Where is Bongani Fassie - that was the question on everybody's lips on Friday night at Jozi's media album launch at the exclusive Latinova in Rosebank.
The answer, according to their record company, Ghetto Ruff, is that Bongani is preferring to take the role as a producer only.
So we were left with Ishmael and Da Les – who make a more tight and cohesive team on stage. Thankfully, the new duo have also forsaken those awful crumpers and their stupid-ass self-posturing who look more like blinged out angry gorillas in the mist than dancers.
They were replaced by authentic pantsula dancers who ripped up the stage. Damn! They were good.
And because the music is less crunk and more pop with South African influences, the dynamics between the dancers and the artists work really well.
The event was supposed to start at 7pm but in true SA hip hop tradition started over an hour late. They had a giant screen outside televising proceedings inside the club for the passers-by who were on their way to Rosebank for their Friday night parties.
Of course, it was sommer just parked in the road, and, (surprise, surprise) there wasn't a policeman in sight to remove it.
The show kicked with a rapper called Moraza who recently won the versus competition on Jam Alley. Then it was time for Ishmael, who performed a track from his latest R&B album, On The Edge. At age late thirty something, this man just gets better and better. An underestimated artist but one of the greats of SA music.
Then it was time for Da Les to join Ishmael for the real reason why we were there, the launch of Jozi's brand new album - Wildlife. They were their usual super energized selves, sans Bongz. Jozi performed four new tracks before making way for pantsula duo turned vocalists, Skomplazi. They impressed with NKOTB, KZN poet, Mxolisi who recited his poetry on their new track, Zulu Love Letter, which is set to be a summer hit.
After the forty-minute performance we were herded out by an overeager MTVbase who were anxious for their teeny bopper party to start where the show was supposed to be repeated again.
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