PhilaBoi K and THAT$hYHOMIE’s collaborative EP THR3 KOT4 showcases their undeniable talent and versatility
By ubereatzz
As frequent collaborators, PhilaBoi K and THAT$hYHOMIE have a hit under their belt – ‘Mfo’ by THAT$hYHOMIE, featuring PhilaBoi K, Duma Ka Mthombeni, V.I and HAZY, dropped in February this year and caused some havoc. The Joburg South duo’s recently released three-pack EP, THR3 KOT4 (pronounced “three kota”), has different flavours of hip-hop, in the same way a kota has a little bit of everything to satisfy your tastebuds.
The first track ‘Golide’ has traditional hip-hop elements – hard-hitting 808s and bars that will appeal to hip-hop purists. The song features Soweto rappers Ndabezimnandi, 1dile and Max Rose, who’s on the hook. The fittingly titled song is a candid story about the difficulties of hustling hard in the City of Gold, and how their money sometimes gets used on the wrong women, as 1dile raps, “Sithi s’sathi s’sahlanganisa nama cent/ kungen’ama slay ngama garavu.” It seems like each artist on the song is speaking about the same situation that they’ve all witnessed, but they have slightly different viewpoints about what happened.
On the kwaito-leaning ‘eRoundini’, the duo pays homage to late kwaito superstar Brown Dash, as they use some lines from his 2004 hit ‘Phants’ Komthunzi Welanga’. Just like Brown Dash’s hit, ‘eRoundini’ is a summer song, and has PhilaBoi K detailing his efforts as he tries to organise a chill session with his friends, rapping, “Ngaphandle bheka k’shisi ilanga, no skipa/ Futhi let’s braai meat, majita let’s all chill.”
On the final song, ‘We’ll Be Alrighty’, PhilaBoi K spits a motivational verse over trap-soul production. He details the kinds of bad situations he had to go through to make it this far with his friends who are also pursuing music. He raps, “Captain the ship Peter Pan get ’em hooked/ Throughout all these years we’ve been overlooked.”
The song has a beat switch with a soulful part by PhilaBoi K delivering a powerful hook about striving through difficult times and asking a higher power for help as he raps, “Praying for me, lighting me up like a globe/ I’m praying for peace, I don’t want pain anymore.” The song features a verse by rapper WANG and harmonies by Duma Ka Mthombeni.
This jam-packed EP sets an undeniable tone of musical versatility of all the artists and producers featured. They are building a multidimensional catalogue that is flexible to any type of hip-hop they choose to make.
Stream THR3 KOT4 by PhilaBoi K and THAT$hYHOMIE on Apple Music, Spotify and all other platforms.