Club X Jay Z

IS HIP HOP ALL ABOUT MONEY?
SA RAPPERS AND THEIR RICHES
'WOKE' IS THE NEW BLACK

CLUB X

ON JAY Z'S

3 The dream is to be sold 6 Libambe Lingatshoni

9 Is Hip Hop all about money? 11 Woke is the new black

THE DREAM IS TO BE SOLD,
NEVER TOLD

4:44 ​is sonically awesome. It sounds absolutely amazing. We're not so sold the content though.
A songwriting Hall of Famer and as adept at employing literary techniques as any other great,
Jay is practicing subversion and containment here. He’s pulling the coin from behind our ears.
The album is the work of a man championing capitalism, albeit of the black variety. Not as a
man without a seat at the table either. Rocking brand new J’s, he’s hoping we’re receptive to a
new face handing us financial advice as we scramble for what’s left after the last supper.
4:44​ is the handbook scribed by Jay Z on his way to amassing a billion dollars, after referencing
a lofty lifestyle, expensive liquor and obscure art in his music for the most part of the last
decade. He also got to rub shoulders with Obama… who, incidentally, is still a nigga.

Both these men have achieved near mythical status, with Obama in charge of the ‘free world’
and Jay having lorded over The Throne. But, they’re still black,…like us. So despite
championing a personal brand that distinguished him both from other rappers and his core
audience; and encouraged conspicuous consumption… it seems his hue has been at the center
of his thoughts all along.

Is Hip Hop All About Money?

Capitalism is so effective because it acts as though it’s the patron saint of the poor. Patron
Saint, used advisedly. Jay Z’s capitalism doesn’t differ; he’s read the current climate and tied in
a ‘wokeness’ that many other brands have tried to capitalise on too. Teen Vogue. Pepsi. Nike.

Is Hip Hop All About Money?

Jay isn’t asking for a change of habit but merely a change of who’s at the receiving end of your
spending. The rub is, he’s not your grass-roots black owned company. He’s long left the block
and even though he’s rubbed shoulders with the former president of the United States, he’d like
to remind us that he’s still a nigga. Too.

4:44​ seems to be the realisation that a consumer base rooting for you — rather than resenting
you — is probably better for your bottom line. Especially when they’re behind you precisely
because of your shared ‘roots’. Perhaps this is the perfect segue to this album acting as a
companion piece to Lemonade, itself a project constructed by a team of writers and producers
and disguised as ‘intimately personal’ — linking us through our shared experiences.

We know Jay rarely writes, but there’s a glaring paradox with Beyoncé not penning a large
chunk of Lemonade’s glorious lyrics. It’s the same irony of receiving Jay Z’s million-dollar-advice
for the low, low price of $9.99. It’s the black community contributing to Jay Z’ s pursuit of the
billion mark. A transaction underpinned by unity, in the hopes of us sharing in his eventual
attainment of #blackexcellence. It’s just. There is no ‘us’. Rarely do multi-millionaires see a ‘we’
when they stare into their consumers purple eyes. But Shawn Carter has definitely told/sold a
marvelous story here and reinvented his brand simultaneously. A large part of this is due to how
the story sounds. The project owes a lot to its production.

No I.D perfectly captures that sense of rejuvenation with his sonic landscape. The brilliance of
the sampling is its mimicry of the album’s themes and the rejuvenation of the artist. Shawn
Carter the man and Jay Z the brand are undergoing a metamorphosis, and you can hear it.
Whether the content speaks to us or not, that’s why 4​ :44​ works. It’s like every other great
product: it has a riveting back story, is easily digestible and more importantly… it’s affordable.

"LIBAMBE LINGATSHONI”​ -​ AN ODE TO SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN

Breeze Yoko is a Cape Town based street artists, who brings beauty and meaning to the city’s
surrounds. His work can be seen in Langa and Woodstock among other locations around the
world. Yoko’s work celebrates young black women’s contribution to society and with Women’s
Month nearly upon us, we found it fitting to highlight it. The pictures speak for themselves.

“Acts of today can determine the outcomes of tomorrow. As adults, we realise that the real future 
lies in the hands of our children and grandchildren. They are in fact the foundation on which a strong, 

vibrant and dynamic society shall be build on.” 
 
