N’veigh: Peanut Butter (album review)
By Rita Kufandarerwa (Amber Stones)
N’veigh is a poet who calcified his lexical prowess with his debut album, Peanut Butter. N’veigh was forged in the fires of Capcity, one can almost taste the influences of a multi-dimensional artist in his album delivery. In an era where hip hop continues to suffer a cultural molestation, Peanut Butter is a stellar piece of art which irrefutably pierces the life of anyone who listens: it dares everyone to hearken the philosopher who was made by the streets.
Rocking with the best:
Not many artists have skilfully mastered the art of putting together a captivating album intro. Rocking with the Best is a potent intro track with film noir sonic outer-trappings. The Broadway type of cacophony in this track is majestic as it announces the arrival of a classic album. The intro befits an album that was conceived over nine years. The song is a cultural protest against ‘rappers whose raps are like garbage’ as it commands you to listen to the best.
Too cool:
This track was produced by a Vaal based producer, King Blue. Before one can appreciate the song, they have to applaud how established rappers like N’veigh slice the hip hop pie a little different by working with upcoming producers. Swag, style, ostentation and extravaganza are tenets that dominate rap lyrics. Too cool is a marriage of these tenets which affords N’veigh an opportunity to communicate the typical braggadocio which comes with being a rapper. The beat is laced with very few instrument patterns which makes it flow easily. Paucity in beat making should not be mistaken for inability, instead, it must be embraced because it strikes critical mass without trying so hard.
A lot:
‘The reason why my people call me Batman is because I told my people that I got them’ In this track, the rapper goes deep on how he puts his soul into his music for his loyal fans. Most of the hip hop we are being fed these days is half-baked and highly instrumentalised, not many producers still go through great pains to give us well-knit rap songs. This song is an assurance by the boom-bap revivalist to his cultic followers that he does a lot to get the music to them.
The beat of this song is said to have been initially made for the late Jabba. I have no doubt that Jabba would murder the beat with his bludgeoning lyrics but, N’veigh realised that the beat was sick and carefully tucked it to bed.
Control (interlude):
There’s something organic about this track which starts with a voicemail message. N’veigh puts on his cupid hat as he serenades his girl with this love jam. The rap lyrics these days are organised in a cold order where most rappers do not allow themselves to be vulnerable and talk about romance. This track is a love letter and an ode to a love so overpowering. One can’t help but feel that typical Donell Jones R &B soulful hook when they hear the chorus. The voicemail conversation continues at the end. This is an artful delivery where the conversation starts and ends coherently with the message in the song. The song features hOly and Delite whose rapping styles complement each other with N’veigh’s own.
Summer 95:
Kwaito forms the basis of many rap deliveries in South African hip hop and this jam is not an exception. The marriage of Kwaito lyricism and a 90’s bounce begets a true summer banger that is Summer 95. N’veigh himself is a confessed musical clone of Jabba who inspired him. Listening to this song radiates the energy of Jabba, Flabba and Proverb. This track is laid back, easy and not heavy enough to stop anyone to from dancing to it.
Guala:
Incorporating originally South African breaks into most rap songs is a winning formula. Guala is a rendition that is thickly immersed in originally South African breaks and percussions. Locally, hip hop has been loved, appreciated, embraced, fetishized, because of its assertive Africanness. To most South Africans, hip hop is brilliantly black as Kwaito or Isicathamiya, and just as important aesthetically.
Music industry success and fidelity to the founding principles of hip hop is a talking point for most lyricists. Rappers often flaunt their cash, jewellery, cars, expensive liquor, cigars, lavish estates and private jets. For those born into poverty, the desire for wealth becomes a more survivalist form of consumerism and artists often connect the disadvantages of their formative years to their desire to get rich through success in their rap careers.
In this song, N’veigh raps about how his eye is on the money. He manages to bring money into the conversation without wanting to offend. N’veigh worked with upcoming producers from Gomora Rap in Bloemfontein who fused the new age sound with the old school to give us the track.
Beautiful:
‘Who would think that I could raise a son in this cold world back/When we could see how things were so rough/Damn so much drama in my life then/Thank God I had my mama in my life then.’
In this joint, N’veigh recites his journey to fatherhood which has been nothing but beautiful to him. Unlike control which speaks to a romantic love, beautiful speaks to the love of one’s child and the challenging experience of parenting.
Denneboom:
It’s quite rare to hear a rapper who does not incorporate (represent!) the geographic influences on their work. N’veigh does it for Denneboom, a taxi rank in Mamelodi which shaped the rapper’s childhood experiences. The song, which is my favourite on the album is an audio representation of what the place looks like. The wordplay in this song substantiates the greatest height of N’veigh’s lyrical intensity:
‘I’m a G so only the letter H can stand next to I/May be J too/But when the drama hit/Then you know we carry more tools than the plumber did/We don’t care about your age too H2 what our Hummer did.’
Jameson and sunglasses:
In this song, N’veigh talks inebriation from Jameson which is his favourite whiskey. Most of us can relate to the mechanics of being tipsy and being caught up in many happenings such as flirting. The song is a merry one as N’veigh describes his ‘eyes shrinking’ from drinking his whiskey.
Whisper:
The collaboration of AB Crazy, Zaddy Swagg and N’veigh on this joint shows how the texture of music is improved by bringing different styles to create magic. My attentive ear was caught by the piano roll towards the end of the song. The offensive 808 in this jam is a unique raw material input layered with flute intricacies. AB crazy and Zaddy Swag pounced on the beat with their verses while N’veigh carried them to deliver a fantastic final product.
1st of June:
N’veigh continues his dedication to his son, Leano. The song reminded me of Obasi Shaw’s Between the Lines in which a father writes a love letter to his unborn son. In the letter, N’veigh tells his son that he will do anything to protect him.
‘See you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me/So I pray to God to keep you safe/Away from the harm I think I might ink your name on my arm/Because I love you.’
This track has the right combination of everything, from the tantalising chorus to the multi-layered and skilfully quantized melodies. Interestingly, Leano’s mother sings the chorus to this song. This warm gesture supplements the richness of the intended message.
Thoriso:
The penultimate track is a case of art imitating life. Hip hop is autobiographical in nature and N’veigh uses storytelling as a catharsis. In this song N’veigh pays homage to his girlfriend who passed on. N’veigh illustrates his sorrow by saying:
‘And when it gets deep and when I can’t sleep/That’s when I depend on the liquor but/I’m not bitter at the fact that you’re gone/Because the Lord knows what he’s doing.’
Peanut butter:
The succinct title track concludes the album. N’veigh says that the pain in life doesn’t bother him because it’s peanut butter. N’veigh recites a prayer to God, thanking him for the highs and lows in his life. The lyrics to this song paint a sharp contrast between the rich and the poor using peanut butter as a metaphor. The song is befitting of an epilogue to a classic album.
Play music, be carried away- eternal orgasm.