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Black August Tour fails the black youth Black August show, Park Station, Johannesburg South Africa, 1st of September 2001 Words: Madala Thepa, tel. 072-144 6182 / Isaac@yfm.co.za In his poignant book, 'Two Thousand Seasons' Ayi Kwei Armah asserts that, The destroyed who retain the desire to remake themselves and act upon that desire remake themselves''. One of the pleasures left for the skirting of such words was at the 4th annual benefit concert of Black August Tour held at Park Station on the 1st of September 2001 to a revolution hungry chagrin people. The benefit concert featured hip-hop artists from America and South Africa with the dotard passion to put hip-hop in a cultural and political context and to curb out the screams of black people struck impotence with self-hate. In this intriguing cultural and political merger, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, BLK Sonshine, Black Thought of the (Roots), Jeru The Damaja, Skwattah Kamp and Bongo Maffin, spent time together in a selfless fecundity to unite for the cause of the black oppressed all over the world. The message was simple to discern, 'We need freedom, we need a revolution', as Dead Prez espoused the words in one of their chants. The Black August Tour was an attritive attempt at inserting seed of unity and the rekindling of self reliance in a revolutionary twist within the spectrum of black people whose suffering has taken on the sound of legend. The tour, I learned later, was the waking existence of catatonic despair in the lost semblance of Africans former glories and the plucking out, of acquiesce silence suffering of the black people. As Black Thought said, 'We trying ways to end our humiliation by any means necessary'. While these words and the wording on the banner bedecked on the DJ makeshift table with this message of revolt, 'Revolutions begin at 33Rpm' worked well, the pallid silence from outside the gates, pitted against the bouts of manic happiness from the inside, held the deadly potency of agony for the auspicious night. Many people swarmed outside after some mishaps, first with the tickets prices fluctuating and second with the venue changing frequently at least for the third time. Adding to the woes of the outside fans were the reportedly rowdy behaviour of policemen who traded in a 'public drinking' orgy against the embittered youths standing outside. 'They (police) were on a guessing binge to apprehend at the slightest notice to anyone whose gait was a little bit broad', lamented one fan that had a brush with the police in the toilets. After witnessing this nerve-eating event, I was clasped between my lower and higher joys. Romeo, who is a photographer explained the ordeal with the glint in his eye, 'This show was a total flop, these guys (organisers) they even sold T-Shirts with the writing, 'Black August tour 2001' that were supposed to be given to the people free of charge. Tickets were supposedly reduced to R80, but then at the show we were told about R100. Venues were changed three times, very few posters were visible and the show was badly organised'. Many people expressed the same views and sadly recoiled back home dejected and wan with disappointment. There was concern that the show was only promoted for a week and thus the reason for the mishaps. Interventions by Black Thought and Jeru The Damaja to have the prices reduced during the week had the people’s hopes hung up high and only to plunge the promise into a torpid forgetfulness without coming back to the people with the report. It appeared that all the efforts have been a puny teasing exercise and most of the people swarmed outside while indulging in their low budget entertainment, smoking and getting stoned with a furious appetite. This is how the police got prompted to nip this flagrant and to waylay the hollow cycle of self-abasing. Inside the show however, was the expectation of unwonted entertainment, which Black Thought of the Roots crew gave in profound confidence and with a lingering memory. When Black Thought performed 'Love of my life' from the album 'Things fall apart', spirits were buoyed and the song could have revelled the fans more some people said, had Common landed over these shores to answer the call of this historically revolution tour. However, Common a.k.a (Rashid) failed to honour the Black August Tour in South Africa together with Lauryn Hill who is rumoured to have family problems. Skwattah Kamp performed to their best abilities and where a notch up high despite doubts of failing to live up to the challenge as foreseen by seers during the week. As expected, Dead Prez took to the stage with the fiery and militant message of the revolution. This is the same group that performed at the Mega Music Warehouse last year and left the crowd filled with bizarre mumblings, while watching with languid eyes when Dead Prez proclaimed in one of their songs that, 'Everywhere a white man goes, he brings misery'. The group performed two songs of serious revolution and forded the mainstream and reworked Notorious B.I.G’s sampled classic 'Juice' with a touch of artistry fitting to celebrate the life of the dead great street poet. Nothing spectacular though was delivered except the same somersault in the potency of a revolutionary diatribe. This is when you know that great is the force of habit. Jeru The Damaja gave sustenance to the show with the taste offering of old school jams fused with the work he produced recently. This is the man who appeared to have been greased with a revolutionary perfumed unction. Together with Talib Kweli they gave the show a menacing uproar and in song, tried to end the humiliation of the black people. Not in repose after the Black August tour, perhaps it is fitting to close with Ayi’s words, as would the aim of the show had it ran smoothly that, 'Heavy, heavy is our remembrance, long our dispersal from our way, the way. But memory now flies faster than the utters’ tongue and it is time to heed the quiet call, the call to return'. And this also goes to the organisers responsible for the Black August 2001 tour in South Africa.

Yebo! Our staff member Mustafa Maluka went out with his camera to Cape Town hip hop clubs, events and other places and met with some of South African hip hop's best dj's, mc's and graf artists. Peep the results here. :: SOUTH AFRICA ::  Mr Devious  Brasse Vannie Kaap  Spex