motel de moka

In the mid-nineties I used to work part-time at a record shop in the infamous area of Hillbrow. I worked for and left that paticular retailer so many times that they eventually wouldn’t hire me anymore. The mid-nineties era was the coolest, I used to live in Berea and after I got retrenched from Gallo records I didn’t have a company car no more. It was like living in the movie Candyman. At ten thirty at night I used to run through the most dangerous square kilometre, outside of a war zone, in the world at that time. I once walked down to the book shop on my lunch break and after I returned I saw a whole troop of emergency vechiles driving down the road. One of security gaurds went outside to find out what was going on. He came back and calmly mentioned that about five people were dead on the pavement outside the take-aways across the road from the book shop. Some sort of drug deal gone wrong or something. Yet another in a lifetime of close shaves. The building I used to live in was across the road from a really dodgy looking property. The one night in a THC haze I was awoken by the sound of automatic weapon fire. I crept up to sneak a look over the balcony wall and ended up seeing a few people lying on the pavement. I still remember thinking “Well somebody must have heard those shots” and going back to sleep.

During this period Hip Hop was huuuugggeeee in Hilbrow. Working at the shop was like a daily education in rap. I had been a fan of Hip Hop in my youth, stuff like Beat Street had made a huge impression on me. With time, during my teens, under the influence of indie, I had stopped listening to it. Stuff like De La Soul had got me back into things in the early nineties, but that mid-nineties Hillbrow period changed my life as far as black music is concerned. Ever met a white boy who practically cries whenever he hears Emotions by Destiny’s Child? Well, that’s me. Not that Emotions is from that period, it’s just that it made me appreciate Hip Hop and R n’ B ever since.
This mix is of more recent Hip Hop stuff, all from after 2000. I chose them for Lotus Over Water after we had a discussion about the current state of Hip Hop, so I’m hoping she likes them…

That’s the joint.

Another Night On Earth now has a badass banner which is looking tres spiffy. Mr. Keyz designed it, so if you’re looking for blog banners I’ll put a good word in for you ;). The Mtume track from today’s post pretty much sums up the mid-nineties Hillbrow vibe for me. “Beyond” is another Balearic Not Balearic classic and “25 or 6 to Four” is yet another reason why early Chicago (the band, good lord) deserves respect.