On the first Sunday of every month a growing number of Jozi’s hip-hoppers assemble in the Orlando West section of Soweto to be part of what is called the Splash Jam. Hosted at the corner of Mji and Motlana streets, the event is essentially a platform for MCs and DJs to showcase their skills to fellow hip-hop heads.
The gathering takes place on a populated hill. Its slope allows the audience an ideal angle to view the live performances, which take place on a veranda of one of the houses. On one side of the veranda is a spaza shop and on the other is a room that serves as the living quarters for the person overseeing the venture.
The veranda provides shade to keep the produce fresh during the week, but when the Splash Jam is on it is hip-hop that provides nourishment.
“Originally, there was an abandoned house on this spot,” says Splash Jammer Vusimuzi Mlaba. “It was used as a place to rape women and children. Others would use it to take drugs or to hide in, to ambush unsuspecting victims.
“We embarked on a community project to destroy the house. Afterwards we grew a garden where it used to stand. Then other guys from around the neighbourhood decided to start a car-wash venture on the spot because there is so much unemployment in the township. Young people are just roaming around. You don’t make much from working in a car wash, but on a day on which you would not have had a cent you can sleep with R100 in your pocket.
“The Splash Jam basically is born out of our love for hip-hop. For me hip-hop has been number one in my life since the 1980s and the Splash Jam was created to give a platform for hip-hop talent to express itself.”
The idea came from Mlaba’s younger brother Zenzele, aka DJ Zakes, who is resident master of the turntables. “I was born and bred in Rockville between Vereeniging and Eikenhof,” says Zakes. “The Splash Jam is an initiative between us brothers — the Think Ink. We push our promotions and flyers and the Ebaleni car wash that provides the venue.
“I have always wanted to have a hip-hop event. There is no platform for underground hip-hop in South Africa, but it is the future of local hip-hop. Splash Jam was started as podium for MCs — we need to create our own avenues to sell our music. It would be great if we had 20 Splash Jams all over Soweto. Then the cats will know that there are plenty of different venues to sell their music at.
“The thing with recording companies is that they are out to sell CDs, not to develop talent. So the people who work there are led to believe that to satisfy a crowd you need a certain sound and image. But it’s not about either of those; it’s about your product.”
On the day that the Mail & Guardian visited Splash Jam the line-up included Robo the Technician, Genocide, Outerlife and Basemental Platform from Gauteng, while Breeze represented Cape Town under the Groundworks banner. In between performances Zakes kept things going with spells of his turntable wizardry.
There is no cover charge, but the audience is expected to behave positively, to have fun and to learn. Apart from the odd boos there were no negative vibes on the day, despite the permitted consumption of beer and zol.
“From the onset I wanted to be a hip-hop DJ,” says Zakes. “I realised early that the DJ is the most powerful tool in hip-hop culture. Irrespective of whether you are in a studio or not, he is the one who controls the sound.
“I started out in 1998 as a house DJ, but in the long run hip-hop called me home and I answered positively. Basically I can say the difference between being a house DJ and a hip-hop DJ is that in house you are remixing, straight mixing and everything must be clear. In hip-hop you are creating a new song, it is raw, you change the beat, cut the bass — a new sound right there.” Zakes demonstrates on an invisible crossfader and turntable.
Besides creativity, another ideal advocated by hip-hop is self-sufficiency. At the Splash Jam gig spray cans, T-shirts, CDs and tapes were up for sale. With the exception of the spray cans, all were self produced. The spaza was also open and one could get a burger for R5.
None of the acts was signed to a recording company, but all had recorded tracks. There were numerous cameras documenting the goings on — perhaps someday the owners of the visuals will be able to charge exorbitant prices for their exclusive footage.
For now, though, Zakes laments the fact that hip-hop heads don’t have the business acumen to match their talent. “They simply don’t have the same attitude to the business side of things as they do towards their art.” It is useful to point out, though, that this was one of the few gigs that I have been to where the amplifier did not suddenly die and where there were more than two microphones on stage.
So what criteria are used for selecting groups that perform at Splash Jam?
“All we want from MCs is professionalism,” Zakes says, “tight beats and mastered music that comes out clearly.” While the organisers stand by this basic objective there is little hope that in the long run they will make a living from their gathering.
“Firstly, it costs us money to stage the show. We must hire and maintain a sound system. At the last show a speaker burst and we had to replace it,” says Zakes.
“I also need to get more microphones, speakers, a mixing consol, turntables and a CD deck. Even though we rely mostly on word of mouth for advertising, where we can, we print flyers promoting the gig. All this costs money out of our pockets.
“The Splash Jam was started with the view to giving talent in hip-hop a podium to expose and express itself, evaluate the response and then to go out and improve the product.
“It was not a moneymaking thing per se. However, we realise the commercial opportunities it presents and we are going to exploit them to the fullest. Our mission for this year is to get sponsors and also take the Splash Jam to Oppikopi.”
For Zakes the highlight of the day was hosting local heroes such as Robo, Cashless Society and Shorty Skills. The attendance was great — the biggest turn-out they have enjoyed since starting out in July last year.
As the artists took to the stage dark clouds gathered. The crowd sang along to Breeze and the rain started to fall. Eventually they departed — some to Vosloruus, to Diepkloof, Yeoville and Hillbrow. You can be sure they will return next month.