With DJs dominating the game in many respects over the past few years, it’s safe to say that the lost element of hip hop is back. Get with it or get detention.
It can be argued that in the past two years, DJs have collectively been the primary driving force of hip hop culture in Africa. Whether through production and composition of albums in the case of guys like Ready D, those who embrace the technical aspect more like P-Kuttah and Kenzhero, vocal contributions on bangers in the case of guys like Capital, live experiential entertainment like Milkshake and duo Naves and Sphectacula with their tours, those who contribute to the business like Vigilante who serves as an A&R for Cashtime Life, or being credible sources of information on broader mediums like Ms Cosmo on 5FM; the element of DJing with respect to hip hop has completely taken new form. There are many more all over the continent who contribute to this surge of dominance. But of all of these, there are two very special ones: Tumi Mooi, better know as DJ Dimplez, and Lesego Nkaiseng AKA DJ Speedsta. Arguably the most recognised DJ on the continent, Dimplez is a pioneer of commercial DJ practice. That’s not to say that he invented the vinyl, but as Drake’s trusted Canadian wisdom goes: “It’s not about who did it first, it’s about who did it right.” There is not a single accolade that most DJs and even some artists can brag about that Dimplez has not achieved. His rap sheet speaks for itself: founder of Pop Bottles Entertainment, Ciroc ambassador, multi-award-winning and nominated music catalogue, DJ of the Year award(s), performer, producer, and of course, respected disc jockey.
Speedsta, on the other hand, is representative of everything the born-free generation stands for: ambition, fearlessness and an entitlement-free mindset. At only 22 years old, Speedy is regarded in the league of OGs as both a DJ and a young mogul. TV presenter, fashion killa, award-nominated songs and videos, spin master, radio personality and all-round cool kid. Same path, different shoes. Same building, different views. Both of these guys are helping to reclaim the lost element and in the process, re-defining the rules.
You guys have both been part of hip hop in some way for a really long time, even though your experiences are different and you represent different schools of hip hop to a certain extent. Is there old school and new school, underground and commercial, or doesn’t it matter anymore in the new hip hop climate?
Dimplez: Personally I think we need every single angle. I still wanna hear Tumi drop an album, I still wanna hear Amu produce. I don’t want Amu playing house, that’s what he does. He wants to DJ and play that but I want the OGs to re-involve themselves in what they do. I want to know that if I’m looking for that sound, I can go to Amu. So If I want the turn-up sound I can go to Cassper. If I want a lyrical joint I can go to Zubz. We need diversity and I believe everyone has a place. That’s why I enjoyed the SA Hip Hop Awards so much; everyone was represented. There needs to be an old school and there needs to a new school and everything else that exists in between. We can’t just cast away the old sound.
Speedsta: Nah that’s over, dawg. It doesn’t work like that anymore. J. Cole going platinum is proof of that because that’s a rap album, it’s a relevant album. J. Cole is a relevant artist who’s got a relevant brand that Amu and them can relate to. Those days are over now, it’s really just about hip hop now. That sh*t only happened in the past because n*ggas were scared of new n*ggas taking their spot. Now there’s space for all of us, there’s space for everyone. I went to Braam the other day and there was so much happening on that one street. You had n*ggas like Fratpack who had their own little corner, guys like Boyznbucks who had their movement, Cashtime killing skhanda; everyone was there! Everyone can eat now so it’s just hip hop all day, no matter your era, skill set or style.
I remember Euphonik is at anymore and we can’t ignore that. I want more for myself and for the music and culture for it just to be about DJing.
Dimplez: I don’t think I’m in the right space to think like that. For me, I look at it like I actually have to start thinking about how my money is going to come in after DJing. I think that’s just evolution. You could be the best DJ your entire career but if you don’t build on that and take it to the next level in some way, you did all that work in vain; personally, culturally and in terms of one’s place in the entertainment industry as a whole. I love DJing with a passion, it’s what I do best. Been doing this for years but to this day I’m learning. I’m only adding character to my sets now. I never had a character when I DJed before, I just played my music and people liked it. Now I can actually grab the mic and talk throughout my sets and that’s where the character actually comes in. But in reality, being successful based on just the DJing skill has a ceiling. In other genres we are okay to see DJs and rappers take on the roles of CEOs, curators, producers, businessmen and many other titles. Unfortunately in hip hop you will still have some people using the term ‘sell-out’. It’s a different era now. As professionals, we can contribute more to the industry at large than just live music. If the cultural element of the culture is gone and it all becomes about entertainment, how do we determine who’s real and who’s not? Because I might not be a good DJ for instance but succeed at DJing because I am generally good at entertaining people.
