Written by Boitumelo Molamu

From music to fashion, when done right, collaborations can have an unimaginable impact and introduce people to new experiences, creatives and styles. This year was not short of amazing collaborations in music and fashion.

Reflecting on the year that was, we put together a list of the collaborations that stood out the most for us. This list is in no particular order.

‘Never Ride’ by MashBeatz featuring Thato Saul and Maglera Doe Boy

Arguably the biggest hip-hop song of the year, ‘Never Ride’ came at a point when South African hip-hop was having a resurgence. Thato Saul and Maglera Doe Boy, who were already hot topics, further proved why so many hip-hop fans were excited about their come-up.

Thato Saul and MashBeatz already had a collaborative relationship from their 2021 joint EP If You Know, You Know, so bangers from them were nothing new. It was perhaps Maglera Doe Boy’s verse that took ‘Never Ride’ from a banger to an SA hip-hop classic. Maglera’s verse is contender for “verse of 2022”, and ‘Never Ride’ is one of SA hip-hop’s highlights this year.

Air Jordan and Shelflife

After their first collaboration with Puma back in 2010 and another with Adidas in 2019, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Shelflife did it again, this time with Air Jordan. Dubbed “Team Only”, the Shelflife x Air Jordan 2 Low is a way for Shelflife to pay homage to and celebrate the team that makes the brand and store what they are, and also never forget its community. In an interview with HYPE, Nick Herbert (founder and creative director of Shelflife), expressed his pride and excitement about this collaboration, stating, “As a sneakerhead or retailer, collaborating with the Jordan brand is one of the highest compliments you could get.”

‘SETE’ by K.O. featuring Young Stunna and Blxckie

By all means, ‘SETE’ could be considered the song of the year at this point. K.O.’s consistency and level of musicality have to be examined. Since its release in August, the song has continuously reached and surpassed different milestones. Its first was reaching platinum status within just 16 days, hitting 10 million views on YouTube within the first month, and, lastly, holding the number-one spot for 12 consecutive weeks on SA Radiomonitor. The genre of ‘SETE’ has been discussed at length, with many emphasising that it’s not a hip-hop song, but rather an Afro pop song with touches of amapiano. Not off-brand for the former member of Teargas, a hip-hop group that always coloured outside the lines. This time around, he collaborated with new age genre-benders Blxckie and Young Stunna.

Wanda Lephoto and Dakotas

Wanda Lephoto might be one of the most exciting designers and brands of our generation. His work, ranging from creative consulting to creative direction, has had a bigger influence on creative culture than most realise. But it’s his eponymous brand that takes the cake. Early in 2022, we got to see one of the greatest collaborations to ever come out of South Africa, and that was the creation of the Hi-Shine mule by Wanda Lephoto and South African heritage footwear brand Dakotas. The range, which was the first time most of us saw Wanda go into footwear, sold out within a matter of weeks. The designer took one of Dakotas’ classics, the Hi-Shine loafer, lowered its back and turned it into a mule, which was a simple but impactful take.

Cotton Fest and Valhalla

Riky’s words, “When I die, the legacy carries on…” are words that will forever echo; his impact and influence on introducing the world to new talent and on collaboration can never be measured. In 2022, Cotton Fest showed it stands for what he believed in – putting talent on. The annual festival collaborated with up to six brands to produce merch. While all the brands had their unique designs and takes, it was Valhalla that was the clear stand-out. We saw the collaborative graphic T-shirt embraced by the masses, worn and endorsed by the likes of Major League DJz and Uncle Vinny. This collaboration was proof that, when major brands trust the creativity of small brands, there’s a mutual benefit. Valhalla went on to collaborate with Balcony Mix by the Major League DJz later in the year.

The post The top five SA hip-hop collaborations of the year appeared first on HYPE Magazine.

Thato Saul’s music video for ‘Big Steppa’ was filmed in the hood and doesn’t only show goons but everyday people. Familiar faces include Tyson Sybateli, J-Smash and MashBeatz among a few others.

‘Big Steppa’ is the latest single from Thato Saul’s latest album Life Is Gangsta released in June.

Watch the music video for ‘Big Steppa’ and stream Life Is Gangsta on Apple Music, Spotify and other platforms..

