Anthea Bissolati
It has been a while since my last article worthy event. I have been busy but not everything I do makes these pages. These pages are for the outstanding and noteworthy brown people we love and support. Yes, it is already August and what I’m about to tell you about, took place on the 5th of July. Let me say one thing though, this duo could and would never be old news.
Staying power is a rare thing but if it’s one thing our brown people have mastered, it is resilience and the ability to adapt, no matter our circumstances. This has served us well in our struggles as communities, as individuals and absolutely as artists.
On July 5th 2024 I had the honour of attending the album release party for an album called “Still Standing” by the incomparable Jerome Rex and renowned DJ and producer Tyrone Da Silva better known as DJ Eazy.
The album has been on the cards for a while according to the duo, but they were not able to really commit the time it needed to complete it. They worked whenever a free moment presented itself which is why it took so long but, in the end, they got the job done. I can tell you it was a job well done and worth the wait.
Before I tell you about the release party let me give you some background on our artists.
Jerome Rex Entertainer Extraordinaire
Jerome Rex is a songwriter, performer, MC and actor. If you haven’t heard his music by now, you are seriously missing out. I absolutely understand that we each have our preferences, but this guy caters to us all. His musical talents span from R&B in both English and Afrikaans to rap and jazz. If you don’t do music, then you would have seen him in Arendsvlei. He had a supporting role in about 25 episodes over a period of 3 years after all. I can list all his accolades from his 2019 Ghoema Award for Best Hip Hop album to his Fleur du Cap award for best musical production in Die Riel van Hip hop all the way to his time with Brasse Vannie Kaap, but that could take a while and honestly I want to tell you about Jerome Rex, the person.
He is such a humble man that sometimes its hard to believe that he is this talented. Ego is a difficult thing to control if you are not careful so it is refreshing when you spend time with someone who has his 100% in check. Jerome is undoubtedly a man of God and a family man. He makes it known by the way he carries himself and the way he openly talks about his life on stage. His lovely wife attends every performance and it is wonderful to see how much she supports him. He leads with grace and gratitude when he takes the stage, always paying homage to the ones who came before us and paved the way. He gives credit to those who helped him come up and offers his hand to those who are coming up behind him. He is a man and artist we can be proud of. He displays qualities that we should all strive to. Hy is Afrikaaps se baas!
DJ Eazy Does Way More Than Spin Records
Tyrone Da Silva has been in the Hip Hop game for as long as I can remember. If you were to ask me when exactly he started his career as a DJ, I couldn’t tell you. This is pretty much how it is for all of us in the Cape Town Hip Hop community. We’ve been around so long the dates and times start to blur if you don’t make a conscious decision to document your every move and the moves of others. Each of us may remember our own journeys but keeping track of someone else’s is a bit trickier.
Sure, I can give you the play by play of his life. He started out working in a CD store in the late 90’s. He worked as a content producer on the Afrikaans show Woelag. He was a DJ for UCT radio for a many years but the thing most people know him for is probably his current role, which he has been in for more than 10 years. This role is as a producer for Good Hope FM and more notably The Ready D show. He has also been involved in a project called Hip Hop Education South Africa since 2003. DJ Eazy is a busy guy. He is involved in many community initiatives as well. You can also catch him doing regular Jump Off mixes on the Ready D Show. That being said, DJ Eazy has definitely come a long way and earned his stripes.
Setting The Tone
Now put these two very talented individuals together and fast forward to July 5th 2024. The venue, Selective, is a cosy little spot in Buitengracht Street in Cape Town that was just perfect for this shindig. Nice and warm for the Winter nights but enough windows to cool down a hot party. Doors opened at 18h00 and people started filing in slowly. DJ IVBeats set the tone with some fantastic old school from Colour me Badd to SWV. Read that again. When last have you heard Colour me Badd?
The show started at 7 with a performance by Hanrich Laubscher who is a maker and cutter of beats. Watching those fast fingers was truly mesmerising. Jerome Rex joined him on stage for a few bars which was very entertaining. It looked like two guys just having the best time in someone’s lounge.
The Main Show
About half an hour later it was time for the main event. DJ Eazy on the decks and Mr Rex on the microphone along with his band on live instruments. The band consisted of Bradrock on drums, Eddy Strings on guitar, Michael ‘Micabyte’ Thompson on keyboard and Robin ‘Lownotes’ Thompson on bass. It was a magical combination. The theme of the album is about what you have been through and things you’ve overcome. It speaks to our survival skills and people who have overcome many struggles. It’s a theme that surely resonates with many of us from the Cape Flats. The lyrics are clever, and the tunes are catchy while the beats range anywhere from smooth to pure Hip Hop.
There are one or two nice old samples in there also and you will pick it up easily if you are a music boffin like me. It’s some nice funky vibes and I absolutely enjoyed listening to this album the first time I heard it. They give you little hints of
days gone by when they sample some Hemelbesem, Godessa, POC and even Youngstacpt. The tracks are filled with many thought-provoking messages if you are willing to listen. It is nice to hear our people reference our own people on songs instead of international artists who don’t even give our artists airplay. They mention everyone from Garlic Brown to the late Jaak Spraak and that is something to be proud of.
Still Standing is About Surviving & Overcoming Our Struggles
Seeing it live was even better so now I have some personal favourites. If you don’t know where to start, listen to Good Friday. It was inspired by the death of Collins Khosa in Alexandria at the hands of the Army during the Covid-19 lockdown. It was determined by an internal investigation that the Army was not responsible. You can investigate and draw your own conclusions on that one.
Back to the album, it has something for everyone. The performance included a live band which made the experience even more memorable! I am looking forward to what comes next for this duo. They are busy promoting this album currently and will be doing some more launch events over the next few months so definitely get yourself to one. They will also be doing panel discussions which I am very excited about because if you know me, you know I love talking to people and asking questions. I like talking, period. Of course we had Hip Hop alumni in attendance, The Grandmaster DJ Ready D did a beautiful Hip Hop set for us and getting down with his bad self was someone I haven’t seen out and about in a while, DJ, B-Boy and all round Hip Hop Pioneer, The Real Rozzano. The night was a huge success and the after party was absolutely jumping. Look out for more launch parties and get yourself to one.
You can find the album on most major platforms but to really directly support the artists please get Jerome Rex and DJ Eazy Still Standing on Bandcamp.
To get in touch with or find more info about the duo and their projects check out their socials:
https://www.facebook.com/jeromecapetown
https://www.instagram.com/jerome_rex/
https://www.facebook.com/djeazysa
https://www.instagram.com/djeazysa/
