Consistency has played a huge role in Mr Heinz CPT’s rise in the Afrikaans hip-hop scene. He chats to HYPE about the importance of visuals, how he approaches collaborations, and the flourishing Afrikaans hip-hop scene.
Written by HYPE Staff
Visuals: @umfotii and @nes_327
Cape Town rapper Mr Heinz CPT is shaking up the Cape Town hip-hop scene and slowly building his name in the flourishing Afrikaans hip-hop subscene.
The rapper has been hard at work, dropping music videos back-to-back for his album, ‘The Republic of Ghamstad’ released in March.
He has collaborated with a vast array of artists – YoungstaCPT, Early B, Kashcpt, Cream Machine, Chad Da Don, Dee Koala, Bravo Le Roux… quite a wide range.
Mr Heinz CPT took some time off from his busy schedule to chat to HYPE about his moves and his craft.
How was the response to your album The Republic of Ghamstad?
The Republic of Ghamstad was a project that was worked on in the deep days of COVID. I took a risk releasing it, and to this day I don’t regret it. The rollout was mad for 2022. With this project, we’ve dropped eight music videos for it from a 12-track tape and still have one more to go. The feedback has been overwhelming. Not what I expected because it is my first project.
You are very big on visuals, which has worked out quite well for you. What role would you say visuals have played in your rise?
I believe in visuals. If I could shoot for every track, I would. Visuals make you feel like you are part of the track. For example, ‘Hula Hoop’, like you would listen to the actual track, but if you could see the visuals behind it, you would get more of a feel for it. Secondly, YouTube started out to be the ‘new radio’ of this era. If I could have enough visuals floating on there, I wouldn’t even need a radio edit. So yes, I am a firm believer in music videos. It’s always at the top of my to-do list.
Break down your relationship with Y?Gen.
My relationship with Y?GEN started years ago, we got mad love for one another, especially myself and YoungstaCPT. We got each other, not just musically, but I can call him whenever I need his advice or input. To be honest, I waited seven years to get a feature from him, but that didn’t justify our relationship. That’s basically my involvement with them, more on a personal level.
You worked with Dee Koala and Bravo Le Roux on ‘What Do They Know’. What was that like?
There was just something about this beat production of ‘Klop’. I told Shaney Jay that this one would be special, but we must have Dee and Bravo on the same joint. I got Bravo in studio, laid concept, he understood the assignment and we did the chorus. Not too long after, Dee pulled up, we did verses, then realised this track is actually something special, ’cause I pulled up on them with my Afrikaans raps and they came through with the lingo. I have close relationships with both Dee Koala and Bravo Le Roux, so it was all love.
What role do collaborations play in your music?
Collaborations must not just be someone sending you vocals, and there you have a track. We should feel one another to actually have a genuine conversation. If you look at the features on my project, it’s all artists I have relationships with, and not actually jumping on a wave of wanting the artist on a track.
‘Chy?s’ is your most popular song as far as the numbers are concerned. It’s a dope collaboration and it’s the kind of Afrikaans rap song that blows up like it did. The song features one of the faces of that scene, Early B. What can you tell us about the Afrikaans rap scene? It’s quite huge, but one can say it’s still a bit niche.
Thank you. Yes, I do agree! True, the Afrikaans rap scene is huge. I saw one night how mad the crowd moves while I was doing a show with Early B. It’s a time process, but once you’ve cracked it you will get the hang of it. That’s the biggest market when it comes to the music industry for me. Every day is challenging. Look at Earl and how many years it actually took him to breakthrough – now he’s known as the biggest Afrikaans artist. It’s your wordplay and how you put yourself out as an artist for that market, but also a learning curve as time goes by. I see it as very challenging for me, because I’m the new kid in the Afrikaans rap industry, so it takes for me to stay consistent and relevant at the same time.
You had a great 2022. What are your plans for 2023?
In 2023, we will have a better and bigger rollout. I do have some singles that are dropping. Also, be on the lookout for early 2023; I got something special coming. Do expect a young EP from me and probably later in the year (God willing) an album with visuals to follow.