Revisit Thato Saul’s HYPE cover story and our review of Life Is Gangsta.

The post Thato Saul shares ‘Big Steppa’ music video appeared first on HYPE Magazine.

By Sabelo Mkhabela

One of the hottest South African hip-hop songs at the moment is the street banger ‘Never Ride’ by Pretoria producer MashBeatz, featuring Thato Saul repping PTA, and Maglera Doe Boy repping Klerksdorp (also known as Maglera). ‘Never Ride’ has a hook that could pass for a short verse. One of its biggest boosters is a 480p visualiser that treats itself like a music video; MashBeatz, Thato Saul and MDB perform in a studio in the presence of a gang of people. The whole clip is embellished with a night vision filter.

Among many others, 25K, Maglera Doe Boy, Thato Saul, Dee Koala, LOOKATUPS, Holy Alpha and Bravo Le Roux are some of the leaders of South Africa’s new wave of street rappers. Hailing mainly from Pretoria and Cape Town, they don’t only tell stories from the hood; they express themselves in street slang. Kasi trap goes by different names – straata, ringz, istrato – which all concern the streets, street culture and street lingo.

This wave comes at a time when mainstream interest in South African music is more on amapiano than hip-hop. Busiswa said during the ACCES music conference in November last year: “We are having a lot of conversations right now on social media about SA popular music being amapiano and amapiano only. We love amapiano but now there’s a whole entire hip-hop industry, where young black kids are doing it really well in their languages in really original ways, but they are not getting an opportunity because it feels like if we are doing this, this is the only thing we can be doing right now.”

As a result, South African hip-hop finds itself back on the streets. It’s an opportunity to reckon with itself after a period of mainstream success in the mid-2010s and, honestly, losing touch a little. The streets are where hip-hop exists in its rawest form, with little care for industry approval.

“Street rap just never dies,” said Pusha T in a Breakfast Club interview two months ago. “I feel like it just comes in different forms. It’s the cornerstone of rap. Street rap birthed this whole thing.”

In South Africa, street rap or kasi rap dominated the 2000s and early 2010s through Joburg-based acts like the late PRO, F-Eezy, Deep Soweto, Siya Shezi and the like, all great storytellers, fluent in tsotsitaal, and with a shared ability to play with words over grimy beats.

A memorable era in kasi rap is The Full Clip With Siz n Scoop show, which was on air between 2009 and 2014 on YFM. The show became the breeding ground for kasi rappers such as Mickey M, Siya Shezi and MT, who remain iconic names in the subgenre today.

SPeeKa, a producer who gained prominence from providing beats for The Full Clip freestyles, is still a powerhouse of kasi rap through his stream of EPs and the YouTube series Sotra Cyphers. He describes kasi rap as “rap music told in South African street slang” and “a more lyrically evolved form of kwaito”.

Rappers like Zakwe, Duncan, Cassper Nyovest, K.O, Kwesta and Big Zulu still make music that has elements of kasi rap, from the kwaito influence to the storytelling, wordplay and, of course, the slang.

Kasi rap has always been the antithesis to the highly US-influenced side of SA hip-hop. As Kwesta rapped in ‘Spirit’: “Abangas’qedi, joe; bathi, ‘skrrrr’, sathi, ‘hey, ningaskhinyi’.”

Language will always be a debating point in SA hip-hop, and spitting in vernac is still the easiest way for rappers to connect to the streets. “The biggest insight that rappers should take from [amapiano] is that the lyrics are things that, as soon as you walk out the gate, you see [them],” said ASAP Shembe during an interview with DJ Switch. “You should be able to see the things that people are rapping about. The guys who have really figured it out in terms of hip-hop, it’s PTA guys [and] Khayelitsha and Gugulethu [rappers].” The aesthetic extends to other regions beyond Gauteng and the Western Cape; for instance, Eastern Cape has its own wave of kasi trap; rappers like Flash Ikumkani and Bhut’Legend all rap in lingo that’s unique to their parts of the country.

25K’s debut album Pheli Makaveli feels like an epic gangster flick set in his hood, Pheli, in Atteridgeville, and it’s told in Sepitori the way the Narcos series is always in Spanish. You can’t add subtitles to audio, so, to assist fans in understanding his recollections of growing up in Pheli, hustling and eventually becoming a rap star, 25K released a “Pheli Makaveli  Dictionary” on Instagram after the release of Pheli Makaveli. “I draw inspiration from the streets,” 25K said in his Pheli Makaveli documentary.

