The One - O'Nerve

The first time i heard Optic nerve was on San’s Re-invetion Vol 2 in 2009, I later learned of his partner Epic and that the Duo was known as Supreme, the Eastern Cape rapper appeared on True Sight mixtape Vol.1 , a project that dropped the same year under True sight Music. This year the brother seems to have taken a vow of making major moves on global scale. On the 2012xplosion O’nerve  teamed up with San under Audible Braille Entertainment. I believe this in one of thier biggest projects so far, featuring a number of highly skilled beatsmiths,  recieveing reviews from notable international blogs and hundreds of downloads.   

The heads have since been raving about “The One”, a number produced by Cymtom. I should say this track is really symbolic of the definition the rapper attaches to himself and his music “  Well to me that is..... that's what we consider the old school era, now were in the new school and everything seems to be blurry with everybody, these kids are wearing skinny jeans now, speak with a different lingo that just does not make sense, wear these ice cream tops or baby Milo Tshirts looking like a packet of colorful cheerios pretending to be rap stars!! That to me is considered a mockery, most of all foolery I'm not trying to imply that its wrong and people should not do it. I'm just merely attempting to point out that i was born in and benefited from the golden Era of hip hop and that's one of the reasons i am The One”

Check Out the Video below, click here to download the 2012Xplosion

Get clear - Core Wreckah

I believe it would be true and sincere to say that Core Wreckah is one of the hardest working artists in the Lesotho hip hop scene, from writing blogs, columns in local newspapers, hosting hip hop radio shows, making documentaries and producing music, he has truly made a remarkable contribution to the scene as we know it today, making a difference not just for himself as an emcee but for the culture as a whole... [More on that later] Its was around 2010 when Core Wreckah decided hed work on a track or two with Cymtom, it took quite some time to put together the batch of beats that core would select from . This was then followed by even a longer phase of working on the tracks and refining them, somewhere along the line it was decided this would be a released as a project. The process also involved a host of other artists who added other instruments to the beats and made notable effect on how the final tracks sounded. While the whole project was being worked on, Core Wreckah decided to give us something to feast upon. He simply defines Lets get it clear as “A braggadocio-filled, horn-and-bass, thumping-drum ensemble of epic proportions. Core Wreckah rides the staunch, didactic production sensibilities courtesy of Cymtom with much aplomb. A good reminder that there still is brilliant lyricism which strays away from trying to be everything all at once”.   The track features Dj Earl Scratch , Tim Mosh and Sarah Blake. Click here to listen.

Black and White - Cymtom & Johnson March 2012

Johnson: his beats express a smooth variation between mellow laid back kicks that amplify the impact of his music, and a blend of old soul that forces a step back in time accompanied by harmonies that elevate one to a point of poignant imagination. There is also a plain merit in his music that places recognition to musical influences such as jazz, folk, dub and the blues acknowledging their role as predecessors of hip hop in addition hinting how he too is drawn to them as a listener and follower. A tender and demonstrative aura resonates in songs like I need your loving, the wind, and send them smiley faces of which draws the listener into a parallel that reflects how music is also a language with the function to speak very clearly even in the absence of words, perhaps more articulately in some instances. The samples chosen (of greats such as Louis Armstrong and Gladys Knight) give a feel of a gentle human element “spoken” for by his arrangement of subtle bongos drumming in the background, somewhat shallow base, vivid drum kick, and sound effects which mirrors a playful and happy soul. the music has a touch of idealist innocence painting a beautiful, bright and romantic perspective on the world as can only be elaborated through musical art. Another innovative touch is that of the unexpected intermissions which are well-placed within some beats. They serve as an effective pause which help the listener get back into focus; and flow with the melodies.

Cymtom; first thing that resonates about the man is his strong inclination to boombap, a strong head bopping sound that jerks one to either jump up and dance or bust a freestyle. Each track is like a soundtrack to a story being told, with everything from plot, build up, a climax and even a painted picture. Strong unexpected altercations in his arrangement, fused with traces of samples discretely placed so that he is true to originality, affirm the man’s respect to solid ideas and sternness, a characteristic which exposes that he has had a strong and rich history with hip hop in its evolution. Also, how relevant hip hop is to his own evolution. Though somewhat mellow the fast pace in his beats also suggest an open and positive perspective to life, carrying in them that attitude-filled, take it or leave it, stand close and give-a-careful-listen demeanour that is embodiment of true boombap. A trace of other musical influences both young and old also resonates through his music, the adlibs squeezed in are obviously  more of a statement than mere additions to give a song more colour. an action to show evidence of the man’s love for hip hop as a tool to conscientise and emancipate minds and his bit in contributing to the cause. Though enshrined in humble melodies and distinct kicks, hints of a gentle aggression also come across, yet again an attribute symbolic of boombap hip hop so that impact is felt and translates to movement.
The two producers are clearly distinct from each other in their histories and influence however, there is a sharp undertone that brings them together as one in the way they compliment and contrast one another. As the album title suggests they are two opposites, but opposites that flow into each other and created such a distinguished blend and variation that you cannot help but find yourself listening to the album all day, lost in the symphonies and mood the two producers managed to create in their synergy. An all round feel-good album, put together in the spirit of celebration, sharing, appreciation for mutuality and doing something different (innovation), inspiration, and comfort... or should I say nourishment for the soul. Click here to download the tape.


