GIG REVIEW - 21 MIC SALUTE

Written by Miehleketo Maluleke

Edited by Nyiko Baloyi (@Nyiko_EMagFirston Twitter)

Photography by Nyiko Baloyi (@Nyiko_EMagFirston Twitter)

21 MIC SALUTE was to be one of those shows where hip-hopers gather to rock the mic for a good cause. The aim being to raise funds for the UBUHLE BEZWE REMEDIAL HOME which is an orphanage in Tembisa. If you don’t know how to have fun while helping out the needy-ask the people who were at WALLSTREET for this auspicious occasion to show you how.

The heat up in that building was coming from the stage, the dj booth, the dance floor and the people in general as opposed to the lack of ventilation. Boy oh boy do hip-hopers know how to party. But then again it’s hard not to have fun when you have poets, emcees, dj’s and a bar catering to all your entertainment needs. KILLA KANE and THE BEAT OVEN were on the decks booming and bapping the raw sounds to the ears of a loving crowd.

Poets for the night included RAS THULANI TWALA (bassist for BOOK OF LIFE’s band) who gave us a poem titled “bank of thought” which talks about investing in your mind. We had GRATITUDE FISHER who gave us “her divinity is misunderstood”. LERATO performed “this here chocolate” which is a poem written by her friend SHIBOMBI BALOYI highlighting the beauty of dark skinned sisters. LILLIAN TSHABALALA who was our emcee who also happens to be a poet/singer/actor, gave us a poem titled “the word” and “the word” being anything from love to God to whatever the listener wants the word to be. We had MIRANDA who was sort of a surprise performance due to somebody pushing her on stage -she performed an untitled piece because it was the only one she could remember.

More acts rocking the microphone were BOOK OF LIFE AND HIS BAND blessing us with tracks like “pillow talk” which BOOK says is for the ladies and to show them that hip hop is not all hardcore and caters to the feminine ear too. My man BLASTA from the FOREIGN TRIBE gave us “open mind set” reminding the people to think out of the box and go beyond what is being spoon fed to them by the media. BEN SHARPA also blazed the stage with a sick performance living up to his reputation of murdering the mic. We also witnessed the lyrical henchmen a.k.a FREDDY BOSTA along side his TOTAL AFRICAN CLAN crew member LYRICAL SICKNESS   giving us a joint titled “that boy” which they performed because a lot of cats rap on it and these ninjas are all about putting their boys on. We had LEXIKON representing for the fem-cees with “the Mandela song” which she feels is influential because it “moves” people (and it does because she’s just sick with them bars). DEVIOUSDEE took us a little deeper with a song that expresses what hiv/aids would say if it could talk. LAST DAYS FAM were also up in the building representing 1632 like a lot of our performers for the night including HI4P-PARADOX-ARSENIC and K-DAWG-VORTEX GRIFFON -16 DIRTY VIEW and many more.

It would be a little tardy to mention all the performers given it was a 21 MIC SALUTE and there was a lot of them but you can take my word for it when I say “THEY ALL MURDERED THE MICROPHONE”.I think our hosts achieved their goal if their goal was to please a hip hop crowd with an unforgettable line up. 21 MIC SALUTE was an amazing and crazy night which led to me regretting having to work the next day. 1632 has a way of doing that to a person. BIG UP TO HIP HOP FOR A GOOD COURSE and the culture doing something for the benefit of others. It just goes to show that it really is BIGGER THAN HIP HOP.

Word is bond to the hosts of 21 MIC SALUTE-all the peeps who came through to support-and the performers for being part of something as worthy as this. I wish there was a new word I could use and you could understand to describe what went down but I think what we have will suffice. BIG UP TO ALL MY HIP HOPERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!