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Street rap may be largely associated with the drug trade in the US – kool G Rap, 90s’ Jay-Z, The Clipse, T.I. and Migos but, in a South African context, it is that and more; not all street n*ggas are trappers in Mzansi.

So, not all street rap in South Africa is rooted in trappin’ in the classical sense; pushing product. The likes of Thato Saul, SimulationRxps, Dee Koala and Bravo Le Roux tell stories from the streets, reflect and show love to it. Their music doesn’t contain that much drug talk, but it’s still unquestionably street.

Describing the themes he explored in his debut album live from elokshini, SimulationRxps told former HYPE editor Roo, “live from elokshini for me is art/music used to paint how beautiful and how dark the township is.” He also spoke about being inspired by Durban kwaito star L’vovo Derrango’s 2007 debut album Derrango, which he was bumping before commencing work on live from elokshini: “That album was so raw and relatable; the stories he was telling on that album still make sense to this day. [K.O’s] Skhanda Republic was also one of the albums I was bumping a lot.”

On, ‘Yizo Yizo’, a single from live from elokshini, SimulationRxps and Bravo Le Roux, who’s featured in the song, reflect on the show’s influence in their lives and those of young people in general at the time. “Yabona ekasi sasithi make sure 8:30 semakwethu phambi kweTV/ That’s the same reason why iiboys zazingaphathi iskaftina/ cause ubhaka wayesindwa yintshiza,” SimulationRxps raps.

Before Bravo Le Roux dropped his debut album, International Gubevu, in 2021, he teamed up with DJ Switch for the mixtape The Rise of Istrato. The project is streets to the core, both content-wise and sonically. “To most of the people abakhulele estratweni, istrato is like your second parent,” says Leo Pretty August on the intro for the song ‘Noba Yintoni’. “You learn a lot from istrato, sometimes even more than what you learn under the roof that you sleep in.”

In 2021, music journalist Mayuyuka Kaunda called Maglera Doe Boy’s debut album 2Player [The Digital Score] “an engrossing love letter to South Africa’s street corners” and “a Shakespearean spin on township rap”. 2Player [The Digital Score]’s entry point into Maglera Doe Boy’s experiences as a township kid is arcade games (hence the name). Maglera Doe Boy is a major player of South African street rap; a verse from the motswakolista is a cheat code in the game right now. His and Ginger Trill’s appearance on Boity’s ‘018’s Finest’ led to a grimy visual that brought the TV superstar back to the streets. For the video, she recruited Botswana

Kasi rap in the 2000s had cypher sessions for rappers to showcase their skills. But, today, it exists in a world where the worldwide web affords rappers more eyes and ears. They may not be household names like AKA and Cassper Nyovest yet, but their cult followings are substantially bigger and more devoted than those from the previous generation.

Another great example is the Afrikaans drill scene of the Western Cape. Just like the Xhosa rappers discussed above have made the trap sound theirs, Afrikaaps (a version of Afrikaans spoken by coloured people) speaking rappers from the Western Cape are spitting over drill beats in vernac. “The grimy sound was the perfect tone to express myself,” prominent drill rapper Matt Levai from Laingville was quoted as saying by Bubblegum Club. “It made me tap into my Afrikaans roots, our Cape slang. I started looking around me, here in Kaapstad, in the Cape Flats, and I felt inspiration like never before. While everyone was trying to sound like the drill artists from the US and UK, I said, ‘Woi, masekines, die is os se tyd nou.’”

More Western Cape drill rappers such as Young OG CPT and Kulture Gang have released street hits that racked up tens of thousands of views on YouTube. Those videos, shot almost exclusively in the hood, show the rappers flanked by the masses; a style of music video that was associated with pioneering Cape Town lyricist YoungstaCPT. The majority of street rap videos are filmed in the hood in less constrained environments that enable rappers to share their moments with their people.

The Afrikaans drill scene is one of many popping drill scenes on the continent; Ghana’s drill scene is international, so is Kenya’s. By comparison, Cape Town’s scene is still in its infancy, but is already showing promise.

