Events lined up to mark Hip Hop Week

’MAKERESEMESE LETUKA

MASERU – To mark Hip Hop Week, local hip hop artistes have lined up a host of activities that include visiting media houses, orphanages, sporting games and the main hip hop event. The hip hop artists include: Brain Storm, Skebza D, T-Mech, Kislev, Revelation, Oceans Pappie, Fatal Verb, Versa, Lapys Lazuly, Kevin, Pie, Hermit Sage, Queen Mo, OG Skillz and Dirt Mouth.

On Monday they visited local radio stations and had an interview with Public Eye for Hip Hop Appreciation Week awareness and sensitisation. On Tuesday the artistes performed in a community-based programme that includes visiting orphanages in Koalabata and Maseru East where they gave out second hand clothes, sanitary pads, paraffin and money while engaging children in fun-filled activities.

Among other activities on Wednesday they visited a correctional facility and had a soccer match with inmates who they provided with cigarettes or BB. Then on Thursday they hosted a Hip Hop documentary review and stage performances at Flavour Meat Parlour in Khubetsoana. Today they will host sporting events around Maseru while the main event will be hosted tomorrow (Saturday) at 7678 Grill in Naledi. The main event will include stage performances and exhibition of some local apparel brands including City Kings, Sqo, Buffy Concepts and Nobodies because they believe the style of most of their merchandise carries a Hip Hop flavour.

“The reason we decided to celebrate this way is because Hip Hop has a life-saving impact on the lives of those who follow it; it is a therapeutic culture and serves a recreational purpose so we, as its disciples, feel the need to pay homage to it and appreciate it.”

“It is time to acknowledge and appreciate the actual existence of Hip Hop. We are planning for this celebration to be an annual activity and this year’s theme is solidarity. The reason being we want to inspire a sense of oneness among Hip Hop artistes and refrain from unnecessary beef that hinders collective progress,” says Brainstorm. He adds they want to portray a positive role that the Hip Hop community can play in society in order to let people appreciate it. They want to eliminate misconceptions, mislabelling and misjudgements about Hip Hop (Rap and Street Culture). The whole initiative was funded by the artists involved.

Proposals were submitted to certain establishments for funding but they were not approved. However, there were society members who have promised to assist them by lending certain equipment and facilities that foster the enhancement of some of the events and activities. Hip hop Week is an initiative that was pioneered by the US but since Hip Hop is a global culture endemic in every corner of the globe in the urban areas, these local hip hop artistes found it relevant for Lesotho to adopt.