produced by theblagg familia Hope and as if the original production was not amazing in itself, Phutirapheeha (theblagg takes no responsibility for names that you a) cannot pronounce b)do not understand the meaning of c) whatever excuse you can think of for this conundrum of a word) and his band have shot themselves actually playing the instrumental. Looks like the dudes had a lot of fun so we made like the blaggoons that we are and ripped it off the net for your viewing pleasure. Support people who love what they do and do what the love!