- Feline Spirit

CYMTOM MEETS PIE (August 2011)

In the humble effort of supporting fellow artists and sharing an audience , an effort which I feel should be a principle that each individual who terms himself/herself a hip hop head holds dearly ; Each one teach one, Seamrock Entertainment has decided to collaborate with established or upcoming beat makers and producers in Lesotho, this is why Seamrock brings you a project that Pie and Cymtom have been brainstorming for the past few weeks; Seamrock Entertainment presents Cymtom meets Pie (August 2011). Like most cats that decided to take up beatmaking as a craft, Pie started out as a rapper. After he discovered how difficult it was getting beats for himself and his boys he put himself up to a challenge; he started toying around with Fl studio, learning how to arrange drums ,constructing bass lines , and gradually how to chop up a sample. Though the self taught brother still has much to discover regarding other avenues and techniques of making beats, the tape truly deserves an ear. His counterpart Cymtom (of whom i won’t say much) took a dive into his archive and blew the dust off a few numbers he had buried away for future use. Pie and Cymtom exchange turns throughout the eleven track project. With that said the rest is for the listener to decide get the tape, for comments and criticisms use the contact details left on the sleeves. Get the tape here. download the tape HERE the link previously didnt work but it has been revised

ARTFORM – SELECTED JOINTS (MAY 2011)

ARTFORM – SELECTED JOINTS (MAY 2011)
Well after doing the sleeves, recording mixing and mastering of the compilation I guess I will do the blog post as well. Selected Joints [May 2011] is a compilation of material recorded by Artform since the fall of 2007. This fourteen track mix-tape is the first vocal project to be released under seamrock entertainment other releases have purely been beat tapes. While there varying opinions regarding the release, with most of the members feeling that a launch should even be organized with aggressive marketing strategies in place, I personally felt that this were just tracks that had to given to the masses with little or no costs at all. The project was however well received by those who had been craving the Artform sound for the past years; most of the tracks are reminiscent of past years when the group was just taking its baby steps; in 07/08 they were getting regular airplay on local radio station shows such as “Rendezvous” hosted by none other than Deeva (to whom I still feel the group owes much for providing the platform), tracks like “open your mind “ , “you are not alone” and take care are just a few examples. The project opens and closes with quick compositions by cymptom who handled most production other producers (K10 , Sociovenomus , Ozee and Motalio) also make powerful statements with soulful impressions they leave on the compilation. The only guest features on the tape are Chabstone of rap –ill and Severe agony of Artform Affiliates, who respectively appear on “Grown Men” and “I wonder”. Artform affiliates also throws in a yesteryears number “It’s all love”, I personally still feel this is one of those tracks where fatal passed a subliminal “you can’t touch me” to the random rapper in Maseru at that time. Tracks similar to this are “Shine” and “Hustle”. “Down for whatever” supposedly produced by metal jacket for one of his compilations was also thrown into the project, this is where Queen Mo illustrates her Prowess and ability to kill sound different from those of her seamrock colleagues. There is also a blatantly raw vernacular joint “koli ea malla” where Fatal, Cymtom and Stradegy decide to rip it in their mother tounge balancing this thier orthodox boom bap conformist orientation, the joint samples ntate Letsema Mat’sela on the hook, humming episodes from the music indigenous men “Mokorotlo”. All other things aside it’s a fairly good project, for a first release it quite good a standard they should either live up to or surpass in the future.

Left Alone : A dedication (August 2010)

Well, yet another installment by Boomslang .After giving us Beat Back volume 2 earlier this year, put together another note worthy seven track mini tape. This much relaxed project is a dedication to one of his childhood acquaintances and close friends currently doing time in a correctional facility. In this seven track piece Sociovenomus fuses jazzy samples with movie snippets and maintains his emphasis on heavy drums and simple yet hard hitting bass lines. Matuirity and heavy influence by soul and lounge become more apparent as you progress through the project. A personal favourite “the Itch” demonstrates his confidence and growth in sampling as art form. Definitely worth a listen. Download

Reconnection : Cymtom meets the Library (March 2010)

By now most of you know how Seamrock was conceived, well for those who do not ,the group was a result of a bunch of friends who started making beats at varsity. There were only two other people making beats on campus at that time beside seamrock, and I believe saying that the beat making culture was at its infancy would be a gross overstatement. To cut a long story short when Cymtom returned to varsity 5years later he found a vibrant scene,a very different scene from what he’d known in the previous years. Among the many cliques that now existed and were passionate about certain elements of hip hop, there was a production outfit called library production, a skilled breed of beat makers that left Cymtom drooling over beats they made. Right there and then a beat tape that would be a collab between Cymton and the outfit was planned. Hence the title Reconnection; Cymtom meets the library. A brief overview will show that Library Productions is a collective of rappers and beatmakers and in this particular project only the latter participate. The tape kicks off with “the triumphant entry” an intro by Cymtom , then the very gifted Raymo steps in with “linguistic tongues” , a beat to a track on Rapper Isoceles ‘ EP. A collab between Aurakle and Cymtom follows . The tracks succeed each other in such a way that a seamrock beat is followed by a Library beat. Revival and K10’s 2008 number “back in 08” are some of those beats Cymtom still finds close his heart up to this day. The Library boys manage to blend in with their predominantly soulful sounds with beats like “Kept in the Journals” and “Solidified rocks”. While Dreamer captures the influence of synth heavy music we hear these days, Low rider is simply west coast hip hop influenced. Boom Slang rolls down our curtains with “Move on” . Download here