It seems good ol' ciphers and sessions will be instinct in a minute. While some come and go, some manage somehow to keep afloat long enough to manifest into something bigger
I remember at some point the whole Pretoria was buzzing with sessions from Rankuwa at LSU, to Zone 1, then came the Loliwe sessions. Mams also had a few like the ones at the Backyard and Blackhole lounge, Mabopane,CBD and Sosha also had their own but none of those are left standing.
A group from Soshanguve is doing something that might just be on a proper take off. I hit up Karabo "KRB" Skosana to find out more about the "Sessions in the Kitchen" happening Thursdays at Piki's Lounge aka Vibe's Café.
Please tell me a bit of a background about SIT-K.
SIT-K (Sessions In The Kitchen) all started back in 2012 as a Cypher session at Modise's backyard, but was formally established in 2014. Modise is the owner of "Kiss Madolo", a local brand which launched "Mdeni Matters" an events and talents Harbour for local talents.
In 2014 under Mdeni matters,we all felt that we were not getting enough exposure under the organization, we then decided to take the Cyphers and turn them to an Open Mic Session but we had to find a venue that will house this idea. That's when we landed at Piki's Lounge.(S/O to Bonolo for the connect)
When we started there was more than a dozen of us but the number slowly trickled down to just 5, which is Themba Masilela (Psykotic Emphasis), Karabo Skosana (KRB), Koketso Makhubo (Ghost groove), Thandi Jere (Endless limits) and Thato Madubanya (Cousin Dubbs)
What's a typical session day like? How does the show play out?
On a typical day: the music, lights and everything go on at 18:00, we then welcome everyone, then there's artist registration which ends at 19:00. Also during this hour artists can mingle, network and talk with each other about their upcoming projects, events or collaborations they want to do,etc.
From 19:30 the show is kicked off with Cousin Dubbs who is our resident DJ and Ghost groove and KRB take on Mc duties. The show ends at around till 23:00,that's when in most days all artists have performed.
Are artists in Soshanguve and outside receptive and supporting of the sessions?
Honestly I believe in the beginning they were very receptive and willing to show up and perform their hearts out. The beginning being 2014/2015 that's we had large numbers. On one session we remember recording over 200 people(performers) but that number has slowly decreased because the audience and artists are both growing with age and they simply trying to grow their fans base and others simply stopped focusing on their artistry altogether.
But there's still many other raw gems that come every Thursday and give us a show.
What's your wish for the Soshanguve Hip Hop scene?
We just want to see a Soshanguve Hip Hop artist fully blow up, not just in the South African mainstream scene but the international mainstream too.
What would you like to see happen with the SIT-K sessions in the future?
Sessions In The Kitchen has helped grow and refine many talents and I would like to see it continue doing that on a bigger and more funded space. We would like to scout for talent outside of Soshanguve,put on new talent and fund new talent.
There's not a of shows around that are strictly for the culture, what keeps you guys going, even through the tough times?
What keeps us going, well we are a group that met through the love of art. We all saw and first hand experienced the brutality of being within this culture but still stuck with it. We don't want to call it love, it's more arrogance and stubbornness that keeps us going.
Have you had a night where you've had to cancel and what was the reason?
In the past 4 years we've canceled a couple of times,loadshading being the leading reason. Other times it's because the pub manager would be angry because of the damage done to his sound by the badly produced tracks that some of the artists usually bring to perform, but we've always managed to bounce back, always.
If you had unlimited budget, what would your ultimate SIT-K session night look like?
It will definitely be televised live on national TV. The session will be happening on the first floating 200 seat arena. No VIP, just genuine people and genuine performances. Just imagine Black Coffee's Africa Rise concert happening in the sky.
What's your thoughts on current SA Hip Hop state?
The South African Hip Hop industry is still in it's forming stages. There's only a few artists which are making money from it. Corporate brands are still skeptical about fully endorsing Hip Hop artists. On the ground only a few pub/club owners are willing to invest 50k to host a strictly Hip Hop show, so SA Hip Hop is still toddler slowly learning the world it finds itself in.
Any future plans in the works for the SIT-K sessions?
Currently we working on trying to get some SIT-K merch out,other plans we will keep updating our people on our page [Sessions In The Kitchen]
Anyways the SIT-K happen every Thursday from 6pm at Vibes Café(Soshanguve,Block HH, Njobie). Pull through and support majita. Never feel too big or too made for these platforms. Let's reciprocate the love. One day it might be the start of the story you relay about your come up.
I hear there's also free transport for those residing around Sosh areas.
