I
recognised him with his signature Afro, surrounded by a group of energetic
break dancers jerking their bodies to paint a quaint image of what they had in
mind. I was outside the infamous Baxter Theatre in Rondebosch, Cape Town. It
was my first night in Cape Town after a 12 hour long bus trip down to the
Mother City.Emile
YX, as he is known in the Hip Hop circles, started his career as a rapper and
break dancer with the Hip Hop group, Black Noise, during the late 80’s and early 90’s. He grew up in a neighbourhood called
Grassy Park, a neighbour to the notorious Cape Flats.
P.O.C (Prophets of the
City) and “Brasse Vannie Kaap”, were part of the movement, that pushed
boundaries enough to break some new ground in the Hip Hop scene, especially as
the new dispensation was taking shape in South Africa.Without
wasting time and space, Emile leapt into conversation, by drawing a comparison
between body movement and the musical composition of a jazz song. “It is the
horn section, takes the dancer to another tip,” he enthused. Like many artists
coming from the Cape, what has given him “staying” power is his desire to pass
on the baton to youngsters to continue being ambassadors of the Hip Hop culture
but also teaching them that music is a pervasive tool used in dance for pure
expression, such as a painter would choose what kind of paint brush to use for
the final finish.
His
opinion is that to be able to understand jazz, it begins with understanding the
historical journey and impact of the genre. “People listen to more than just
the beat, but the entirety of the song,” his illustration a mannerism that he
made often of the full circle. He
alludes to listening to the likes of Robbie Jansen, Basil Manenburg – Coetzee
and Abdullah Ebrahim while growing up and found throughout the years that jazz,
specifically Cape Town jazz, had an influence on his career as a Hip Hop
artist.Goema,Carnival, Cape Malay and Khoi-san music are all mentioned to have
solidified the distinct sound and flavour of the Cape.It
has been a dear relationship with Hip Hop for Emile Jansen, who has dedicated
his life to the group Black Noise for 23 years, growing the B-boy phenomenon
locally and abroad; teaching, creating and coordinating Hip Hop events and
recently running for councillorship in Grassy Park in the 2011 Local Municipal
Elections.
Now,
6 months later at Toko MC, two months into my temporary residence in Amsterdam,
having been tipped off by a work acquaintance
on Facebook, I was listening to Emile bust a rhyme live in front of a young,
hip and happening audience, jamming along to the rhythm of the lyricist. He was
touring The Netherlands with the production called “Afrikaaps” that tackled
issues surrounding identity, culture and the Afrikaans language. “I am just
going to recite a poem, not going to do anything special”, he began, but we all
knew, those of us who understood his cause and movement, it’s never about
“special”, it’s always about how music is able to move people.