once, a few years ago, a foreign friend came to visit, and i took him to town. we were watching the tourists getting down to marimba melodies when he smiled wickedly. (no, he wasn't a tourist, he'd just rollerbladed along De Waal drive. and if he wasn't israeli, you could have called him a terrorist. but that would be politically incorrect). he mumbled under his pigfree beer breath - some desultory, dark observation about black men stealing all the beautiful women from under pale urban noses. i laughed out loud and danced in Wolof. This morning, i maybe know what he means...
why? Because besides the imminent, virgin Brand Your Band expo bending my dreams into distortions of purple and Twitter updates, this morning has exploded with the driving beats and tight rhyming of The Backyard Crew - 5 sweet-hearted, hard-tongued, soft-souled guys from Khayalitsha. They MC in English, isiXhosa and make up their own language on the spot. Point2 is the philosopher (even the Ninja couldn't drown his wisdoms at the Vice part this Friday night), Vannemerwe,the romantic; Mashonisa, the man about town; Phoenix the funster, Kideo the babe/y. Freestyle, they're free and easy. Put them on a stage with a blues folk band, and they blend in beautifully, with spontaneous vocal overlays and unconscious undertones that can only come from inspiration, intention and a certain sense of invention. And considering the colour of money in the pre-post recession, we've got no other choice. (well, ok, i've got five, but that's because i've got an advance on the album)
Come Saturday, Vice Magazine will put them in a room with xandre kriel and possibly stiaan louw and see what colour the collars are... check out brand your band or go here for a tweet
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