Street rap, which has always been too grimy for top-40 radio and other commercial platforms, is poppin, thanks to the internet and its DIY approach. And, luckily for fans, in the digital age, DIY and independence aren’t synonymous with low quality, because of the accessibility of equipment and savviness of fans. But, some street rappers have partnered up with labels; 25K released Pheli Makaveli through SONY Music Africa, Holy Alpha recently joined Def Jam Africa, and Maglera Doe Boy is releasing his official debut album Diaspora through Universal Music South Africa. The streets is up.

Check out our playlist of South Africa’s new wave of street raps:

The post Back to the streets: Pretoria and Cape Town are leading the resurgence of street rap in South Africa appeared first on HYPE Magazine.

By ubereatzz

After dropping his critically acclaimed project Members Only, an extraordinary collab tape If You Know, You Know with Mashbeatz and was featured recently on the producer’s street banger ‘Never Ride’ alongside Maglera Doe Boy, Thato Saul’s latest offering Life Is Gangsta cements his position in hip-hop as one of the best storytellers and lyricists in the country.

The tape lets the listener in on growing up in Thato Saul’s hood Atteridgeville, popularly known as Pheli, west of Pretoria, with ‘Modimo Ohla Pheli’ where he speaks on his growth as an artist and as a person while he states that people didn’t believe he would get this far.

He carries this energy into ‘Pick It Up’ where he raps about a deep conversation with a friend who tells him a life of crime is the only way he can put food on the table. “I pray that they give it up easy/ Don’t be Superman and be throwin’ a fit up/ Don’t really like pullin’ the trigger/ even though that sh*t don’t make me shiver/ Give up the keys and give up the monies/ I be prayin’ to God, ‘don’t make me pull the trigger/ Don’t really like being that n*gga,” Thato Saul raps from the perspective of his subject.

He recruits rap superstar A-Reece on ‘Put It on Me’. Saul addresses his peers, fans, and haters about how he is here to stay, and is cautious of who he keeps around him as he takes the game on. A-Reece comes in smooth letting his naysayers know he is aware of all that talk and how they are in their feelings, but they must respect his position in the rap game as he raps, “Just like the ex-con Jimmy, I thought I’d better call Saul/ Sky’s the limit and we takin’ off/ I don’t wanna see my mama cryin’ anymore, this who I do it for.”

‘Big Steppa’ reinforces Thato Saul’s stance on how people swear to be gangsta but they’re just claiming, but he sees that life every day in his hood, and knows how it goes. He continues to call himself a big deal as he is for the streets, by the streets with a reputation to match. This goes hand-in-hand with the Mashbeatz-produced ‘Kwa Bofello’ in which he mentions he’s the last of a dying breed with the stripes to prove it.

My favourite track ‘Kick It with You’, featuring Marcus Harvey, changes the mood from gully to romantic. It’s a beautiful love song that sees him rap over a melodic beat, confessing the things he is willing to do to be with her while addressing his foes. “You got the best rapper in the land, how you turnin’ me to a fan?/ If a n*gga ever try capture you like a cam/ they’ll arrest me, put in a can,” he raps. Marcus Harvey’s vocals bolster the gangsta love anthem.

The song comes with a comical skit which has a woman complaining to her friend about boys in her hood not going out anymore, but rather just sit at home and watch Big Brother.

‘Deep in The Mix’ with R&B artist and producer TRON PYRE is the best track on this tape sonically. The beat, the flow, the cadence, the writing and TRON’s vocals are all top notch. It’s my second favourite on the project.

The interlude ‘Tau Street’ brings the listener back to the harsh realities faced by Saul as he maneuvers his daily life in Pheli. The hard-hitting ‘R.I.P Fat Cat’ is a dedication to one of the well-known car spinners in his area who he seemed to admire a lot; he lets the listener in on how street politics get settled. “Nakwe Fat Cat asa park-ile pere,” he raps, “Dilo diya change-a ke spina ka pen/ Solo ako tshaba lo dwadla le pleke enemy di meme/ Street politics seti fetotsi sport/ Sae jump-a treni wa tshosa ke sporo.”

He brings this same context to ‘Back On My Bullsh*t’ as he lays down how he has been through so much to get this far, and he does not need anyone questioning his decisions.

