Bubblegum Club

Tag: Suup Zulu

  • Richi Rich is bringing Alex to the World

    Richi Rich is bringing Alex to the World

    Soweto-born, but raised in South Africa’s oldest township, Alexandra, the young rapper known as Richi Rich has been active as a rapper since 2010 when he was part of YunGunz crew alongside Suup Zulu and Hip Nautic Sean. “We all were different, so we all chose to go our individual ways and do different stuff, but we were still going to support each other,” explains Richi Rich.

    As a solo artist Richi Rich has released three mixtapes and an EP, most recently dropping the ‘NORTHGOMORA MIXTAPE’. With Alexandra, or Alex as it’s called, on the border of ‘the North’ aka Sandton, the title alludes to the two worlds which Richi occupies. “I’ve been to the North, I’ve been to Alex. I’m where the suburbs and the hood meet.”

    Having found hip-hop at an early age, Richi Rich describes himself as an influencer in his circle of friends, introducing them to sounds such as G-Unit when it first came out. In terms of influences on his sound he holds The Notorious B.I.G. and Okmalumkoolkat in high regard. “When I saw Okmalumkoolkat and the ‘Sebenza’ song that changed the whole perspective of music for me. (To) actually create South African hip-hop. People in America don’t want to hear what they do. They want to hear something new, something from South Africa, something from Africa. So I feel like we should push that.”

    For Richi Rich creating something new isn’t just about the music he makes but everything that surrounds it too, from the fashion to the slang. It’s a lifestyle. “We’ve created something new. It’s not like we took something from someone and just carried on doing it. Everything is new. Because we’re young people. We’re trying to grow into becoming superstars, we’ve evolved like crazy.”

    While Richi Rich is focused on originality, he acknowledges the influence Alex has had on him and his aesthetic. “The influence comes from Alex. What we say, how we live, what we do and how we dress, most of the influence comes from where we come from. Being in the hood you learn a whole lot of stuff. Life lessons. People giving you advice.”

    Ultimately, Richi Rich is trying to show people a side of Alex they might not be familiar with. “I feel like that’s what makes me special. I don’t believe in everybody sounding the same. Like Youngsta, you can tell that he’s from Cape Town. That makes him special. It makes him more interesting; you want to listen to him more, you want to learn more about Cape Town, where he comes from. So I feel like it does make me special. Me being from Alex and bringing Alex to the world.”

    Richi Rich hopes that people enjoy his music, but also learn something from it too. “When you listen to my music I want you to learn something. Not just come out of it like that’s good. When you’re finished with my mixtape I want it to be that you’ve learnt something from Richi. I want you to take knowledge from me, what I’ve learnt in the hood.”

  • Suup Zulu- Living In The Future Past

    Sibusiso Tshona, aka Suup Zulu, is a young rapper and producer from the township of Alexandra. Over the last year, he has been steadily winning attention with a diverse body of solo tracks, like his debut Uyezwa and various collaborations.

    His production style is simultaneously  contemporary, while also casting an ear back to South Africa’s musical past. Zulu’s growing library of work, catalogued on his Soundcloud page, is  defined by its hypnotic style. Beats are piled on, while disembodied vocal choirs and keyboards spring to life. His vocals cut in like lasers through a dense fog of smoke. It captures the woozy feeling of being in some dank nightclub basement at 3am- both falling asleep and totally wired. Bleary eyed, unsure of what’s real but wanting to keep going anyway.  This mysterious aspect of his works perhaps comes from his exceptionally deep feeling for history. In a short interview he did with The Alex News last year he listed his influences as both the contemporary urban reality of Alex and the Zulu tradition of oral storytelling.  Titles like Gomora Kingdom Comes and Bayete highlight the influence of choral and gospel music on contemporary pop. King Kong Nkalakatha directly connects the 50’s jazz musical with early 2000’s kwaito, bridging half a century of township style.

    His work also highlights how South African musicians have  linked hip hop and electronic music into a compelling local hybrid. It’s only been more recently that US rappers have made this fusion. On Life of Pablo, Kayne built Fade entirely out of vintage house samples, while Danny Brown’s upcoming The Atrocity Exhibition will be released on Warp records, better known as the home of Aphex Twin and Autreche. Supp Zulu shows that this blending has long been a facet of local music. But rather than being some abstract intellectual exercise, his songs are as hazy and alluring as a Highveld sunset.

    https://soundcloud.com/user-197919125/sets/umfana-ka-gogo-the-mixtape