In case you haven't heard of WBMG, lets take this time to introduce them to you. Rappers Hentaz, Cido, MadDogg & Yung Aiaya are the next big thing in Diazville. Together this collective of teen swagstars form the WBMG. While they might be quiet to the online scene, they've been around town to town doing shows in anticipation of their mixtape releasing later this year.
A few weeks ago, this announcement was made prompt by of the group's leading men Yung Aiaya, who revealed the title as 'Friday The 13th'. While the group only has two songs online, their debut with 'You To Fine To Be Alone' accumulated 11 straight downloads and 14 plays after a year of release. Okay, that's nothing to brag about but anyway...
Whist every name progressing in Saldanha Hip-Hop seems to be a teenager, the current heavyweights Ill Scripts have confirmed the rumors of their proposed mixtape as well. Rapper, INSANE mentions that the supposed 'Cloud 9' mixtape (which we assume will obviously have another name) is scheduled to release by the end of the final school term, this being the month of November & December. The mixtape is said to be a compilation of all Ill Scripts latest releases and could feature some interesting things from the Fantasy Productions team. Included will be new unheard releases, but we can already point out the fact that majority of these will be remade cover versions such as their latest release 'All Me' by OVO Sound & Young Money rapper, Drake.
Currently the Scripts have six releases out and about, five of which are on KasiMp3. In total the group achieved 809 downloads on KasiMp3 alone, minus the 135 for rapper Junio A!'s 'Light Up Freestyle' alone (therefore a total of 674), with their June comeback release 'Cast My Eyes' peaking at 236 downloads. The group currently holds the Most Downloads In A Day record for the West Coast with 101 downloads in 17 hours and is the most downloaded group within the South African West Coast Hip-Hop music scene, after their local brothers, BALLERGANG, a group of which INSANE also belongs to.
With a strong production force and a growing aspiration to rhyme, the BALLERGANG, has swiftly took stage to the West Coast music scene, with its first five releases.
Debuting a few months back with 'All Good' the song which featured a comeback of local washouts ILL SCRIPTS, definantly revived the name of rappers Pang & INSAiN. Not just that, the song is currently BALLERGANG's most downloaded release with 53 downloads on Kasimp3.
Along with the bad rep ILLSCRIPTS has been getting, came some success, with its debut 'Ons Is Bevok' still firmly gaining views on YouTube. In total BALLERGANG is undoubtedly the most downloaded Hip-Hop group/crew on the West Coast so far, with a total of 170 downloads.
With all this at the brink, Radio De Touch exclusively interviewed 16 year-old Saldanha rapper, INSAiN, firmly a menber of ILLSCRIPTS and the BALLERGANG, to uncover the truth behind this mysterious group and furthermore understand the degree of change occurring in the young rapper's career.
1) How many members are in the BALLERGANG and who are they?
6 members. Its me Insain, Pang, Arnie, Anyboy, B-boy and the latest member Drizzle. Other than that, Junio-A was also suppose to join but apparently his too busy.
2) Where did you derive this name?
"Man it has nothing behind it - just a name I thought of when I was still a kid... like 11 years old, when I started rapping then I just grew up with the name...but if u will listen to ma track you would know that thy don't call me 'insain' for nothing LOL* just joking bra.."
3) How does it feel being the only artist in two groups?
"It's kinda difficult but not much, I just have to make sure I deliver my best for both crews and as long as they cool with it, I'm committed to both crews"
4) What made you join the Ballergang or what formed it?
Pang and I along with Junio A! were offered to join seeing that we already existed as a group (ILLSCRIPTS).
We then agreed since BALLERGANG has better production quality and with a bunch of good kids in the crew we couldn't refuse.
I jus joined a dope crew that had a name of "BALLERGANG" but from what I've heard the name came from my homies Arnie, Anyboy & B-Boy. The three were in a clique before Ballergang and all shared one thing in common: they all loved the music of the greatest rapper of all time, 2PAC.
With that, there's a verse in his song 'Life Goes On' from which the three heard him say the following words "live as a BALLER alcohol and bootycalls."
