EJ Von Lyricist

In an era where Hip-Hop culture is gradually defined by obsession with material wealth, debauchery, and inflated egos, loyalists of the art form inadvertently loose grip of the robust state of the culture and foundations that it was built upon i.e. self betterment, awareness, fun, protest, consciousness, liberation, lyrical prowess, unity et al. As an avid listener, or rather in Hip-Hop terminology, Hip-Hop Head of note, I more than concur to bringing the culture back to its roots. EJ von Lyrik, one of the legendary but now disbanded Hip Hop group Godessa, latest offering encapsulates the foregoing message in her brand new single

“Younique”…“No matter where you are come from, if you know where you coming from, you better know where you’re coming from, your Younique, gotta love just who you are, your Younique, gotta love just who you are”, which is stringent these days as the culture is in such dire straits.

Born Eloise Jones, from the township named Mitchell’s Plain in the Cape Flats, Cape Town, South Africa. EJ von Lyrik is a rapper, artist and producer whose passion, dedication and talent speaks for itself. Although she fundamentally began her music career in 1997 as predominantly a Hip Hop artist, her sound has diversified to funk, rock, roots reggae and dancehall.

EJ’s subject matter in her material encompasses social-economic issues and challenges the status quo. The importance of maintaining one’s individuality is salient for an artist of her caliber.

From the time of her former group Godessa, one of the group’s classic singles ‘Social Ills’ she delivers lyrics that protest against the norm… “This mainstream slave ship is sailing and before long, You will mourn when your individuality is gone, so caught up in material bullshit”. An as individual her social upliftment ideology extends further than words in her lyrics. EJ has been actively involved in a plethora of social projects and workshops. Somewhere in the crevices of her utterly busy schedule, and thanks to technology LiveJam had an opportunity to pick EJ’s brain:

Q: Your educational background. Any other skill or career path you had in mind prior to music if there is.

EJ: I've graduated matric at Portland Senior Secondary in Mitchell's Plain, Cape Town. I am a self-taught music

producer and songwriter. I have always wanted to explore the vast world of music and entertainment, but would

probably have become a journalist if I had the opportunity earlier in life to study journalism.

Q: Tell us about the years you started realizing your love for hip hop and subsequently Emceeing

EJ: I was always writing short stories, songs and poetry since I was very young. In high school I discovered hip hop

music and I really liked the rebellious, sort of in-your-face sound that it has. Listening to Prophets of da City, Public

Enemy, Jeru the Damager, Fugees, Rage against the Machine, MC LYTE, Queen Latifah and other hip hop legends, I

could relate to what they were talking about in their lyrics. I also think because rap lyrics are so close to poetry it

was quite interesting to hear poetry being put to music in that way. I tried doing it myself and I loved it! Soon after I met up with a few emcees on school who introduced me to the local hip hop community and the culture behind

Q: When was your big break into becoming a recognized and sought after artist?

EJ: It was definitely when I hooked up with Shameema and Burni, forming Godessa in 2000. Before this, I worked

on small recording projects and tried to get an album together, but because it was very rare at that time for female

emcees to record and release original music, combining our individual talents and resources, we gained a lot of media attention quickly. With the release of our first single in 2002, titled Social Ills, we became recognized as South Africa's most prolific

female hip hop outfit that also ensured international attention from various media companies, educational

institutions, non-profit organizations and the music industry as a whole, both locally and internationally.

Q: Please align your discography for us, what inspired each of your albums?

EJ: My first solo album, titled 'Method in the Madness' was released in 2008, which was the year that Godessa

disbanded. While still working on a second album for Godessa in 2007, I was also putting some ideas together for

this album. Although my love for hip hop music was very great *and still is!), I felt that my musical interest spanned

a bit further than only hip hop music, so I started experimenting with reggae, dancehall, rock, funk, soul, and

combined all of these genres to create Method in the Madness.

My second album titled 'The Human Condition' was released in 2010 and continued along the same lines as the

first album, with the difference that I intended it to be much more radio friendly and accessible in terms of it's

sound to a larger, more diverse audience. I was inspired to create this body of work by the fact that I wanted to

bring together different people from various musical, cultural and racial backgrounds. This was also the release

after which a tour followed in the European summer of that year.

Q: Who are your role models in your art form?

EJ: Definitely Prophets of da City and Public Enemy because they encapsulated for me what it was like to be from a

disadvantaged background. Their lyrics served as a catalyst to encourage me to find out more about my history

and culture and made me realize and understand better the way politics affect our lives on a socio-economic level.

