‘Fuck your tuition …. Ready to take it without your permission’ goes the arresting chorus of Sehrrge’s No Permission. Aka Dumisane Maseko from the Vaal, a BPharma student by day, the song moves political commentary into the trap era. With a slurred beat from Polo, Sehrrge talks about how young people in South Africa are caught in a web of debt slavery. In order to have a better life, society says, you have to be prepared to be in bondage for the rest of your life. The song acknowledges this sad state of affairs, while waving a defiant middle finger at it.
Student protests against fees have been an explosive force globally, but in South Africa is has been especially contentious. Fees Must Fall, and associated events, have come to stand for the dissolution of the post-Apartheid ‘rainbow nation’ project, when many feeling that reconciliation really just meant a rebranding of racism and structural inequality. Sehrrge’s artwork for the song ( a piece which he has called ‘Digital Ballot’) reflects this era of flux- Mandela below the AWB flag, against the melting face of Jacob Zuma. This schizoid imagery speaks to the dissolution of what he calls ‘ the democratic Utopian South Africa.’ Facing up to unpleasant reality puts him with the small group of South African hip hop artists who have chosen to confront politics head on. In the past, Cape Town’s Prophets of Da City had their radical songs censored by the Apartheid regime. In the 2000’s, Godessa spoke of Social Ills, while Teargas were named for the beloved substance of violent police. More recently Dookom courted controversy with Larney Jou Poes, a searing attack on the deplorable conditions of farm workers.
Fortunately, Sehrrge knows how to keep his politics engaging. Out of nowhere, the song dissolves into a hazy Take Care style late nightclub scenario. He may be criticizing consumer society, but he is as enthralled to it as anyone else. In fact, such contradictions have been central to some of the most politically potent rap. The tense space between consciousness and materialism, bragging about skill and bearing witness to the world. NWA and 2Pac made timeless protest music while espousing some deplorable views about guns and violence. Currently, no-one embodies this better than Run The Jewels. On their two albums to date, Killer Mike and El-P have critically dissected society while also making hilariously depraved boasts and threats. In a comparable vein, No Permission succeeds precisely because of its hedonistic swagger.