• "A triumph for Afrikaans music."


    "Uh. Check it uit! Dis tyd om bietjie los te raak. Hoe raak jy los? Soos 'n boss," is how local Eminem-Nsync-Psy rip-off, Snotkop,  kicks off his new album 'Soos 'n boss'.

    Straight out of the gate, Snotkop impresses with his 'the year 2000', 'celebration of the millennium', sounding production. 2014 has probably been the toughest year for Afrikaans artists (unsubstantiated fact). However, Snotkop rolls with the punches and pushes out a 14 track smasher that would make anyone except your grandparents, tap their feet.

    Doing a track by track break down of this album and how important it is to Afrikaans culture would be longer than all 3 Lord of the Rings books, so in summary, this is the most important album since Chris Chameleon's 'Herloof, Piet Smit's 'Heer, U maak my nuut', Randall Wicomb's 'Hier langes my', Melanie's 'Deep', Kyknet's album 'Geloof, Hoop & Liefde', Andre Swartz's 'Rimte in die nag' (which is bloody crazy, basically Robbie Williams of Afrikaans music) and that other Heinz Winkler (or however you spell his surname) album.

    By track 3 it is apparent that Snotkop understands the plight of the Afrikaans. Drinking brandy, something called long-arm dancing and putting meat on an open fire. These are just some of the things that Snotkop calls, 'Aktiwitiete wat belangrik is'. I can almost hear my matric Afrikaans teacher applauding me for finally understanding, through the spirit guide that is Snotkop, Afrikaans culture.

    Track 5 is a tale of how Snotkop decides to go on a bicycle ride and sees a girl who looks exactly like Barbie. He falls in love with this woman, who eventually steals his bike. He then nonchalantly buys himself a new bike and starts to creep on women once again, asking them to jump on his bike. It seems if you looped this song over and over again it would basically be a never-ending cycle of bicycle stealing, female trust issues and waiting for Godot. Existentialism in Afrikaans music? Have you ever? Genius.

     Track 7 is about slightly overweight girls in SA being called, 'Dikkelicious'. He then instantly contradicts himself in track 8 by saying he only wants to see girls in bikinis. Obviously dikkelicious girls would wear one piece costumes. This small contradiction can be overlooked due to the next track being so damn awesome. It's basically Kanye West's 'Hey Mama' in Afrikaans. 'Altyd ma se kind' really tugs at the heart strings. Snotkop, so many feelz.

    Suddenly, track 11 creeps up on you like a cold breeze and sends you into waves of elation as finally, the world gets its very own 'SELFIE' song. Snotkop is definitely the only artist in the entire world that has capitalized on this end of 2013, majority of 2014 subculture of selfie-takers. Before this song, Afrikaaners didn't even know what selfies were. A few minutes into the completely original, trend setting song, Snotkop chants, "Dis incredible, ek weet jy wil, click 'like' want ek tag jou op 'n selfie," instantly proving he can break down language barriers and integrate social media into his music.

    Unfortunately, track 11's social media originality is murdered by Kurt Darren's 'Facebook Song', released in 2011 that cites the use of  widely loved MXit and Facebook apps. But can Kurt Darren rap?... I don't know. Maybe he should try. Is Snotkop really rapping? I don't know. That's up to you to decide when you get your hands on this truly mind-altering album.

    All in all, Snotkop's 'Soos 'n boss' is a triumph for Afrikaans music. The 'Eden-like' beats and the general misogynistic tone to the album enables your entire body to start moving...and grooving. Patricia Lewis, Kurt, Nicholas Louw move over, there is a new player in town-- who I swear was on 7 de laan once.

    How many 'Snotheads' are we giving this album I hear you ask?



    Get Snotkop's  latest album on iTunes for R99.99 by following this link
    : https://itunes.apple.com/za/album/soos-n-boss/id896330088

  • Eminem concluded his tour in the Southern hemisphere last night, with the last stop in the South African leg at Ellis Park Stadium. Playing to a crowd of 60,000 plus people (more people than at the Rugby World Cup final in 1995), he led an enormously impressive display of hip hop showing exactly why he is deserving of the Rap God title.


    Sprinting to the front of the stage as the white canvas he stood behind dropped, he busted out 'Survival' and 'Won't Back Down' in quick succession. The show was extremely loud straight out of the gate, up to the point where if you were standing in Golden Circle you'd struggle to find your bearings from where one song ended to where another one began. However eventually after being punched in the face by the sound you acclimatized and fell into the rhythm of the show. The sheer shock of seeing Eminem on South African soil had set in.
    Along with Mr Porter (formally Kon Artis from D12) as hypeman, Eminem slaughtered all of his best songs on stage. To keep the older fans happy songs like 'Just Don't Give a F**k', 'Way I Am', 'Kill You' and 'Stan' were welcomed wholeheartedly by those who were old enough to recite them. Eminem specifically reached out to the ladies and sang 'Love the Way you Lie' which was met with some boob flashes here and there on the big screens.