Dimplez: I always look at it like, in soccer for example, you can’t tell me that John Terry is not as good as Messi for example just because Messi scores and John Terry defends; their positions and purpose in the game are different. So if I’m a technical DJ, when it comes to scratching I’m gonna use that in my environment just like in soccer if I’m a dribbler I’m gonna be in the midfield and I’m gonna be dribbling. But if I’m a defender, for example Hudson, I’m not going to be dribbling because that’s not my place or my skill set. One of my favourite DJs is Hudson. He’s really good at his old school, chilled-out sets. If he all of a sudden decided to turn and go crazy it probably wouldn’t work out so well. Ready D does what Ready D does and it’s true to him. I think if everyone is true to themselves, people can see if they are the best at it and the real will be separated from the chancers. But we can’t use one measure to judge every single DJ because no one does the exact same thing as the next man.
Speaking about contributing more than just music sets, it can be argued that DJs have collectively put out more music and had a greater impact in the past two years than the artists who are established. As a DJ, how do you release music of your own without antagonising the artists?
Speedsta: Well the reality is that DJs are actually the ones who helped local hip hop blow in a major way. I remember having a meeting a few years ago with Shugasmakx and a group of other industry cats about why DJs weren’t pushing local music on our platforms. What we were saying back then was we needed to have the guys send us their music. With that said, some of the music guys sent us was unfortunately not suited for the environments we as DJs found ourselves playing in. Like, I love all kinds of hip hop as a fan, but I could never play Immortal Technique at Kong for example because that market is not there for that.
So as DJs, many of us took it into our own hands and we started creating the kind of music that we knew from experience that people loved to get down to. We know what they want because it’s our jobs. And we were lucky enough at the time that the industry was ready for it. Dimplez came out with a hit and just like that it opened up doors for the rest of us. It’s not like it was a new idea, some DJs had been doing it for years. But it was really Dimplez who got it right in terms of sound, strategy, timing and general vibe. After that, we all jumped on. I don’t care what anyone says, but everything you’re seeing in local hip hop right now, DJs have had a hell of a lot to do with it.
Dimplez: Well, think about this, with all due respect to all the artists in the industry, I get a lot of calls from rappers asking me to work with them and put out a song. In actual fact, they could just release the songs themselves without me because I don’t rap or actively produce music at the moment. But they need that association because it makes the song official. DJs are always gonna be different from the artist and the artist is writing from within. They’re writing about their everyday feelings. I’m the guy in the club all the time, I know what type of music radio wants to get, and I know in the club what’s gonna work. In the same way, if I create a beat with Anatii, I need a specific kind of vocal to fulfil my vision and I will need to call up Riky and Tumi or whoever. Even though I still don’t quite believe it’s the DJ’s place to release albums, everyone is winning.
Speedy, you have a catalogue of banger after banger and you haven’t released an album. Is there one on the way or do you share Dimplez’s views about albums not being a platform for DJs?
Speedsta: I have so much music. I’m definitely thinking of putting out an album. I think my challenge is, I just don’t know what a DJ album is supposed to sound like. And what I mean is, as a consumer I love a certain kind of hip hop that I listen to at home and that music doesn’t always agree with what’s being played in the club or on radio. I like a certain sound, I call it ‘car music.’ You can hear it in songs like ‘Couple More’ and ‘Bad Chick.’ I really only create the popular sound to maintain relevance. I could release a bunch of amazing turn-up joints but it wouldn’t really be a DJ Speedsta album if it didn’t contain elements of me, musically. For rappers it’s easy because they use their voices. As soon as you hear their voice, flow and the content they are spitting, they have given a piece of themselves to you. For a DJ like me, even though I’m managing the artistic direction of the album, I am not producing, I am not rapping and I am not singing. I want people to be able to hear the album and recognise that it’s a DJ Speedsta project immediately. I want unmistakable elements of myself in there and that’s what I’m working on at the moment. Once I figure that out I will put together the best f*cking album of all time and you’ll hear all these songs I have been cooking in the studio with my n*gga Psyfo
You find cases like Cassper for example where he is releasing music that is not featured on his album, even though the album is not that old, because he has outgrown it as an artist and also, music moves so fast these days that what you created six months ago might not sound so current six months later. Zeal has been out about half a year now and you’re already on to ‘Bae Coup’ which is not one of your 20 album joints. Are you experiencing the same challenge?