Queen Latifah, MC LYTE, Rah Digga and Lauren Hill were all very gifted female hip hop artists who were speaking

their minds and creating hip hop music from a female perspective, so they inspired a lot of confidence to become a

woman in hip hop, which was (and still is) very male dominated.

There are also quite a few artists such as Nina Simone, Bob Marley and his family, George Clinton from P-Funk,

Myriam Makeba, Micheal Jackson, Depeche Mode, Brenda Fassie and so many others I admire for their creative

skill and ability to entertain. I am inspired by artists from various genres, countries and cultures every single day.

Q: Who has played a key role in your music career whether personally (family who encouraged you or bought you

your first equipment for e.g.) or professionally (people who have showcased belief and have assisted with getting

you GIGs)

EJ: Wow, there are so many! I have to first say my mother, who, with her subtle and gentle encouragement, wiping

away the tears of disappointment sometimes, and being such a huge role model because of her inner strength,

taught me to never give up and go for what I want in life, no matter the circumstances.

My dad, because he had a nice collection of music and was a very talented musician himself. When I turned 13, he

gave me my first double tape deck which had a record function so I could capture any musical ideas I had. I

suppose that's where my interest in music production and recording was first piqued.

Shaheen Ariefdien from Prophets of da City, who taught me how to write lyrics with positive messages and how to

get it across to an audience effectively. He was always looking out for me in the early days of my career.

DJ Azuhl, Ready D, Mr. Devious and his crew, Grenville Williams who taught me how to create music with

computer software and encouraged me to try new things.

There are really too many names to mention here, but I hope they know who they are and that I appreciate all

their efforts.

Q: Let us know of shows/events that you actively involved in.

EJ: In May 2013, I traveled to the Netherlands to participate in a collaborative project called Kaapstad meets

Kytopia with DJ DNA and various artists and musicians from South Africa and the Netherlands at Kytopia studios.

We created music together and toured the country for two weeks. The recordings of that project will be available

for release soon.

In June 2013 I played at Sakifo festival in Reunion Islands with Dub-step/electronic outfit Mix n Blend from Cape

I also went back to Reunion Island in July 2013 with my band The Champions as well as DJ Azuhl, to collaborate on

gigs and recordings with Kolektif Sud, one of the pioneers of hip hop on the island.

There are a few more events in the pipeline of which I'm not at liberty to mention at this point, but that

information will be available soon.

Q: Tell us your achievements and you milestones so far, competitions you have won, awards, and endorsements.

EJ: In 2004 I received a Messenger of Truth Award by the United Nations.

As a member of Godessa we were nominated the Metro FM award for best album in 2005.

There were also Levi's and Adidas sponsorships and endorsements in that year and the following year.

I am also featured in The Mail&Guardian Book of South African Women 2012, which recognizes and celebrates

South Africa's exceptional women.

I have recently been commended in the Mitchell's Plain Local Heroes project 2013, for my advocacy in HIV/AIDS

education and “powerful and inspiring messages of human upliftment” in my work as an artist.

I have also played on stages and have worked with artists and organizations in countries such as Cuba, USA,

France, Switzerland, Swaziland, Austria, Tanzania, Reunion Island, Netherlands, Germany, Ethiopia, UK.

I have had the pleasure of sharing stages with high caliber artists such as Hugh Masekela, Limp Bizkit, Red Man,

Kelis, Zap Mama, PJ Harvey, Mahotella Queens, Gentleman, Public Enemy, Prophets of Da City, Jack Parow, at

renown international festivals such as Pukkelpop (Belgium), Afro Ruhr (Germany), Oosterpark Fest (Netherlands),

Bevrijdings Festival and (Toulouse).

Q: Any future ventures? And who would you want to work with?

EJ: I am currently continuing our collaboration project by bringing Kolektif Sud to South Africa next year to perform

and record with SA artists.

I am also planning the release of my EP for later this year.

There is also a possible European tour in the making which will span from May to July in 2014.

I am working with Markus Wormstorm on a mixtape project that forms part of a promotion campaign for a film

titled Four Corners.

DJ Azuhl initiated a recording and performing project for Brasse Vannie Kaap for which I will produce and write a

few songs.

I am also doing a collaboration with Benbo from the UK due for release soon.

It was always my dream to work with one of the Marley brothers, and in particular Junior Gong (Damian Marley).

Q: Who are your favorite Hip hop artists and producers locally and internationally?

EJ: Local artists and producers: Tumi from the Volume, Grenville Williams, Kuli Chana, DJ Azuhl, Youngsta, DJ Ready

D, Jack Parow, Justin De Nobrega, Jonathan Arnold (Mix n Blend), Kevin Ribbans (Mix n Blend), Mr. Sakitumi, Zulu

Boy, Hipe, Arsenic, Binkbeats from the Netherlands,

Meisterbeatz from Switzerland.