Read: [Cover Story] Thato Saul: From Saulsville to the spotlight

It would not be a Thato Saul project without a Tyson Sybateli feature; the two have collaborated on a tape called At Your Service, a few songs like ‘Chauncy’, ‘Trust Nothing’ and ‘Home & Away Games’ to name a few. Lil Snake comes in on ‘What’s Goin On’ handling the hook and addressing different complications of the life they live as rappers. I would have loved to hear a verse from him but the song still works as it is.

Thato brings on fellow street rapper Maglera Doe Boy on ‘Okay’, where they continue off their ‘Never Ride’ wave in a song about their aspirations, dreams, and the direction they want their careers to go. Maglera Doe Boy lets everyone know he and Thato are the hottest rappers out right now and how they grew up in similar circumstances. The beat switch is the icing on the cake for this banger as Saul flaunts his lyrical capabilities.

Life Is Gangsta ends with the title track, a smooth rap record that outlines the past that shaped Thato. He reminisces about school days, counting dirty money with his momma and adds that the hood is bad for his mental health, as he has been burying many of his closest friends.

This must be an “ah-ha” moment for him on this project. The Riky Rick skit where he says, “So my depression took, uhm, you know, took form in being angry at the guys who were doing it.  And, uh, I always said my first album would be my last album ‘cause I didn’t expect to make it past 25. I didn’t expect to make it past 26,” sums up the rapper’s overall feelings about his chosen path.

Life Is Gangsta raised the bar on storytelling with a consistent message of staying true to one’s roots, producers like Mashbeatz, Feziekk, and Beatshoven outdid themselves by providing Saul with the best musical production in the country that ranges from trap to soulful boom bap.

It is a flawless project that could mark as a turning point for Thato Saul; the album hit number one on Apple Music All Genres charts upon release which is an impressive achievement, especially for an independent artist.

Stream Thato Saul’s Life Is Gangsta on Apple Music, Spotify and other platforms.

The post Album of the Month: Thato Saul ‘Life Is Gangsta’ appeared first on HYPE Magazine.

Saulsville lyricist Thato Saul’s highly anticipated album Life is Gangsta has arrived. The 13-track project, as you already know from the tracklist released a few days ago, features A-Reece, Marcus Harvey, Tron Pyre, Tyson Sybateli and Maglera Doe Boy.

Read: Thato Saul; From Saulsville to the spotlight

Life is Gangsta is gritty with a soulful touch; Thato Saul’s sharp storytelling raps sit perfectly over a combination of trap and boom-bap production.

Asked about what fans should expect on this album in our recent cover story, Thato Saul said:

“The listeners should expect Thato Saul to still be very honest and truthful. To still be digging deep inside and presenting something that shows how I truly feel. No cuts, no cap – just the truth and my life experiences. They should expect features also, which is something I don’t really do but, for this project, I tried it out. The people who listen to my music aren’t used to me working with other people on my own songs, so I wanted to bring that dynamic in for this project. Something new. The title song is a song that really cuts deep, and I hope that it will resonate with a lot of people. Especially the homies out here in these streets. It’s things we go through, but don’t express, because we simply choose not to. It’s the most important song I’ve ever written.”

And, yes, the album’s artwork looks familiar because it appeared on the same cover story cited above. You can read it here.

https://twitter.com/ThatoSaul/status/1535020057679495169?s=20&t=WxruV6PlACLxucN7UXHT_g

Life is Gangsta was one of the most anticipated South African hip-hop albums of 2022. Thato Saul has built a great buzz around his name through his street-centric raps on multiple singles and releases that include his 2021 collaborative album with MashBeatz titled IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW. The inside joke on the title, of course, is just how dope Thato Saul has been, so those who knew kind of had an idea things would get to where they are now. It’s PTA’s time to shine.

Listen to Thato Saul’s Life is Gangsta on Apple Music, Spotify and other platforms.

The post Thato Saul drops highly anticipated album ‘Life is Gangsta’ appeared first on HYPE Magazine.

Story by ON

Visuals courtesy of Thato Saul

Almost a year after his formidable 2021 collab project with MashBeatz, IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, Pheli’s lyrical gymnast, the rap game’s LaVine, Mr ’10 Tau ha se sello’ aka ‘BYOR BO DESE’ is gearing up to drop a new project soon. The Street A&R, ON had the pleasure of an exclusive listening session and caught up with Pretoria West-born Thato Matlebyane, popularly known as Thato Saul, to find out more about him and his music.

