by Deon-Simphiwe Skade
Narratives play a vital role of giving various art forms
their identities. How successful a narrative of a particular discipline of art
becomes, for example, is chiefly dependent on the artistic skill and execution of
the one producing or creating the art piece. As an artist who appreciates
various forms of art and reflects on these disciplines from time to time, I am
going to have yet another reflection. And seeing that the art form I have
chosen to express myself through is writing, particularly fiction; I will use this
art form to illustrate how successful narratives and language should work.
Perhaps it would be wise for me to first explain what both narrative and language each stand for in the context of this article. A narrative, which possesses dual meaning in this setting, represents a full account of a story. A narrative also represents a stylistic form of that which is being related to an audience. Language on the other hand, in its dual rolefas well, represents an era in which the story is set. In addition, language, by way of extension to other literary tools such as dialogue and so forth, helps in achieving the completeness of a story. This happens when language exposes the audience members to a wider range of issues in the story that includes and not limited to: a people’s culture; their manner of speaking; their personalities and the environment in which they live in. These elements are unearthed from the structural form of the narrative that is closely guided by language, in order to reveal more and more information about the story and its characters. It is in this myriad of interventions and the overriding supremacy of narrative and language that we can safely come to a conclusion that a writer as an artist, has indeed managed to present the story well. And when the writer is truly successful in his or her attempts as evidenced by the compelling nature of the narrative; that is when we speak of the work as being honest.
Honesty is another key feature of storytelling and other forms
of art that distinguishes great works from the rest. A work of art
should be honest enough in order to be taken seriously by those who truly
appreciate art in its creative input and output. By being honest, I mean that the
work ought to give a strong impression that it
was written from a point of authority. The story may be fantastic in its ideas perhaps
to a verge of being incredulous for those not familiar with the subject matter
at hand. But as long as it is honest enough, it is bound to be taken
seriously; for the story succeeds in its representation of that which is being
related.
I would like to believe that such a view as expressed above
is held by other people who appreciate art. But the relevance or influence of
this view may not necessarily be reflected in the literary world through its
writers, publishers, critics, reviewers and general readers. For we see a
flurry of books published each and every year without unique representations of
new narrative structures and language forms. Variations in literary
presentation do come up once in a while, and for this we may look to people
such as Dambudzo Marechera, Tracey Farren and Aryan Kaganof among those who deserve
credit for such interventions. These writers and others I did not mention,
capture the essence of what both narrative and language ought to achieve in a
story when it is truly representative. Similarly, other artists working through
other media such as music, visual art and so forth, have innovators of their
own whose approach to narrative and language break away from the mundane.
It is precisely at this point that I wish to focus on the successful narrative and language use as employed by Magolompita, a Hip Hop group based in mining town of Welkom, Free State – my hometown. This unsigned music group consisting of Pule Tsoaela (aka Bentu Bam Tseka) and Lebaka Tsotetsi (aka Sheke Macasha), illustrates through their self-titled debut EP album, the importance of presenting artistic work with complete honesty. I got to know of the group’s existence through Thabang Nale, a graphic designer friend of mine living in Thabong, a township on the outskirts of Welkom. It was through Thabang and Kooles’t Venda, a lifestyle shop he jointly owns with the Pule and Lebaka that I got to buy a copy of Magolompita’s EP album (other distribution channels the collective pursues is selling their music from backpacks and through the Internet). The purchase was made earlier this year, even though the album had been out since October 2013. It was couriered to me from Welkom to Cape Town, which has since become my home, via the postal service.
Even though I listened to the album on the day I collected it from the post office and on the many subsequent days, it is only now that I managed to get a chance to reflect on the album’s artistic merit. I must point out that with each listening session I have had, that there was a consistent sense of being overwhelmed; for the music is so fresh and so innovative. This freshness seems to extend on to the CD cover of the EP as well. The artwork designer, whom I suspect to be Thabang, made the CD cover to resemble an exercise book that is covered in brown paper like those meant for school. And right in the centre is a white classic book label that reads Magolompita, to suggest that the contents could be scribbling as the name Magolompita means in English. The print on the actual disc inside is the one that captures the essence of what Magolompita is, as children in the townships would refer to juvenile writing or drawing endeavours. But there is nothing juvenile about the music loaded on the CD; the fresh and honest narratives immediately tell you so when the vocals start coming out.