Dimplez: Definitely. It’s hard for me to stay outside the studio so I’m definitely gonna be releasing more music. The thing is, that’s why I got to the point I did when I released the Zeal. I never intended to release an album, but I had so much music that I wanted to give to the people and it didn’t make sense for me to wait. In a couple of months the songs are stale and won’t have the same impact, so all your hard work and hours of studio time go down the drain.
What do you mean by wait? Wait for what?
Dimplez: What I mean is the media rotation system in South African radio and TV is flawed. The radio and TV system almost never allows you to have more than one song playlisted at the same time. How is it that Chris Brown or Drake can have five songs being played on radio simultaneously but the minute a local guy has a second song submitted, they remove the first song and replace it with the other one? That doesn’t make sense to me.
It can’t be because there is too much local content and they need space to play it all, because that is not true. We hear the same songs play on a radio or music channel about three or four times a day; you mean to tell me that ‘Run Jozi’ and ‘Sunshine’ can’t be playlisted at the same time? We find ourselves working at a way faster rate than what these mediums are prepared to accommodate and that limits our artistry. We end up either compiling them into albums and releasing them for the people, or finding other creative ways to reach the consumers directly without the radio dictating to us what we can and cannot put out
That’s a really interesting insight. From a consumer point of view, I don’t think too many people think of that. On the subject of radio, Speedy, you’ve made that transition from being in the clubs and festivals to being on radio. Is that a natural progression for a DJ or did the opportunity just fall in your lap? A lot of live DJs like the idea at first because they think it will boost their brand presence, but end up frustrated because the job’s commitments hinder them from playing at events as much as they used to.
Speedsta: Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been trying to get on radio for a really long time. I’m so excited to still be doing what I love, but on yet another platform. Maybe on other stations or depending on the arrangement you have with the organisation, but YFM is a perfect fit for me and we understand each other really well. I can still take shows whenever I want and if anything, it means people will get to know me more and be able to connect with me at my shows or when they see me out.
YFM didn’t have a hip hop show for over a year after the Siz n Scoop show ended. One would imagine that it’s because after a historical show like that, it was extremely difficult to find people who could fill those shoes. It’s a great responsibility you’ve taken on. Do you feel pressure from the hip hop community?
Speedsta: Not to take anything away from either of those guys because I respect them both very much, but I represent the youth. Sizwe and Scoop are part of the youth too but I’m part of the new generation of listeners, artists and fans. Sh*t’s changed a lot. I know a lot more about the kids than what they do because I am ‘the kids.’ My generation is the generation that calls the shots about content and parties and fashion because we are who companies are trying to sell to. So for me, I’m coming in as DJ Speedsta and bringing my own stuff to the table. Siz n Scoop is done, this is DJ Speedsta and the Hip Hop Floor. If you’re gonna come at me with the mindset of ‘hmmm this is cool but Siz n Scoop was better’ then you’re at the wrong place. However, if you’re coming in there and you’re like ‘F*ck, what is this about?’ that’s what I’m about. People ask me why I don’t have battles and cyphers on the show like they did. The Hip Hop Floor is more a show about current affairs in hip hop culture. Things like, what’s going on with rappers, crews, beef, DJs, what happened at Back to the City. I want to give people the insight of what goes on behind the scenes. There’s a lot of stuff I wanted to know about hip hop as a fan but I never got the chance or the platform to ask about it, and I know there are many others like me. I represent those people
With all that’s been said about the evolving role of the DJ, aren’t you concerned that the art will eventually become irrelevant?
dimplez: I’m a DJ first and foremost, I tell that to everybody. Even in my Twitter profile, it’s written ‘DJ’. I’ll always work on my DJing. And as long as there are people who think like that, and a new generation of guys like Speedsta and his peers coming up, it’ll never die. We are all united.