The group liked that so the name of the clique came quite easily; but as for me, me and the boys go way back...
5) Whose responsible for the production, distribution and other efforts of the group?
Most popular producer in Saldanha the one an only DJ Brandon. The whole clique works together to make it work though.
6) Does the group belong to label/brand and what is it's aim production wise?
Arnie answered this question saying:
We belong to a label that's well known in Saldanha bay called 'YA GA YO STUDIO' and were building the label from the ground up. The aim is mostly to say that we're keeping the name WEST COAST high and to put out good music
7) After these first few singles, what does the group plan in future?
Just to be heard and keep pushing, feature other crews and perform at different places - we would love that but yeah... we just wana be heard and make the production bigger so that there is dope tracks out there for the people.
8) After winning 2nd place in the high school talent show and performing publicly, does that encourage you or discourage you to continue making music and how did that experience feel for you?
That encourages me a lot man and it makes me wana make more music. It felt great being on stage, it's something I enjoy doing - performing. Before I got on stage I was nervous though but when I got out there... I just done my thing an enjoyed it.
It happened to be my 1st performance, ever... and with that, me and Junio-A! killed it, seeing that we got second place... so yeah, it was great!
9) How did ILL SCRIPTS deal with the controversy around its debut release?
Like we laughed a lot about it because it wasn't even serious. We just done that to see if they were stupid enough to reply and so well we couldn't careless... it doesn't really matter we don't hate the guys, they're on their level and they're doing it big yet I believe ballergang or ill scripts is the only crew in West Coast hip-hop that could really give them a run for their lyrics...lol
Over the last few months,
the West Coast Hip-Hop scene has seen some changes occur. Some were noticed yet
some might still be ignored as many happen to be uninformed. If you one of
those who don't know or maybe you haven’t been paying close attention, take a
look below: 1. Internet Exposure
With
artists like Goku from War3 Karak3tez, Big Twist, Tha Real U and Legacii on
Soundcloud and Reverbnation, Internet exposure has surely increased. Three
months ago, Tha Real U released 'Underground Kings' which quickly became one of
the top downloaded songs in West Coast Hip-Hop, by reaching 100 downloads in a
day. Apart from
this, Goku has released a series of music videos online which accompany those
of Bizzy and Zayo, as well as the Major Playaz. Other than
this Tha Real U happened to release a music video as well. For the coast, this
kind of exposure not only helps artists but it sheds light on the West Coast
Hip-Hop community as well. Online releases help artists get recognised locally
and Internationally quicker and more conveniently. Last year
mobile-site Swag City, was released in favour of this, so that locally people
can download songs without having to hassle with computers, looking for links
on Google or better yet not knowing where to find music. 2. Collaborations Recently
Big Twist collaborated with Goku. This created a banger along with Ivaan and
Lazy B who previous also appeared on one of Goku's songs. Not only did this
song ('We Made It') show how West Coast Hip-Hop steps things up, but so did Tha
Real U's 'That I'm Dreaming' and 'Long Nights' which got newcomers Jempas and
Lee Rick further involved in music. General
and Young Fl!p gained access to the Hip-Hop scene as well when they debuted on
Big Twist's first mixtape, along with Prospect and Double D which gained added
recognition. These collaborations show how West Coast Hip-Hop is transforming. The scene
is no longer monopolised by a single group of artists or band, but diverse,
with different perspectives, styles and influences.
3. Started From The
Bottom Like
everyone in the industry, you have to start somewhere even if it is the bottom.