 

 

 
 

“We see the mountain from far and systematically we are made to feel like it is not ours.In a time 
where history seems to be repeating itself, where bigotry, racism, sexism and prejudice have no 

filters, Boniswa is coming and she is coming for everything.”  
 

 

IS HIP HOP ALL ABOUT MONEY?

Follow any rapper on Instagram and you’re bound to see flashy cars, alcohol brands we can’t
pronounce and jewellery. Lots of it. The artform was popularised in South Africa as a method of
showing resistance to the oppressive Apartheid government. What role does it play today
though? Is it all about money?

Well, the biggest Hip Hop track in the country is currently Tito Mboweni. It’s a song about
getting, and spending that paper so there’s no real argument here. What might be up for
discussion is what the man behind the song - which has garnered over a million YouTube views
- represents himself. Is it inspiration for African kids, success from the bottom or just
conspicuous consumption? In truth it’s a little bit of everything. Every other South African rapper
has flossed their wealth as well, whether in a music video or not. Just ask Riky Rick and AKA’s
followers.
But like Cassper even these two rappers tell more than a singular story about getting your cake
up. We’ve virtually lived through AKA’s growth as a person and even been privy to his private
life.Whilst through Riky Rick’s struggles, we’ve been able to learn some important life lessons.
Riky’s struggles with addiction early in his career, and him defeating those demons is a truly
inspirational story. His episode with record label Mabala Noise is also a worthy lesson to take
note of, in an artist’s desire to be independent.

Where AKA, Riky and Cassper’s stories converge is how they themselves have shaped our
view of South African Hip Hop artists as brands. Their success in material terms is a result of
their savvy career decisions and brave moves.

Riky has built himself into a bigger brand than just music. He’s a fashion icon and an
endorsement with Vaseline is proof of his relevance in the scene. AKA has a relationship with
Cruz Vodka and runs his own company, the Beam Group to execute his vision in other areas.
For Cassper’s part, his brand has led to collaborations with AG Mobile, MTN and Ciroc. All three
of these artists are recipients of endorsements with good reason, and their riches are due to
their engaged followers and targeted marketing.

In this way, we suppose, Hip Hop is definitely all about money. But like our Jay Z op-ed reveals,
our attitudes towards currency can be as malleable as the banknotes we hold to ears.

WOKE IS THE NEW BLACK

Like ever other cool thing, there’s some people who seem to ooze it more than others. Since
everyone else has had their turn - from gangsters, sports junkies and krumpers - perhaps it’s
time the Woke amongst us get the stamp of cool approval.
The best place to find a member of the Woke section of society is Twitter. And the best time to
find them is during a crisis. The Woke are the guardians of our community, equipped with the
vocab to articulate our collective feelings when we’re wronged. The events over the past couple
of years and indeed weekend display this. The rise of wokeness highlights the need for young
people to be self aware and aware of their environments too. An ability to dissect what occurs in
such environments is why we need the Woke so much.

When are we Woke for the sake of being woke tough? Is there such a thing as fake
outrage? Should we save our energy by not automatically engaging each time we’re

offended? Can our Wokeness be used our take our money?

These questions seem necessary because when things are cool, people tend to jump onto that
trend. Wokeness is unquestionably necessary, but sometimes is used just to fit in. That’s why
it’s the new black. People seem to want to be cool by being smart, but not totally full time: just
as long as it benefits them at that point.

Jay Z is woke on 4: 44 after years of unadulterated Capitalism and actual adultery, he’s
changed his mind. Rather perfect timing I’d say, just when the black community is loving getting
woker. I think we should be Woke enough to know he wants our money.

Radio 702 tweeted that black babies and dogs are so cute and predictably Twitter had a fit.
‘Black Twitter’ contextualised and historicised the problem as usual. An apology followed, first
half baked and then more meaningful. Was that the goal achieved... did our Woke reaction
achieve its intended purpose? Do we want the tweeter held liable and fired? These things do
reach those levels!

Breeze Yoko uses his imagination to tackle the divided history of South Africa. He paints women
as the subjects of his work because he understands that they carry the plight of society. He also
use his street art as a commentary on the spacial dynamics created and maintained by the
legacy of Apartheid. His paintbrush is his Woke tool.

We know that Wokeness is a journey with learning and unlearning often happening
simultaneously. Our stories hoped to add to the discussion of how radio, art, music and even
Twitter are central to the ideas we communicate. The Woker we are about that, the more we
can respect and protect these mediums.