Q: What do you think are the issues challenging development and growth of the hip hop culture locally?

EJ: I think it has very much to do with artists not educating themselves about the music industry. It's a continuous

learning curve because it keeps changing, and it's vital to understand how certain key areas operate. For example,

Publishing is a very confusing subject at times and can be quite off-putting for aspiring artists. But it is essential to

have knowledge about copyright, how to earn royalties etc, so that we are not exploited.

I also think it's a good thing for us to understand how to market our music and ourselves as a brand. Find creative

ways to do it since it's much easier for independent artists now that we have the internet. It is a must and we

cannot survive unless we know how it works.

There are also other factors such as lack of resources. Not everyone have or can afford a recording studio, and this

is key to creating your product I.e: an album, single, EP etc. Artists are taken more seriously when they approach a

label with their own, good quality recording. It somehow also gives them better bargaining power because they're

not dependant on the label to produce their music, which almost always puts an artist in debt because there's a

substantial cost to it. Home studio set ups work well too, as long as you can produce a good quality record.

Last but not least, the lack of a solid business structure. Talent is one thing, but if you want to develop this art

form, unfortunately as much as we all hate it, we have to be business minded!

In SA it has always been a challenge to find good management to represent you in business, and most hip hop

artists such as myself end up managing themselves.

Q: Where do you see local hip hop/producing in 5 years from now?

EJ: Hip hop is still going strong and I think it has proved to have a huge impact on the youth. So I think it will be

around, provided we nurture the young up-and-coming emcees and producers and be good examples for them to

There are many local producers who have their own studios and can actually produce good quality recordings and

masters. I think it will see a lot of growth in the next five years.

Q: Any projects that you have been involved in e.g. Hype Mag mix-tapes or any projects that you are involved in.

EJ: Hype Magazine – Smirnoff Spin Hype Sessions Vol 1 2005.

(Please also refer to your question on future ventures.)

Q: Enlighten us about your latest project.

EJ: I've released my latest single titled 'Younique', a few weeks ago online and it has thus far gained quite some

interest with radio stations both locally and abroad.

'Younique' recently enjoyed airplay on Hoxton Radio which is a UK based radio station, as well as RSG, Taxi Radio,

Bush Radio, RKP and Kaya FM.

In terms of lyrical content, Younique basically speaks about being yourself, no matter where you're from, who you

are and what you do in life. As human beings we all have our insecurities and sometimes follow what popular

media sees as cool or accepted. The song tries to encourage people that there is actually no need for that because

we are each unique and have something extraordinary to offer the world, if only we are able to see it and accept

ourselves for who we are.

The beat has a very hard bass line and is laced with melodic synth lines. The vocal style swings from singing, ragga

to emceeing and the rap delivery is extremely rhythmical and holds up quite well with the hard-hitting style and

rhythm of the beat itself.

Q: Consciousness or commercial rap, which is your preference taking into consideration that the latter seems to

generate more revenue in the business?

EJ: I have always tried to find a balance between the two but I am definitely more interested in meaningful music. I

have come to understand that commercial does not necessarily mean it's a bad thing. I believe if lyrical content is

not destructive, it's no big deal, but if there are negative messages and mindsets being promoted in hip hop (or

any other genre of music), then I shy away from that.

Essentially for me, being able to create a sound that is radio friendly while still bringing across a positive message,

is what I strive for, so that the message is also taken to a larger audience and combats what we generally hear on

radio these days, which can be mostly mindless and destructive.

I am also not easily enticed by fame and fortune, but would only like to be comfortable financially, doing what I

Q: One of hip-hop's formidable cliques Wu-Tang Clan is well revered for one of their numerous classics C.R.E.A.M:

Cash Rules Everything Around Me. That acronym has been interpolated to Cash Ruined Everything About Music,

what is your take on that?

EJ: The industry surrounding the art form is a dog-eat-dog kind of world! It means that there is a lot of exploitation

going on because major labels and most other corporate institutions having an interest in music creation or usage,

only have their bottom line in mind and their own interests at heart. Artists usually pull at the short end of the

stick when it comes to earning a living from their art.

This is also partly why we hear mostly negative or mindless music in various forms of media because there is the

belief that anything shocking, outrageous, sex-driven and daring is considered cool by the public. It's not entirely

true, because media also has the power to shape peoples opinions.

Unfortunately, this is the kind of world we're living in, and it's best to clue one's self up about business if you want

to make a living out of your art, so to enable you to roll with the punches.

Q: Do you think artists of your caliber had more appeal in the era of Outrageous records ( including the overseas

counterparts such as Rawkus Records) than now in the game?