The past year has seen this happen. Not only did Twist come out of his shadow,
but so did Tha Real U who happened to be a mash-up DJ. Legacii,
Illscripts, WBMG, also formed. These three groups soon started making music
with a passion and are yet fighting for some exposure.With so many
artists popping up out of no where, the West Coast community might soon see a
revolution take place. While other artists remain unknown, the little light
that has become the platform for West Coast Hip-Hop has helped artists grow and
release more and more songs. With this comes better sound quality, lyrics and
production quality. Although
most artists pushing songs these days are underground and newcomers, their
support structures are constantly expanding. It's might just be a matter of
time until their music is everywhere. 4. The Platform Before
2013, West Coast Hip-Hop lacked a serious platform. Artists seem to be hidden
in all places, some are popular yet the notorious, remain notorious. This
reality however is starting to change. With Facebook pages and groups, websites
like Swag City and communication structures between artists through these
tools, West Coast Hip Hop now has a growing platform open for new artists and
ready to support existing artists. One
problem though. Somehow there's always a disadvantage and this is it: some
artists are promoting self with old, outdated procedures, rather then modernising
and keeping up with the new platform. Not only do they aim at creating
fan-bases or added support for themselves, they do this with no intention of
building up the West Coast Hip-Hop community. Networking
tools like Facebook groups/pages, Websites etc... depend on the whole
communities involvement to become an true success. Not only do artists gain
exposure, while they lend exposure, they also help the whole West Coast Hip-Hop
scene gain exposure and this will either help them cutback at trying to win
fans cause they'll naturally gain support, or cause them to fade out if the
scene becomes quickly populated. 5. Performances Recently
Big Twist and brand, started hitting a few popular venues. With performances
springing up in local places, West Coast Hip-Hop is becoming much more
engaging. Although
some regular performances do happen in the West Coast community, they seem to
be aimed at one area, particularly a certain fan-base to please the supporters
of a certain group. This is remarkable as fans will keep coming back for more,
but it doesn't get the Hip-Hop scene to expand into unheard regions of the
coast. The group,
ILLSCRIPTS took on this attempt however, by performing in a local High School
Talent show, which scored them 2nd place. Not only does this performance help
debut the group, but it also informs the general community about the emerging
Hip-Hop scene within its community. While some
Hip-Hop artists (unknown to us) do also perform in popular places, it is yet a
mystery on how their music actually engages with the public. It is said
that more events are being planned for West Coast Hip-Hop artists, especially
the thought of possibly seeing some of these current power-forces work
together. Will that happen? and is this even possible? For now we have no idea,
only the Lord knows.
Former DJ,
Real U (also known as Real Mixwell) dropped his revolutionary mixtape 50/50: The Vision last
week, on the very first day of Spring on the African continent. With this 1st
September release, there were no delays in getting it! Regardless of how the
tape was pushed back 2 weeks since it's proposed release date, the mixtape received
instant download numbers and positive comments from various listeners.
Photo courtesy
of Shaloma Muzik.
Its
promotion however was kept to a low, as Real U intends to provide his listeners
with quality lyrics and sound. The production of The Vision can be criticised,
but for many it has been overlooked as the editing and lyrically content filled
the tape with a potential flow. Feats from
Lil' Beats and LiLReD helped narrow the solo feel of the release, with Kristie
Alexandra vocally supporting the mixtape in its introductory stage on Crash Down. Bonus
songs Last Goodbye
& Got Me Down paved
a smooth ending to the 25-track Christian-based Conscious Hip-Hop fiasco. Local
beat maker, Lee-Rick and musician Noel Kearns, helped as well as Real U
thankfully credits them for their work. The mixtape is certainly a must hear
for many. The question is not really 'who is Real U?' but rather 'what can he
do?' Title
based on 1 Corinthians 13:12, '50/50' reflects both an uncertain image of life
and the hope of a fulfilled vision in Christ. Inspired
to serve, this 18 year old lyricst, speaks either truth or a really brutal
message to the youth. Days after the tape's release, Real U decided to tweet
his expressive flow, under the hashtag #5050TheVision. No stranger to tweeting
rhymes, the youngin' promotes Christian Hip Hop from the likes of Lecrae, Trip
Lee & Bizzle, regularly through socially networking. What lies in
store for his artistic future? Only God knows. To
download Tha Real U '50/50: The Vision' visit www.tharealu.tk. Download
is free.
BONUS 
3. Fast Lane
.jpg){kind=link}