 Let’s open this up for the readers who have never heard your name or music before: who is Thato Saul?

Thato Saul is a hip-hop artist born and raised in the Saulsville side of Pheli – a township in Pretoria West.

What was your childhood like? Any musical moments/memories you recall that are still dear to you?

My childhood was good. Typical township childhood – getting into trouble a lot and having to grow up fast. You only realise that when you’re older. I was one of the few who had my father in my life; none of my friends had that. He’s the reason I fell in love with music, because there was always a party at home and my dad would play all kinds of music all day, until the early morning. I grew up with loud music playing in the house. One day in 2004/2005, coming back from school, I found my dad’s 50 Cent Get Rich or Die Tryin’ CD at home, played it because the album cover caught my attention, and that’s how I connected with hip hop music.

What’s a random fact about Thato Saul most people don’t know?

There’s honestly nothing I don’t know about Harry Potter. I’m a big fan of that franchise.

My first introduction to your music was a BANGER called ‘Gotta Eat’ back in 2019, which I still bang to this day! When did this music journey all begin for Thato Saul?

My journey with music started in 2014. That’s when I started recording, but I started writing raps consistently from 2008. I’d write raps in my schoolbooks in every class I was in, and rap them to my friends. I didn’t have the confidence or resources to record, though, but when I started to, I had the advantage of already being a good writer because I had been doing it for years. I just had to develop into being a good performer of the lyrics. Going to cyphers in the city helped me a lot with that.

For God’s Sake was a formidable project to cement yourself as a hardcore lyricist and – most importantly, and my favourite thing about it – it was a peak into the life of Thato Saul. As your first baby, how would you describe that project and what it means to you?

That project means a lot to me. I got my first chart topper on 5FM with the song ‘Praises’ from that project. It was my first attempt at doing a concept project. It’s based on the seven deadly sins. At that point in my life, I was out in the streets doing what I had to, getting in a lot of trouble and having issues with many people, to the point that I felt I needed to repent, in a way, while still getting involved outside. I also wasn’t going to church a lot. So, I did that project not for me, but for God’s sake, to remind Him that I am still a believer of His word and to ask for forgiveness for my sins, which I do at the beginning of the first song and again at the beginning of the last song. Those parts connect as one prayer that I wrote. That project means a lot to me.

After that, you linked up with another lethal Pretoria lyricist – Tyson Sybateli – to drop the collaborative EP At Your Service. That was your first time working with another rapper. How did this linkup happen, and how competitive was it rapping back-to-back with an MC like Tyson?

That was a collaboration we’d been speaking about for a while. Tyson and I connected via mutuals, and I started working with him and his homies. He, in particular, got the rapper side out of me – he’s the hardest rapper I’ve rapped with. I was able to go back and forth with him because I come from a cypher/battle background, which gave me the skills and competitiveness needed to be a rapper and rap alongside heavyweights like Tyson. We did that project in one session. It took about five hours and we had done the entire thing. It’s really fun because I get to tap into that side of me when I’m with him. On my own songs, I relax a bit and introspect a lot.

You’ve done a consistent job of repping your hometown, collaborating with artists from there, and being the voice for the streets. I’ve heard beautiful, heartfelt and raw street tales in your music. Is this storytelling and representation of your hometown a core part of your artistry?

Yes, it is. Growing up in the neighbourhood and being around older homies who tell stories all day about all kinds of situations really influenced me. We all like to tell a good war story when we’re hanging out on the corner. So, I decided to bring that into my music, but tell actual real-life stories that I’ve been through or witnessed, or that my homies have been through. I also wanted that to be my x-factor – the one thing only I do – that separates me from the rest. Not to say I’m the only storyteller, but I know that I’m the best at it.

Members Only – my favourite Thato Saul project with the intro ‘Still Living’ being my favourite Thato Saul song, and probably your most musical work – drops and blows up! The lead single ‘10k’ becomes a fan favourite. What was/were your favourite songs to record on that project, and why?

