RATTEX:

Labour

love

hard

entertainment

………………

‘Hello!’ A tall guy in his late twenties shouts at me while quicklypassing through the door. A few years earlier I had seen the same guy in a smokydark Cape Town night club, when he was silently standing next to me. We didn’t know each o

ther then. I knew who he was, but to him I was just a person – anaudience member.hat to say. I didn’t want tocome acrossI wanted to talk to him, but had no idea wtoo much like a fan; not even if I was a bit.‘Hi,’ I said with hesitation, ‘how are you’?‘I’m good,’ he answered waiting to hear what’s my business.‘I don’t usually do this,’ I said like I needed a disclaimer, ‘but I knowyou’ve got a mixtape out – I’d like to buy it.’He didn’t have any with him, as he was waiting for his turn to go infront of the crowd. We talked for a few minutes and made arrangements for theweek to come. Shortly afterwards he stepped onto the stage and from thefriendly, almost withdrawn gentleman, he transformed into a rapper whocontrols his crowd like a leader of a political movement.I have met him a few times since. Admittedly I am curious – he isthe most polite artist I’ve come across, but on stage he is like a different man. Inhe presence of microphone Thabo Thetwa, a twenty‐nine‐year‐old guy fromape Town’s Khayelitsha becomes Rat C ttex.******The afternoon sun is still a bit warm although the summer hasclearly passed. The guy from the cafeteria next door is collecting the cushionsfrom the patio, which is part of the courtyard between the studios and a fewother businesses. Rattex quickly inhales from his cigarette. He specifically turnsover his right shoulder to blow the smoke away from me, making sure that noneof it bothers me.‘Aaah, damn, the first song I wrote?’ he repeats my question, ‘I wasstill with my 5 i ucrew back in ‘9 . We were called Man ac Sq ad – it stood for MenAgainst Negative Ideas And Corruption.’Usually in rap music even the ones who don’t call themselvesmaniacs behave as such, so I am starting to feel that the story is not quiteordinary.‘We used to be a conscious group talking about politics and peoplesuffering – smashing the government – we were political like that, my man.’ Heseems a bit taken aback and certainly taken back to another time.‘I wrote that song a year before. I always felt that I could write asong, but I was scared. I saw some emcees killing it and felt like … naah, I’m stillan underdog,’ he looks into my eyes. In the ego‐driven Hip‐Hop scene, thisconfession equals to a President admitting a bribe.In 2008 Rattex was signed to an independent record label PioneerUnit which is run by Damian Stephens, or Dplanet as he is also known. Later onduring the same year in October his debut album

Bread

and

Butter

was released.‘My man – Yho – I thought that being signed to Pioneer Unit was thebest thing that happened to me musically, but naah, it was the first time when Isaw my disc, even before it hit the shelves,’ Rattex says with a weak attempt tohide his excitement. ‘I was like

Wow

… even if I died tomorrow I’ve made it. This

RATTEX:

Labour

love

hard

entertainment

………………

is what I wa t t c u i

n ed in life; o re ord a professional alb m.’ A smile s pushingthrough to his face when he takes himself back in time.‘I remember how Dplanet called me to come to his place,’ hecontinues, ‘and when I got in he held my CD – I almost cried. It was a dream cometrue.’ He composes himself again and starts talking about the current EP project and nonchalantly drops in his forthcoming tour to Switzerland with an electroduo Filewile like it was not a big thing. There will be twelve shows there, when inSouth Africa the media is doing its best to ignore artists like him. He is nowherenear as well known as many others but there is a reason why he should end upworking with internationally acknowledged DJ duo.‘I think, my man, the reason why it’s so easy for us Africanvernacular rappers to get love there, in Europe, is because they know Englishand have their own 50 Cent imitators,’ he confidently leans back on his chair.‘They appreciate us so much because we bring them something new. The beatsare Hip‐Hop, but the language – there is something different.’It makes sense. Cape Town artists seem to find more support fromoverseas than from Johannesburg, because the focus of these exchanges is oftenmore cultural than financial. That is why artistry is important.‘I am sure they wouldn’t like to have a rapper, a black guy fromSouth Africa coming on stage and next thing he would come with this fakemerican accent,’ he speculates. ‘They’d be like what? They want to hear myfrican language’. He inhales from his cigarette as to confirm his statement.AA Led lights are see‐sawing up and down in nearly every corner of theroom; on the computer screen the cursor is scanning through the audio wavewhile Damian, producer Wayne ‘Hipe’ Robertson and Steve Elswood, the studioguy, are nodding their heads in agreement with the beat invading the room. Theroom is full of equipment, most of which is not really being used currently, but for which I am sure there is a very specific purpose – the studio accommodatesnot just Hip‐Hop artists, but also rock bands and singers of all kinds. Steve who isthe resident studio guy – although sound engineer might be a more accurateterm to use – talks about the differences between artists of the different genres.‘With rock you have to deal with five or six egos.’ He goes onexplaining the technicalities of the process in a detailed way which goes a bit over my head with its jargon and specific practices. I just nod. Soon enough I amback on board. ‘…these hip hop guys just seem to knock these tracks out – not aproblem,’ he says. ‘It’s my first time working with Rattex and it’s been anabsolute pleasure. His workflow is intense.’ Steve is excited about this. Being in astudio is clearly not just a job, but something much more meaningful to him.‘What I like about Rattex specifically is that even if he wrote a verseright now, he’d nail it with four takes at the most… if he knows it, it’s the first take…’ Again he explains some of his observations while I hide my confusionbehind my serious interview look.