As noted in a discussion on the cultural value of Hip Hop on Oxford University’s Arts Blog, Hip hop as a musical and global cultural form forces us to think critically about what we define as valuable knowledge, who we recognise as knowledge producers, and how knowledge can be created and shared. The study and archiving of hip hop encourages us to recognise how contemporary forms influence our view of the present as well as our understanding of the past.
“Highly Intelligent People Healing our Planet” – an acronym for Hip Hop brought to fruition by the original siSwati rhyme-slayer PsychoLution on his latest offering, The College Kid LP.
Taking his craft beyond the borders of the Kingdom of Swaziland, the Joburg-based wordsmith says that, “writing lyrics for me has always been a therapeutic process. I write rhymes to clear out my mind to document my past and present for future reference”. He further explains that the medium of making music happened organically because he has “always had a fascination for words and constructing creative sentences, I’d find myself listening to my inner-self more than thinking when I write”.
Carefully constructed as a semester kit for students taking on the vices of college life and realities that come with it, notions on the college-themed LP stem from the young storyteller’s reflection of multiple experiences and emotions projected in an audible art form; seeking to motivate and inspire. “These scripts I wrote include (but are not limited to) topics that stretched from missing lectures, procrastination, peer pressure, snoozing the alarm in the morning, to being broke from time to time. Before I knew it, I had a college themed music project in my hands” – Eureka!
A multitude of sounds make up the much-anticipated LP. Ranging from trap, boom-bap, dubstep, and Future Bass as the dominant sounds of the project. With his style of rap commonly identified as conscious lyricism, the young songwriter notes that he finds “the balance in relaying a message in a verbally creative manner, and melodic ear friendly instrumentation. Skilful wordplay and storytelling are the distinguishing elements in my lyrics”. My favourite track off the LP, ‘Education is the key’, samples one of Jesse Powell’s 90’s soulful classics – taking me back to the time when I was doing my flower-girl rounds at every second aunt’s wedding back in the day.
Set to drop under the PsychoLutionMusic recording stable, The College Kid LP boasts much promise. Keep it locked to PsychoLution’s social pages for further details on the release.
