Marco Polo feat. Masta Ace - Nostalgia

Masta Ace - Disposable Arts Review

Review:

It’s tempting to dismiss this album as another failed comeback by an ’80s pioneer, yet Masta Ace stays one step ahead of irrelevance. True, there’s an endless string of weaknesses, starting with at least 20 minutes of filler. Even worse, Ace sounds like an Eminem clone as he tries to update a flow unused for the better half of the ’90s. It’s only when he returns to his rapping roots that Disposable Arts is saved from meltdown.
The most impressive songs here find Ace doing what he does best: analyzing himself, hip-hop and the greater world around him. "Take a Walk" is yet another ode to Brooklyn, the inspiration behind many of Ace’s better cuts, while "Dear Diary" is an impressively self-critical reflection on Ace’s own limitations (even if it bites heavily from Slim Shady’s "Stan"). Likewise, the LP’s closer, "No Regrets," finds Ace flashing back over a decade-plus career with all its high and lowlights. The album’s true winner is "Hold U," which invokes the common metaphor of the microphone as a woman/lover, but Ace, along with a strong cameo from Jean Grae, pulls it off by sticking to the basics - intelligent, heartfelt lyricism, the mainstay of Ace’s long career.

These songs, too short in supply, remain the album’s saving grace because unlike so many of his colleagues, Ace isn’t blinded by the light of his own ego. Compared to their blustery attitudes, Masta Ace’s down-to-earth introspection prevents Disposable Arts from being disposable itself.

Customer review:

Masta Ace has been an incredible MC since the very beginning of hip-hop. Many people have complained about "Disposable Arts" because it’s a different type of flow for him, but honestly, "Disposable Arts" is a record you can play straight through without having to skip a single track. The production is incredible and the word-play on both his part and the part of his guest-mc’s is mind-blowing. Of course, Punchline and Wordsworth are incredible, but amazingly, every single guest rapper on the album manages to live up to Masta Ace’s "masta" flow.

Track Listings: 
1. Release
2. Too Long - Feat. Apocalypse
3. Block Episode - Feat. Punch and Words
4. Commercial
5. Don’t Understand - Feat. Greg Nice
6. Goodbye Lisa
7. Hold U - Feat. Jean Grae
8. Every Other Day
9. Roommates Meet n
10. Take a Walk - Feat. Apocalypse
11. Something’s Wrong - Feat. Strick and Young Zee from Ousidaz
12. Classes
13. Acknowledge
14. Enuff - Feat. Mr. Lee Gee
15. Watching the Game
16. Unfriendly Game - Feat. Strick
17. Alphabet Soup
18. Dear Yvette - Feat. Jane Doe
19. I Like Dat - Feat. Punch and Words
20. P.T.A. - Feat. King T and J-Ro of Tha Links

Bahamadia's Lyrics

Bahamadia Lyrics
1.	2 Kill A G Lyrics
2.	3 Tha Hard Way Lyrics
3.	I Confess Lyrics
4.	Pep Talk Lyrics
5.	Spontaneity Lyrics
6.	Wordplay Lyrics

Bahamadia Lyrics provided by SongLyrics.com

J - Live - The Incredible

DJ Kenzhero: Jozi Reprezenter Interview

Stream DJ Kenzhero presents Party People Vol. 1

OKA: You have been in the South African hip hop music scene for a solid ten years? What have you learned in the process, and how did you achieve this?


DJ K: The market is not shaped yet, there is a lot of opportunities for young people to make hip hop into a business,  lifestyle, or hobby. So I’ve used the opportunity to bring acts that may have never made it here in the 90s when they were not allowed into the country because of Apartheid.

OKA: Party People was one of the first, if not the first hip hop club night in SA to invite overseas artists. Please give us a rundown of the major acts that have took the stage at Party People and which were your highlights?

DJ K: Yes I mean there was a period where most artist were shifting into commercial hip hop but their aim was premature as the scene was still developing which left a gap for acts that have not made it here, so we nearly jumped an important era. I grew up in  the golden era of  hip hop so I brought guys like Bahamadia, J-Live,  Kev Brown, Masta Ace through Party People, and other acts like ?uestlove, Dj Premier,  Mos Def in collaboration with other people or production companies …They have all been highlights for me.

OKA: Who are you currently most excited about in the SA hip hop scene, and what do you think is the future for conscious hip hop in SA.

DJ K: Well there cats like Tumi, Pro Kid, Proverb, Amu, etc who came from the 90s era and are still relevant, but also new cats like AKA, who captures all kinds of markets. The label “conscious hip hop”  has changed or evolved.  It’s a long and tired argument that you’re either a successful hip hop artist or not, you could say conscious things and whatever else on a record but it’s important to say conscious things on a record because it’s getting extinct and that would cause a huge moral degeneration in hip hop in SA.

