To, Too and Two

Outselling versus Out-rapping

Is it just me or do the rappers in the country just not compete anymore? Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean that as an insult to anyone at all, nor am I saying that South African Hip Hop should go back to the era of battle rapping and cyphers. My state of mind is just in an era of Hip Hop where emcee’s receive props for their punchlines instead of their first week sales, and I say that because first week sales are a measure of your commercial achievement as an artist, and NOT as a rapper, emcee or lyricist amongst your peers. So yes. You can argue that a Cassper Nyovest is a bigger and better artist than a Reason if you were to compare their respective accolades, commercial achievements and album sales BUT, you would then deliberately be overlooking one all important factor. That one all important factor being the fact that a Reason is the better rapper, emcee and lyricist in this specific example. Now some may look at that and say, “What good is being the best rapper, emcee or lyricist in the country when you aren't as successful as a Cassper Nyovest?” And the answer to that, in my opinion is very simple really. Success is a feeling or state of being and not something you can measure in the amount of money someone has, the cars they drive or the house they live in. Which is why someone who has a lot of money, drives around in expensive cars and lives in a mansion may not necessarily be more successful than the hired help who does his laundry. This is because people confuse the concept of success with that of achievement. So in the same breath, going platinum in a month or filling up the dome may not be a Reason’s idea of success. On the contrary. A Reason’s idea of success may be that of him being able to do what he loves every single day, and his sense of achievement would then stem from him being the best rapper, emcee and/or lyricist in the country at any given point in time. It’s all just a matter of perspective and personal preference.

Who Am I?

So why is it that the rappers in the country don’t compete lyrically? I mean. There are those who do, and then there are those who just choose to compete through album sales. Quite frankly I think its one of two reasons. Maybe even both. The first of the two reasons being the fact that the same rappers who choose to compete through album sales, are the same rappers who would have their ass handed to them if they jumped on the same song with a Reason, Tumi or Kwesta. And the second reason being the fact that the majority of the hip hop community is at a place now where they really couldn't care less about a punchline, rhyme scheme, flow pattern or which rapper had the better verse on the song. A punchline, rhyme scheme or flow pattern is all water under the bridge to them really. They all just want something for the radio. Record label executives want something for the radio. Everybody seems to just want something for the radio BUT, how do you then measure your impact as an artist in a time where you only get recognition for album sales and radio play? How do you further the culture in a time where your audience is deaf to the difference between “afraid not” and “a frayed knot?” Thankfully, the answer to that is as simple as this. There are two types of audiences. Those who understand the difference between “afraid not” and “a frayed knot” through intuition and/or research, and those who don’t.

Pick the audience that resonates most with you and shoot for the stars. I have and I chose the former.