Prophets Of Da City: A talk with Shaheen Ariefdien & Ready D

By the time we recorded ‘Age of Truth’ we had encountered Biko’s writings, Pan Africanism and also some US based black radical ideas.”

Ready D and Shaheen Ariefdien open up in this feature about the history and growth of the iconic crew – Prophets Of Da City, the twenty five year anniversary of the ‘Our World’ release, the modern era of DJ-ing technology and what they’ve learned in their time on the scene. They also give us their view on hip hop today as more than just a musical genre and chat about their reunion performance at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival and their All Elements Jam taking place on 29 March ’15.

Prophets Of Da City is made up of DJ Ready D, Shaheen Ariefdien (mc), Jazzmo (beatboxer), Ram1 (dancer), Ishmael Morabe (vocalist), Gogga (graff artist), Junior Dread (ragga mc) and late member Mark Heuwel R.I.P (b-boy).

Since starting out as a crew back in 1988, how has your message and mission been fine tuned and shaped from where it originally started into what it is now and why do you think this is so?

Prophets Of Da City:

Ready D: I feel that our views evolved with the times. We are opinionated about issues that affect us as human beings. Dealing with human cause matters will always be relevant no matter the date and time.

Shaheen: I think each member’s journey is slightly different. For me, those formative years focused on three things: criticizing apartheid, grappling with the idea of what it means to be an emcee and a South African hip hop head, and spreading the ‘gospel of hip hop’ (mainly the aesthetics and expressive practices)

Another issue I felt strongly about was being proud to be African. Albums like ‘Our World’ and ‘Boomstyle’ contained songs that specifically focused on some of these issues. By the time we recorded ‘Age of Truth’ we had encountered Biko’s writings, Pan Africanism and also some US based black radical ideas. The energy was firmly rooted in a mixture of various anti-white supremacist ideologies and it was also a time when we outright rejected the notion of colouredness as a colonial constructed divide-and-rule strategy. The ‘Phunk Phlow’ album focused mainly on local issues such as crime, identity politics in the Western Cape, etc. When we moved to the UK to record ‘Universal Souljaz’, our scope became more global and the songs were really about connecting certain dots across time and space. We focused on the psychological impact of slavery, colonialism, neo-colonialism and a host of issues related to the oppression of people who are racialized in particular ways.

After the 1994 elections we were mostly optimistic. However, I was particularly naive in not really connecting the capitalist dimensions to apartheid. So, ‘Ghetto Code’ was really us celebrating the end of apartheid, revisiting some earlier topics and also commenting on internal shifts in hip hop for example the impact of greater commercialization of US hip hop on SA, the so-called generational divide, etc. After ‘Ghetto Code’ I had left the group and my journey caused me to be more introspective. In preparation for the reunion show, current lyrical content focuses more on how I am implicated in day-to-day oppressions. This ‘system’ is largely contingent on how we internalize those unhealthy values and reproduce all kinds of dysfunctional practices. Hopefully that kind of self awareness gives me an opportunity to heal. So, some lyrics are also focused on collective and individual healing on numerous levels. That’s, more or less, how my part of the message has shifted.

Hip Hop is what’s shaped our character.”

It’s admirable that your passion for hip hop has not merely peaked and then simmered out as it does with many other artists and musicians. To what do you credit the tenacity and fervour you so aptly apply to your lives and careers daily?

Prophets Of Da City:

Ready D: Hip Hop is what’s shaped our character.The historical and social climate during which Prophets of Da City peaked as recording and a performance artists made people realize our commitment to our communities and the culture. I personally regard POC as an institution that helped me to grow as a person.

Shaheen: We’ve never considered hip hop as a fad. Hip hop was a pivotal resource in how we made sense of the world and how we channelled our rage and joy. I was also surrounded by deeply passionate people who inspired me. They happened to be hip hop heads, too. While I am critical of the romantic view of hip hop as panacea for whatever social problems, I’ve always been curious about how hip hop would be live in context outside of the environments that’s usually associated with it. So, over the last decade and a half I’ve had amazing opportunities to explore hip hop in educational settings, community and youth development sectors, academia and exploring its role in creative healing practices.

I remember being thirteen with my big frizzy hair and baggy jeans at the ‘Adrenalin Phat Jam’ and checking out Ready D for the first time. This was about fourteen years ago, I’d heard so much about this ‘gevaarlike‘ DJ before that it felt like I was in the presence of greatness with spinning and scratching presented as a true art form. DJ-ing looked like a badass thing to do. What are your thoughts regarding the modern era of DJ-ing technology , the pros and cons if you will?