    Eminem performing White America
    The real winning tracks of the night however were those from The Eminem Show. 'White America' was met with a heart attack causing explosion. 'Square Dance', 'Sing for the Moment', 'Business' and a medley of 'Real Slim Shady/My Name is' that included 'Without Me' brought back the Anger Management Tour days of Eminem. There was enough old and new Eminem to go please every old fan and every new fan. Even at the age of 41, the guy is still doing what he does best.

    Crowd participation during 'Lighters'
     Eminem also brought out Royce Da 5'9" to the stage to complete a pair of songs from the Bad vs Evil: The Sequel album, 'Fast Lane' and 'Lighters'. The songs from the more recent. Saving the best for last, Eminem caused some goosebumps by ending the show off with 'Lose Yourself'. Watching 8 Mile earlier in the week made me appreciate that moment even more. Even the smallest of Eminem fans would have been singing along for that.

     The MMLP2 tracks he performed impressed, especially the spray of vocals that compose 'Rap God'. He cut straight to the third verse and performed it until he spits the 97 words in 15 seconds. 'Berzerk' and the more child friendly 'The Monster' were also big hits with the crowd. The Rapture 2014 show was the hottest ticket in South Africa in a very long time. Definitely one of the greatest concerts that has been on these shores.

    After the show
    What's next for Eminem?

    First of all, his next tour will be called The Monster Tour. This tour will consist of himself and Rihanna. They'll be hitting Detroit, New York and L.A. Some in Detroit were getting a bit annoyed with Eminem because he was touring here before they knew of the Monster Tour. They can relax now.

    Also, Busta Rhymes is releasing a new album with a track that features Eminem called 'Calm Down'. This is supposedly going to showcase some Rap God speeds. The release date of that is yet to be determined, although with Busta's album launching in July, it can't be too far off from being a single.

    The more interesting development is that Bizarre has confirmed that new D12 music is coming. He said, "Getting the guys all together…It’s coming soon. It’ll definitely be a new D12 album coming.”. 
    So more music on the way and an American tour to keep his fans at home happy. Eminem isn't slowing down.
    Were you at the show? What were your favourite songs? What were your favourite moments?



  • When I was 12 years old, the only thing I really wanted in the world...was to see Eminem perform live.

    I couldn't think of a better way to scope the reaction of that guy finding out he would be able to see that dream true, than using Twitter. Notice the dates at the bottom of each tweet.

    QuintusRP We should be expecting the new Eminem album soon. They're being very murky about it though. Come on! Release release release27 May13 from FalconPro

    The MMLP2 album- proving to be one of Eminem's greatest collections of nostalgic old style Eminem, and new Eminem material- was pushed further and further away. Little did I know, it was only going to launch in October. Other rappers were dropping their attempts at rap albums. Kanye West's Yeezus, Jay-Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail, but as a true Stan, I kept the faith that Em was going to better Recovery (which was not a half bad album) and release something truly old school Eminem. He had to.

    QuintusRP At the end of the day you will exhaust yourself comparing Cole and Kanye and then Eminem is going to drop his album and annihilate them all18 Jun13 from FalconPro
    QuintusRP Lest we forget that Eminem's wife's name was also Kim. Here comes trouble RT @heatSouthAfrica Kanye West apparently asked Kim to marry him..
    Then the first single of the album dropped. It was to be a single for Call of Duty: Ghosts. Eminem was no stranger to Call of Duty. For Modern Warfare 2, he gave them 'Till I Collapse'. Later it was announced that the upcoming Eminem album was to be called The Marshall Mathers LP 2. Fans were skeptical, worried that he would not be able to match the magnitude of the first LP. 
    QuintusRP Eminem's new track 'Survival' is going on the OST for Call of Duty: Ghosts. And you can tell why. It's awesome.15 Aug13 from FalconPro

    Not long after, the next single was released.  

    QuintusRP Eminem's new 'Berzerk' track. After playing it for the day on repeat I deduce...IT IS WORTHYYYYY. Bring on the album #MMLP227 Aug13 from FalconPro


    Then it happened.

    "The most popular rapper of all-time, Eminem, will tour Australia in February, according to strong rumours from music industry insiders"

    Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/eminem-expected-to-announce-australia-tour-20130925-2ued1.html#ixzz2uHK5wyoI

    I couldn't help but think that if he was going to come down to the Southern hemisphere, it made sense to visit the- now much older- 12 year old kid listening to the most genius music he had ever discovered.

