Assassination in the 031

It was a typical Durban summers day. My tongue was sweating, my eyes were sweating, my ears were sweating and I’m pretty sure my soul was suffering from heatstroke. It was one of those hot days where you think you might have woken up in hell but simply cannot remember dying. Today was the day I was to be thrown into the deep end of the underground hip hop scene here in South Africa’s sauna, and it was to happen at the Life Check event being held at the world (ok fine, Durban) famous Bat Centre. The Bat is a vibey art and craft community centre, but today it was to be filled to the brim by hundreds of flat peaked kids, toting baggy pants, enormous vests and even the odd football jersey. Hip hop heads fived one another with the street-greet “Wassup, dog”, and I was left mildly confused when the next moment the same homey was greeted with a “Yo, cat” - but shrugged it off as lingo I’d soon learn. Fitting in with a scene is one thing, but on a day where I was actually considering buying a speedo and wearing it in public to keep cool, these kids were more interested in keeping cool in the eyes of their friends. Respect for commitment. I squished into the venue along with the eager faces and paid my R5 to get in. I should’ve worn the speedo.

Articles and photos by Kevin Goss-Ross