EJ: Yes, it seems that way these days because of various factors. One of them could possibly be that labels,

corporates, cultural organizations and music festivals etc, are a lot more desperate to reach their bottom line, or

have a lack of funding to support music, because of the recession the world has been under. I've seen it here in SA

as well as overseas where only highly commercial artists get first preference and others have a tough time.

This of course translates to the public that these commercial artists are more appealing because they get so much

media attention and others just fall by the way side because they don't have those huge marketing machines

pushing their images and music everywhere.

Another thing is, the sound of hip hop is changing and one also have to be open to moving with the times and not

get stuck in doing the same thing for ten years! It was a lot more organic a decade ago and now it's become more

Art reflects what life was like at any given point in time, so let's keep our art form alive by being more creative and

to accept that it is okay for it to evolve. As long as we keep things positive!

Q: For an artist who is one of the original members of Godessa with classics such as Social Ills, to what extent have

you utilized your art form to liberate people and spread consciousness?

EJ: When someone approaches you at a show with tears in their eyes saying that they were considering suicide a

few minutes ago, and a line in one of your verses changed their mind, then I think that counts as liberating

someone from whatever ails them. Music can be healing.

Bush Radio had a programme called YAA 2000 (Youth Against Aids in the year 2000), and I was one of the artists

who were commissioned to research information on HIV/AIDS and to write songs spreading awareness on this

subject.

In 2006 I was a participant in a project in Ethiopia called Africa Speaks, where myself and Zola went into rural

communities gathering information about what the challenges are for youth in those areas. We had to relay this

information to decision makers in government, and the African Union so that programmes could be established to

aid these youths.

We were shocked to hear that traditional practises such as FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) when a girl reaches

puberty, is still very prevalent. This is of course a major health risk for young women because of HIV/AIDS infection

as well as other diseases.

It is also extremely painful for women who are giving birth, as the wounds never fully heal and continues to be a

health risk well into old age. It is considered by the young women to be an oppressive way to ensure that a woman

never cheats on her husband. So if this practise can be stopped, they will be free from being oppressed by the

males in their communities.

As a member of Godessa I also participated in the Messengers of Truth programme initiated by UN Habitat. This

conference was held in Spain to speak to decision makers from First World nations as youths from developing

countries, creating an awareness on our habitat situation, as well as to put pressure on them to find ways to assist

our governments in prioritizing better living conditions for the disadvantaged.

Q: Kindly inform us as into what lead to Godessa's disbandment, where are the other members?

EJ: Godessa was together for almost a decade when we disbanded. We were working very hard on so many

projects and had little time for anything else. We all felt that we needed to pursue other interests, for example,

Shameema has always been keen on furthering her education, wanting to study business management, and we

decided to give the group a break. But individually we are all still very active in our respective careers, making a

positive contribution to society.

Burni has recently been to France where she and a few other SA artists are doing workshops and performances.

Shameema has since been active in various non-profit organizations and also does artist management in Cape

Q: Do you succumb to worry when it comes to the depth of your creativity in an industry that appears to be more

prone to what Master Ace dubbed 'disposable arts', that it might be over people’s heads and they might not grasp

the message or appreciate the complexity of your style?

EJ: I am very grateful for being given the ability to be versatile, so it helps me a lot with being creative. And I've

always purposefully tried to keep my lyrics simple, not sounding like I just stepped out of a dictionary! When it

comes to creating beats, I try as much as possible to stick to the eight bar chorus-sixteen bar verse-formula

because it 's easy on the ear and memory. Less is more when you want to write songs that people can relate to.

Q: Are there any other endeavors that you have besides music?

EJ: I have many endeavours related to music on some level. I also do vocal coaching and creative writing

workshops to help artists achieve their best, or to engage youth at risk.

But my dream is to have youth centers in disadvantaged communities where art would serve as a form of

recreation, education, therapy and job creation, being run by members of their respective communities.

Q: Who do you think is Hot or Not in the Game right now?

EJ: I think Kuli Chana's definitely got something going. Youngsta is a lyrical powerhouse.

Kanyi Mavi kills in spaza style. Okmalumkoolkat is quite fresh. Jack Parow hits that afrikaans funny bone with witty

lyrics. There are actually too many to mention in SA!

Internationally, Kern Koppen (Netherlands), Greis (Switzerland), Kolektif Sud and Laskar Posse (Reunion Island).

Q: What advise do you have for up and coming artists/producers?

EJ: Stick to your gunz even when times are tough and the future looks bleak. Never compromise on your musical or

personal integrity for fame and fortune, but realize you still have to eat, so be creative in finding ways to survive in

the game.