Mxolisi Nomdletshe
Hip hop has always been a protest movement since inception, serving as a powerful platform for MCs, DJs, B-Boys/B-Girls, graffiti artists, and knowledge providers to voice their concerns and critiques on socio-economic issues impacting their communities. The 5 elements of hip-hop -MCing (rapping), DJying, B-Boying/B-Girling, graffiti, and knowledge, form the foundation of this cultural movement. It is important to acknowledge this broader context as rap's prominence fuelled by its economic viability, has over the years overshadowed other elements. I argue that the commercial success of rap can be attributed in part, to its absorption by capitalism, where artists in this artform frequently give ownership of their music to the record companies they are signed to.
While knocking on doors of the South African music industry, at just 21 years of age, rapper Gigi Lamayne released a provocative song titled “Fees will fall” during the height of the #FeesMustFall protests. This moment stands as one of the bravest acts of defiance from an emerging artist. Amidst an industry where artists do not seek to offend record labels. Gigi Lamayne remains one of a few who took rap back to its essence and reminded everyone that it is after all a protest movement.
While this was a moment of protest for Gigi Lamayne, who used what she is best known for, it was also a victory lap as this song was released in early 2016, coinciding with her graduation at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. She earned a degree in Media and Anthropology, impressively securing 4 distinctions. This achievement showcased her intellectual prowess, mirroring sharp lyricism, that has earned her multiple awards. As she introduced the song, she powerfully articulated:
“The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are.
You trade in your reality for a war, you trade on your sense for an act.
You give up your ability to feel an exchange put on a mask.
There can't be any large skill revolution until there's a personal revolution.
On an individual level, it's got to happen inside first.”
Gigi Lamayne would then start her scathing first verse by saying the following:
“How long are they going lie to us, smile with us, acting like they'll cry with us.
Our parents barely get away, but they slaved for this nation.
A black child would never ever gain emancipation.”
Like any industry, the music industry is driven by capitalist interest that often distance artists from the realities of black students and communities at large. Gigi Lamayne's bold stance represents a rare instance of creative control and freedom, which is crucial in era where algorithms often prioritise misogynistic content over socially conscious rap. To this day, black students still struggle to navigate historically white Universities in gentrified cities where exorbitant fees, unaffordable living costs, and limited university housing exacerbate their challenges. This reality has worsened over the past decade, highlighting the need for more consciousness raising in societies as Gigi Lamayne has done.
Full song: https://shorturl.at/ZoYcB