OKA: What are you career highlights thus far?

DJ K: Many. Most with SA acts or events in SA, but the Masta Ace gig is in my top 5.  Meeting Mos Def and ?uestlove were good moments, and connecting Dj Premier to meet Mandela was huge too.

OKA: Pick five of your favorite albums.

DJ K: Birth Of Cool by Miles Davis , What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye, Innervision by Stevie Wonder, 
Black Star by Mos Def & Talib Kweli (Black Star), and 
Beats Rhymes and Life by  A Tribe Called Quest.

OKA: What’s next for Party People?

DJ K: Doing a reunion show with Masta Ace, Bahamadia, Kev Brown and J-Live in December. We also have Party People TV
, Party People radio,
 Party People outside of SA, and 
Party People compilations in the works.

OKA: Finally: hip hop entrepreneurship is not such a big phenomenon in SA. What do you think should be done to encourage the hip hop movement here to look beyond the music and grow hip hop as a business?

DJ K: I think the entrepreneurship is there, it’s just in its early stages. The next generation born in hip hop will have no choice but to take it on from what the past and current generation has done. We can’t use too much of what the United States or elsewhere are doing, we need to find a way to morph our scene according to what SA is doing.

Kev Brown Random

The Flyers

DJ Kenzhero - www.jhblive.com Interview

As far as he can remember music has always been around the young DJ Kenzhero. The acclaimed andhomegrown DJ is sure making a name for himself around these parts, as a DJ and local talent in getting the coolest mix of people to his parties. We caught up with the guy, who has established himself in both Cape Town and Jo'burg, bringing back with him a large fan following...DJ Kenzhero presents Party People, a monthly fixture on the "cool calendar", held at Roka every Saturday night. Other esteemed muso's join the scene, ensuring that the party regulars are always blown away with hip hop and funky beats. 


Tell us a bit about yourself. Where're you from, how did you get into DJing, where do you play?
Well I was born in Rockville, Soweto. And have lived all over Soweto with grandparents, uncles etc. I started DJing in 1999 after a friend invited me to a poetry session where he was playing, then he called in sick and never returned?here I am now.

What kind of people come to your jols? How do you get them motivated to enjoy a night with you?
Well they are mostly my friends, and they seem to like the same music as II do so it makes it easier?The new guys who come to my shows come through word of mouth, and eventually your reputation aerns you some credit after a while.

Who are your influences/mentors in the music you play?
Well, I play everything but not anything. Most of the stuff I play is hip hop based. All types of music have influenced hip hop, from reggae, funk, jazz, electronica?I play all these styles based on hip hop. As far as mentors, I can't say I had someone teaching me, or I followed around a lot, I kinda stumbled into stuff. But Bobbito, DJ Spinna, Gilles Peterson, and Kenny Dope  are people I look out for.

Your next big coming up, where and when?
Party People feat Bahamadia and DJStatik on 23 February at Roka, (and 21 February in Cape Town at Mercury Live)

How do you see the music industry in SA at present? Where do YOU feel it's going?  
The industry here is trying to find its feet, while the world is waiting on us to deliver. I think the industry has a lot of new guys who are trying out things that don't really work. Like now, the people in the forefront are the one's who have been grinding for a long time.

Have you toured overseas yet?
Nah I've only gone as far as Reunion Island, but I had invitations to play in London last year, however the timing was just not right.

Where are your favorite party venues in JHB?
Roka for now, cause that's where I do my parties called Party People every last Saturday of the month.

DJ Kenzhero by night, what do you do in your spare time?
Work doing scores for dramas on SABC, make beats, Play soccer, chill with my girl?don't have much spare time really.

What sort of people enjoy your parties, and who would you like to influence to come to your jols (the ones that don't already?)
The type who know their music or wanna learn more, bored of the same-o same-o?I would like to influence people who gave up on the DJs.

Give me some of the latest and best jols you have played at and why were they so successful?
Well apart from Party People, I enjoyed the JHBLive gig at Carfax, though it was short.

Future plans, besides Party People?
I am planning to come out more as a producer. I've produced tracks for Sudan, Tumi, 5th floor, Bhubessi and most of which are material not released yet. I am half of the soon to be known Loop Generation a producing duo. This duo came out of the self-made brothers beat makers "the Specialist". "I think these guys are not well in their heads, they are cursed with loving music, you must hear what we've been putting in the library with these guys". If God's willing, people will know about these guys sooner or later.