The falcon headed Horus was one of the most powerful deities in Ancient Egypt- the Pharaoh’s claimed that they were Horus in human form. It take a lot of self-belief to adopt the name of such a potent mythological figure, but Horus Tha God seems primed to live up to this title. His latest track Bangarang (produced by Trip G) is the official single for the forthcoming The Alien Tape. Over a skeletal beat, the lyrics take overt influence from Future’s trap style. But it goes beyond mere emulation, by taking typical rap boasting about criminal prowess to a ludicrously entertaining extreme. In the song he compares himself variously to drug kingpins like Pablo Escobar, El Chapo Guzman and the fictional Alejandro Sosa from the movie Scarface. Hilariously, the songs chorus of ‘Taliban, Taliban, Taliban shoot ‘em up like Afghanistan’ got its premiere on the ETV’s youth show Shiz Niz. Horus is clearly self-aware about all this absurdity, as the song gets its name from Steven Spielberg’s family movie Hook!
Horus is promising that The Alien Tape will be a diverse mix, including a ‘heavy metal track. with Zulu verses’. The Horus name is that latest moniker of Pietermaritzburg born artist Luthando Sithole. Under his previous pseudonym Jonny Joburg, he both released his own work and produced for musicians like Cama Gwini. His lyrical and musical skills are most vivid in the moody track Mazishe. The song is both nostalgic and ominous, underscored by an exceptional music video which depicts the mystery of nocturnal Johannesburg. He also put in time hustling to break his music in the US, with stints spent in Miami and Los Angeles. Based on his Facebook page, he has quite the tale to tell as he interacted with moguls like Birdman and Puff Daddy. The time in America has fed into the Horus persona which reflects a less austere, more approachable contemporary style which will have wide appeal in South Africa and beyond.