The beat structure of the music has elements of hip hop music
as we know it today. There is a teasing playfulness in the beats and in the
overall rhythm of the music that I find working well for me as a so-called Old
Skool Hip Hop audience member. But it is the group’s narrative structure and
the language form that I find them most successful. Unlike some Hip Hop artists
whose rhyme structures come across as forced and sometimes senseless,
Magolimpita’s has a natural flow with impressive quality. For the duo demonstrates
a rare ability to handle their narratives with a balanced combination of wit,
satire and solid social commentary.
There is an impressive lyrical wordplay in the verses
delivered by each member. The narratives are in a fine balance mix of Sesotho (in
both its original dialectical variations), English, township lingo and Tsotsi-Taal (language of township
thugs). Much like Hip Hop Pantsula who has been highly successful in his brand
of local Hip Hop called Motswako, Magolompita achieves such artistic excellence
in their music with their introductory work.
There is a distinct feature in the language used in the
lyrics. It reflects and represents the realities of young people in the present
era with all the challenges and aspirations they possess. However there is also
the representation of the past through the words and metaphors of the long-gone
era used in the language of their narratives. And from these words, a people’s
heritage is preserved and shared with the listener. The duo is frank. Perhaps
so frank that the CD cover ought to have the “parental advisory” warning
printed on it (interestingly, literature does not have such disclaimers). But candid
language should not negate the group’s brilliant efforts in creating honest,
authoritative and striking narratives.
Perhaps I should reproduce some of the duo's finest lyrics below. These are taken from track one, Chikoto:
Chain e gold (mina)
Ha o sok'oeraka (never)
I'm in the spot ba mpitsa bamtseka (yeah)
Loss-speed (ngwana), cheka letheka
And I spit the shit enkare ke na le letseka/tlala mina tlasa kasi/ thubelitsha maspala shout out tiddy tops/tlala le bale ba nwang dikala
Fall back nigger ka bontsho
All I choose swagger re hlodiseng empa ha e rule
It is undisputed that Hip Hop is on a meteoric rise in South
Africa and other African states. We have learnt in the past with genres such as
Kwaito music, that such increased attention on a particular genre opens it up
to all sorts of exploitation. This is where mediocrity begins to surface from
people who claim to represent the growth of that particular genre, when they
are in fact all about making money and creating undeserved personal fame. We
have already seen such artists in the instance of the sharp rise of interest in
local Hip Hop music. In addition to these opportunistic artists, there has also
been some South African rappers who are bent on mimicking their America
counterparts. But this practice and the ones mentioned before are not helping
the genre grow in a positive manner. What is even more depressing is the amount
of airplay these posturing artists get. But then what do we expect when
greatness has become more about swagger than the actual art of making music and
exploiting the social commentary element of it?
South African Hip Hop is well-placed to continue the mainstream
ascent it has enjoyed in the last couple of years. Much like other African
states, South African Hip Hop artists may take a global place through the
exploitation of indigenous languages in the land. It took a few pioneering
individuals from Mafikeng to put SeTswana language in the forefront of local
music through their Motswako brand. As mentioned, Hip Hop Pantsula, along with
other innovative artists such as Khuli Chana, Morafe, Molemi, Tuks and Cassper
Nyovest among others, have been very successful in this regard. The isiXhosa
speaking artists of Cape Town created their own brand of Hip Hop and called it Spaza,
while their coloured counterparts who may well be the godfathers of South Africa
Hip Hop, created a distinct Afrikaans-laced brand of Hip Hop. It is clear from
the above examples that strong movements emerge from united efforts. I just
hope that Sesotho, my mother tongue, also gets to enjoy wider representation not
only in Hip Hop, but in other music genres as well. Thus it can also expand the
national heritage of this beautiful country of ours. Perhaps Magolompita may
just be the group from the Sesotho-speaking population to spearhead this
movement. And maybe a few years from now similar successes as enjoyed by the
Motswako brand of Hip Hop may be achieved.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that there is an element
in Hip Hop music that promotes self-supremacy. This is done in both good and
bad taste. There are for example, artists who despite proclaiming to be better
than others, are actually having a merit to do so because there is a highly
intellectual and artistic way they approach their work (not that I encourage self-praise
anyway). Sadly, there are rappers who are quintessentially bad in that they are
merely empty vessels that make the most noise – no stimulation or engagement from
their content whatsoever.
However, I am happy to note that Magolopita falls in the
group that is both artistic and intellectually probing in their art form. And
this is the kind of artistic discipline I appreciate about various forms of art.
I can only wish that their footprint reach the whole of South Africa and
abroad.