     QuintusRP @eminem seeing as though you're set to go to Australia don't you wanna stop over in South Africa as well?25 Sep13 from FalconPro
    Also this happened: QuintusRP Whoa. Just found out Jamie N Commons is featuring on Eminem's Deluxe edition of MMLP2. A rap version of Desperation. ---- But I'll get to that in another blog post at another time. 
    Then the album dropped. Marshall Mathers LP 2 was genius. It was truly a 10/10 album. And I still stand by that. It was like the old Eminem, fused with the newer Eminem. It even had one song that sounded like the trivial Relapse days. Sitting and listening to Eminem forgive his mom in 'Headlights' was incredible. A decade earlier everyone knew the words to 'Cleanin out my closet'. Eminem immortalizing his hate for his mom, only to really man up and forgive her...it was miraculous. The single that really surprised was Rap God. The impressive cacophony of syllables that he spews out in that song is incredible. Eminem was back. It was the same way I felt when I put in his Anger Management Tour DVD when I was 12. That kind of 'back'. 


    18 November 2013:I was heading into an exam hall that morning. Not impressed that I had to be there for an exam so early in the morning. Sitting outside the hall, frantically going over some notes to see if anything would stick, I quickly checked my phone to read and eradicate a last few messages I saw a message from Monique Bromfield. Very good friend of mine. Her mom was pretty much the reason I got into Eminem. She used to do some hip hop dancing, and had 'Without Me' on a CD they had wrote for practice. She borrowed me the CD after listening to the song religiously a whole bunch of times until we knew all the words. So the very first single I knew from line to line was 'Without Me'. 
    Nonetheless, she messages me on this morning. She was sitting in America at the time, and told me that her mom had contacted her to say that they had just announced on the radio that Eminem would be coming to South Africa. The first person she would contact, before he went into an exam hall, knowing he loves Eminem, stressing his ass off for the exam...would be me. 
    I don't even remember what exam I was writing. 

    QuintusRP Eminem. Biffy Clyro. 2014. Move aside 2013 you scum.18 Nov13 from TweetMachineUltra
    QuintusRP Golden circle for #Rapture2014 in Joburg.Eminem. March 1st let's do this! @Computickettwitpic.com/dm0p3j21 Nov13 from TweetMachineUltra

    And so that brings us to today. 4 days away from the concert. And knee deep in Eminem Appreciation Week. QuintusRP 15 years ago today. Eminem released the Slim Shady LP. That album threw him into the mainstream. And so begins #EminemAppreciationWeek21 hours ago from TweetMachineUltra
    If you by chance, are attending this historical concert, then you might want to know what the setlist looks like:
      The setlist combines both old Eminem, and some of the new. Some of the most recognizable contributions to rap music, bringing it to people who never thought they would ever listen to it. 
      When I was 12 years old, the only thing I really wanted in the world...was to see Eminem perform live...and now its finally happening. 

    • The rumors are unfortunately true, I'm afraid. It seems Menlyn Park Shopping Center's famous Drive-in is to close its boom gate and parking bays. The Drive-in, a family event for some families in Pretoria will no longer be able to enjoy the comfort of sitting in their cars and watching movies at double bill. The curious decision to close the Drive-in is particularly sad because this would be the last Drive-in in South Africa to close its doors. To find out more about the details as to why its closing down, I got in touch with Andrea de Wit, the Marketing Manager of Menlyn Park Shopping Center. 

      QReport: Can you explain what the technical issues surrounding the closing of the Drive-in are?

      Andrea: The Drive-In still operates on a 35mm film projection system. All other cinemas in the country have changed to digital technology in the last year. This has drastically affected the availability of film reels in SA and subsequently new title availability

      QReport: What are some of the fondest memories you've heard of/had whilst the Drive-in has been operational?

      Andrea:  We have had a very steady run of marriage proposals up on that roof. We probably get at least 1 request per month to enlist our help in creating the perfect setting for some very nervous bloke to pop the question.

      QReport: Is there any chance that a company- such as Ster-Kinekor/ Nu Metro or some other funding entity- could rectify this situation and keep the Drive-in functioning?

      Andrea: The Drive In has always functioned with the support of Nu Metro. We have analysed our options for the past year from every possible angle, and the only viable solution is to transform the area to a new offering. There are many factors contributing to this, including local support and financial viability.

      QReport: If there is no chance of keeping it open, what do you, as Menlyn Park Shopping Center, plan to do with the vacant ground? Any immediate plans?

      Andrea: We are currently in negotiations for an AMAZING new offering in that area. Unfortunately, nothing can be announced until the deals are signed.

      QReport: How are you commemorating the final few movie screenings at the Drive-in?

      Andrea:  Patrons can enjoy FREE movie screenings from 21 – 28 February to commemorate the closure.


      So it seems the decision has been finalized and the Drive-in is to close this February. No longer will you be able to sneak a peak at what is showing at the Drive-in as you drive through and around Menlyn anymore. Quite a sad occasion. Although, I would encourage Ster Kinekor to get in touch with them and potentially strike up a deal. The Drive-in has been a local gem for many years, however it seems, something new will take its place. 
      Feel free to use the comments section to express your views on the closing down of the Drive-In. Are you going to miss it? Did you never get the chance to go? What were your favourite moments there? 


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