More details on:
Facebook: Sessions In The Kitchen
Twitter: @SIT_Kmoments
Connect with us across all socials: @Tan89Media
I remember at some point the whole Pretoria was buzzing with sessions from Rankuwa at LSU, to Zone 1, then came the Loliwe sessions. Mams also had a few like the ones at the Backyard and Blackhole lounge, Mabopane,CBD and Sosha also had their own but none of those are left standing.
A group from Soshanguve is doing something that might just be on a proper take off. I hit up Karabo "KRB" Skosana to find out more about the "Sessions in the Kitchen" happening Thursdays at Piki's Lounge aka Vibe's Café.
Please tell me a bit of a background about SIT-K.
SIT-K (Sessions In The Kitchen) all started back in 2012 as a Cypher session at Modise's backyard, but was formally established in 2014. Modise is the owner of "Kiss Madolo", a local brand which launched "Mdeni Matters" an events and talents Harbour for local talents.
In 2014 under Mdeni matters,we all felt that we were not getting enough exposure under the organization, we then decided to take the Cyphers and turn them to an Open Mic Session but we had to find a venue that will house this idea. That's when we landed at Piki's Lounge.(S/O to Bonolo for the connect)
When we started there was more than a dozen of us but the number slowly trickled down to just 5, which is Themba Masilela (Psykotic Emphasis), Karabo Skosana (KRB), Koketso Makhubo (Ghost groove), Thandi Jere (Endless limits) and Thato Madubanya (Cousin Dubbs)
What's a typical session day like? How does the show play out?
On a typical day: the music, lights and everything go on at 18:00, we then welcome everyone, then there's artist registration which ends at 19:00. Also during this hour artists can mingle, network and talk with each other about their upcoming projects, events or collaborations they want to do,etc.
From 19:30 the show is kicked off with Cousin Dubbs who is our resident DJ and Ghost groove and KRB take on Mc duties. The show ends at around till 23:00,that's when in most days all artists have performed.
Honestly I believe in the beginning they were very receptive and willing to show up and perform their hearts out. The beginning being 2014/2015 that's we had large numbers. On one session we remember recording over 200 people(performers) but that number has slowly decreased because the audience and artists are both growing with age and they simply trying to grow their fans base and others simply stopped focusing on their artistry altogether.
But there's still many other raw gems that come every Thursday and give us a show.
What's your wish for the Soshanguve Hip Hop scene?
We just want to see a Soshanguve Hip Hop artist fully blow up, not just in the South African mainstream scene but the international mainstream too.
What would you like to see happen with the SIT-K sessions in the future?
Sessions In The Kitchen has helped grow and refine many talents and I would like to see it continue doing that on a bigger and more funded space. We would like to scout for talent outside of Soshanguve,put on new talent and fund new talent.
What keeps us going, well we are a group that met through the love of art. We all saw and first hand experienced the brutality of being within this culture but still stuck with it. We don't want to call it love, it's more arrogance and stubbornness that keeps us going.
Have you had a night where you've had to cancel and what was the reason?
In the past 4 years we've canceled a couple of times,loadshading being the leading reason. Other times it's because the pub manager would be angry because of the damage done to his sound by the badly produced tracks that some of the artists usually bring to perform, but we've always managed to bounce back, always.
It will definitely be televised live on national TV. The session will be happening on the first floating 200 seat arena. No VIP, just genuine people and genuine performances. Just imagine Black Coffee's Africa Rise concert happening in the sky.
The South African Hip Hop industry is still in it's forming stages. There's only a few artists which are making money from it. Corporate brands are still skeptical about fully endorsing Hip Hop artists. On the ground only a few pub/club owners are willing to invest 50k to host a strictly Hip Hop show, so SA Hip Hop is still toddler slowly learning the world it finds itself in.
Any future plans in the works for the SIT-K sessions?
Currently we working on trying to get some SIT-K merch out,other plans we will keep updating our people on our page [Sessions In The Kitchen]
Regardless of the challenges and it somewhat being a supper thankless task for the organisers, I would love to see sessions come back mo di kasing and groom these emerging artists. I mean that's where they get the practice and get to harness the skills. Things like stage performance are learned there.
Anyways the SIT-K happen every Thursday from 6pm at Vibes Café(Soshanguve,Block HH, Njobie). Pull through and support majita. Never feel too big or too made for these platforms. Let's reciprocate the love. One day it might be the start of the story you relay about your come up.
I hear there's also free transport for those residing around Sosh areas.
More details on:
Facebook: Sessions In The Kitchen
Twitter: @SIT_Kmoments
Connect with us across all socials: @Tan89Media
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