I actually enjoyed recording most of the project. The reason being that it was recorded during peak level-5 lockdown, so my recording engineer and I would have to make plans to link and record. We couldn’t get into studios because artists were hogging studios at that time, and couldn’t record where we always do because visitors weren’t allowed at his place. So, he spoke to his cousin who worked at some company in Midrand. She let us use the company boardroom – that’s where a lot of Members Only was done – during level 5 in a boardroom. We had to make a plan and adjust. It was an experience recording that project, also because I was in and out of hospital for non-COVID-related issues. That’s why I can’t pick a specific song because it all was an experience to do it.

What inspires Thato Saul?

My life inspires me. I do music about exactly that. I always take one- to two-month breaks from writing and recording, just living my life. Then, when I come back, I always have so much to speak about. The neighbourhood I’m from is the core of my music, to the point that it’s been in my rap name from the beginning. Saul is short for Saulsville. I live my life in the streets of my neighbourhood, which always finds its way into my music. It’s more than just crime or being tough –

it’s the life of the average South African, and all the experiences that come with. That’s my inspiration.

Tell us about your relationship with MashBeatz and the product of that relationship: If You Know, You Know.

At this point, MashBeatz is someone I consider my friend, which I never thought would be the case. I started working with him in 2021 and I’ve seen him almost every week since then. The first day we met, we spoke about doing a project immediately – and he wasn’t the guy I was supposed to meet with; he was just there. We connected so well that we did the project in three months. I was very hungry and driven at that point and, when the project came out, it only drove my hunger even more. It was very easy to do it because I had done a collaboration project before. I usually take a year or two writing a project but, for that project, it took two months to write and a month to record. That’s what I like the most about it; it represents the drive I had at that point, and it’s the reason I have even more right now because it worked out.

The last two years have been incredible for the Thato Saul brand – your work ethic has been impeccable, and it looks like it’s paying off. With this new project on the way, what should your listeners expect?

The listeners should expect Thato Saul to still be very honest and truthful. To still be digging deep inside and presenting something that shows how I truly feel. No cuts, no cap – just the truth and my life experiences. They should expect features also, which is something I don’t really do but, for this project, I tried it out. The people who listen to my music aren’t used to me working with other people on my own songs, so I wanted to bring that dynamic in for this project. Something new. The title song is a song that really cuts deep, and I hope that it will resonate with a lot of people. Especially the homies out here in these streets. It’s things we go through, but don’t express, because we simply choose not to. It’s the most important song I’ve ever written.

Who did you work with on the album?

I worked with MashBeatz, Beatshoven and Feziekk for the production. I worked with artists like Marcus Harvey, Maglera Doe Boy and Tyson Sybateli, just to name a few. I intend on having five features on the album, which is shocking considering that, in my past two solo projects, I’ve only had a single feature, which was more than enough for me.

When can we expect the album?

You can definitely expect the project to come out in June.

This interview appears in issue 19 of our ezine. Purchase the digital copy here.

The post [Cover Story] Thato Saul: From Saulsville to the spotlight appeared first on HYPE Magazine.

Not long ago, Thato Saul released “R.I.P Fat Cat”, the first single off of his forthcoming album dropping later this year. The song, produced by Feziekk, is a heartfelt tribute to Thato Saul’s homie Fat Cat from Atteridgeville who was slain in December 2021. 

In true Thato Saul fashion, the song is packed with street tales and street culture as he bids farewell to his OG. If you’re a true Saulist, you’ll immediately notice the location of the video – Cnr Ramokgopa & Tau Street in Blackrock, Saulsville – his hometown.

Peep the visuals and stream the song below: 

The post Watch Thato Saul’s music video for ‘R.I.P Fat Cat’ appeared first on HYPE Magazine.

Mash gave the two rappers a bouncy bass-heavy instrumental. Their street-centric raps are emphasised by the stomping kicks and the result is an unassuming slapper.

“Never Ride” is accompanied by a visualiser which shows MashBeatz, Thato Saul and MDB in studio alongside a few other characters. The clip is embellished with the night goggles effect, an aesthetic that suits this street banger.

“Never Ride” is out everywhere.

The post Listen to MashBeatz’s new single ‘Never Ride’ featuring Thato Saul and Maglera Doe Boy appeared first on HYPE Magazine.