African Dope Soundsystem

From the streets, the corners of Gugs and the Plain to your inner city pad. Jump up with JJ. Chill with Teba, and splice and roll with Crosby. Feel the ragga dub steaming off the record, because this is the hottest compilation out there, and it’s more than just smokin’ pleasure.

So, you ask, why am I speaking like this? Was it some Jamaican Ciggie the crew from Dope deceptively folded into my comp CD and media pack, or was it those seeds (that weren’t mustard) that I found lodged inside the plastic box under the disc?

No, it’s because African Dope Soundsystem, a collaboration of various ragga-dancehall artists in and around Cape Town, is just so damn good.

This is good stuff and so it should be, because anyone will tell you that it takes time to cultivate good crop. Nine months in fact, ample enough hours for it to be trimmed down good from 55 tracks to the pick of the harvest, 18 of the best.

This is African Dope's 10th crop and first disc to be grown entirely in-house since their debut release 'Acid Made Me Do It'. It’s also their first new album to be released via their brand new distribution deal with Sony Music SA. But just what sort of crop are we talking about?

Well, first there’s the Gugulethu vocal trio of Chronic Clan who have firmly established themselves as local leaders in the thriving dancehall-ragga scene.

Just two years ago the crew, who consist of Crosby "Cross" Bolani, Zolile "Zoro" Mathikinca and Lungile "G" Bawuti, won the SABC title of ‘Best Ragga-Rap Group'.

Then there’s Teba, who goes by the calls of “the Original Social Worker”, “The Shepherd,” “Mr. Shumba” and “Teba 20-5-2-1 Digitally”. He started his career with Kwaito group, Skeem, who were awarded the FNB Sama Award for “Best Township Pop” in 1997.

There’s also Mitchell’s Plain artist Red Lion, a ragga MC and sound engineer in his spare time. His main musical influences are Jamaican-style reggae and hip hop in all its forms.

Add to that Black Dillinger. He’s a fiery, 22-year-old rasta, born and bred in Gugs too. He started taking his singing seriously in about 1999, touring South Africa with local artists, Sounds of Azania, and international headliners such as Buju Banton, Ras Ites and Winston Rodney.

Youngest of the Soundsystem crew is JJ, a 16-year-old from Gugulethu. Being the freshest of the crop he is obviously mighty popular with the girls. This guy started blasting out four years ago and last year was voted most popular artist by the contestants of the 2003 Miss Gugulethu beauty pageant after performing his massive single, 'Girl Sugar Plum'.

But maybe you want to know more before you whip out your rands, like how the crop took root and how they got the premium they did? Okay, okay, so I’ll lay it out for you. I’ll let it out the bag, or is that bankie? Anyhow check this:

First you got to have some of the best cultivators, gardeners and that sort. This way you know you’re not going to end up with second-grade gamsta sunk. For quality control we have DJ Dope (the shy stoned dude who goes by the name Fletcher of Krushed and Sorted).

Second we need a sidekick. For this there is no better than maverick Brit DJ, producer and guitarist Juan Thyme. Now bring them together in the early hours of the morning.

Next, after careful attention, you need the right seed. For this Dope and Thyme with all their knowledge of cultivation, introduced Chronic Clan, the vocal trio from Gugulethu, Red Lion, who was collaborating with the Dope crew already, then Black Dillinger. Dope and Thyme came across Teba, or more like he came across them, because he just walked into the studio one night with his bass guitar and vox and just sort of let rip on the steam.

That was good, but later on a horticultural expedition to the May Day Concert in Langa, Dope spots JJ, the 16-year-old kid, whose Steve-Urkel-like spark was enough to illumine even the droopiest of crops.

Finally you need the right ultra-violets and seedbeds to lay down that crop. This is where Dope and co hooked up with one Tim Parr, SA guitar legend whose studio is next door to Dope Records, with an adjoining door. They coaxed him with a bit of old dried crop and got him in on the cultivation. And hey, they were chilling away, smoothing the grounds, then in the late hours flicking on the ultra-violets, sitting back and waiting for the crop to ripen.

So now you know. The secret recipe is out. But don’t believe me, go and taste for yourself first. Homegrown.