The Sharpaganda Theory : Lesson 1

Inescapable figure of the South African Hip-hop, you must have heard from Ben Sharpa if you followed the connections started by Jarring Effects with South African music (Sibot, Playdoe, Fuck' N' Rad). Already featuring in the boxset Cape Town Beats released in 2007, the title «Into The Black» fast made talk about him, applauded by a lot of independent radios in France, Canada, UK, Germany, Holland, Belgium. Ben Sharpa is notably noticed by the BBC1 famous presenter, Mary Anne Hobbs, and reach the top of the charts on the Anglo-Saxon waves. In the stride, he pursues his European breakthrough to the festivals of Dour and Glastonbury together with the beatmaker Milanese.
On this brilliant first EP, consisted of 4 titles, 1 instrumental and 1 acappella version, Ben surrounded himself with famous producers such as English Milanese (Warp / Planet Mu) and South African Sibot (Playdoe, Real Estate Agents / Jarring Effects) and D-Planet ( Pionneer Unit). Those productions make a bumpy playground which sticks marvelously to the over-gifted rapper personal universe and unique flow. This is the missing link between US Hip Hop and UK Grime.

Hegemony.
Real manifesto of the Ben Sharpa lyricism, «Hegemony» is a smash hit that many DJ's will play in their sets. An electro glitch hop production signed by Sibot on which Ben declaims and call into question the South African society.

Check the evidence
Even more tinged with demands, «Check The Evidence» make the bridge between Dej Jux fucked up Hip Hop and the South African groove. One heavy rhythmic and deep minor sheets come to wrap the Ben Sharpa flow in perpetual motion. A diving into Johanesburg's ghetto.

Off The Rails.
At the same time Hip Hop, Ragga and Grime, this hypnotic track mixes the genres and the codes, proving how much Ben Sharpa constitutes a fundamental link of the Hip Hop history, between the US East Coast flow and the irresistible groove of UK Grime. To be played in emergency with Virus Syndicate and Aesop Rock!

Callin ‘ It Quits.
A report of the state of Hip Hop and how many parasites try to be «a part of it», Ben Sharpa reminds us the heart of the genre: «Anyone got some beats?». Made of small murdering sentences on a heavy and abstract beat that would have perfectly suited to Roots Manuva, this track is the abstract Hip Hop template.

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Ben Sharpa - Hegemony Music Video :