Prophets Of Da City:

Ready D: I fully embrace the new technology at our disposal. It opens up new possibilities to be creative. Some of the cons are the fact that it breeds an over saturated industry filled with mediocrity. There seems to be a disconnect between so called DJ’s and the music. I say this with the utmost respect. The vinyl generation had a deep connection with their craft because of the nature of owning records. You had to put in more effort to obtain the vinyls. We got awesome artwork, record label info, we could hold the disc in our hands, analyze and inspect everything about it. That’s a more tangible and rewarding experience than digital files.

Shaheen: I think the same applies to music production realm. We now have all kinds of software and prepared loops and what not. It is what it is. I can’t complain without sounding like a hypocrite, because we’ve reworked numerous songs for our reunion set working ‘in the box’.

Racism has been the primary issue that informed how we made sense of our oppression, but during those sessions it really created a shift in my thinking about the ways colonialism and capitalism manifests itself in contexts that are not as familiar to us.”

Of course you guys have worked on countless efforts within your communities through the works of hip hop. But, if you could mention a few memorable instances of change and positivity that’s left an impression on you, what would those be?

Prophets Of Da City:

Ready D: I feel that the access to technology from a communication base is awesome. It’s easier to network and gain info on so many subjects. We have more people raising awareness and exposing challenges via alternative media platforms.

Shaheen: One of the moments that stands out for me is when Taswell Majiet, a boy who at the time, was diagnosed with leukaemia, requested Prophets of Da City to perform for him as his last wish. We also worked with Catholic and Protestant youth in North Ireland using hip hop as a tool for conflict resolution and finding common ground. That was a huge eye opening experience for us. Racism has been the primary issue that informed how we made sense of our oppression, but during those sessions it really created a shift in my thinking about the ways colonialism and capitalism manifests itself in contexts that are not as familiar to us. The national voter education campaign that led up to the 1994 elections also stands out as a moment when the hip hop ‘community‘ were given an opportunity to help build a healthier society. That struggle obviously continues.

It’s been twenty five years since the release of ‘Our World’. In that time you’ve witnessed the progression of both the local music industry and hip hop itself. Where do you think the local music scene is at as a whole at this point and what place do you see South African hip hop have in this picture?

Prophets Of Da City:

Ready D: I feel optimistic about the scene in South Africa.. I think that our saving grace from an artistic point of view is our cultural diversity. The latter makes the scene more interesting. From a business perspective, we need to grow in leaps and bounds. We do have artists that are now starting to make moves in becoming a part of the global industry’s commercial platform.

Shaheen: I’ve been living in Toronto for the last decade, so I’m not really too familiar with the industry side of things. However, I’ve heard some truly impressive music coming out of SA. As important as SA hip hop is to me, I’m really invested in seeing all kinds of African music blossom.

You’ll be doing a reunion performance at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. What do you have planned for your set and what sort of performance can we be looking forward to?

Prophets Of Da City:

Ready D: We will be performing most of our known material. Our show will have multimedia integration. In POC tradition,we will certainly push the boundaries and give the fans new tracks and interesting remixes of some of their favourites. I strongly suggest people come with open minds and expect a Hip Hop show, not a rap show.

Shaheen: We’re excited to work with Roger Williams who will bring his visual wizardry to our performance. So, while we’re performing there’ll be all kinds of cool designs, animations, etc. projected on a screen. We’ve also reworked some of our songs and we’re eager to experience what the audiences make of it.

For your ‘All Elements Jam’ how did you go about selecting the other artists on the line-up and why do you think each of them fit the bill so suitably?

Prophets Of Da City:

Ready D: We are lucky to have the support of many in the scene and with their guidance and advice we came up with this line up. It’s important for us to interact with as many artists as possible. The line up includes a list of people totally dedicated to the the culture and their craft. In the ideal situation it would be awesome to feature as many artists as possible over an extended period of time and showcase Hip Hop on the deepest level possible.

Shaheen: We have a solid team of people from Platform 7 Productions (DJ Azuhl/DJ Eazy) and Vanguard Music Company (Shameema Williams, Godessa) working hard to put together an event that builds on the work the hip hop community has historically done. This is a fundraising event and is less about Prophets of Da City and more about a collective of artists coming together to do necessary work. The reunion gave us an opportunity to make it happen sooner than later. We would have loved to have more artists perform, but due to logistical considerations we narrowed it down to a few core artists. These artists, plus many more, we truly respect as human beings and value their contributions to hip hop as an art form. They embody the energy of what this event is about.