| November 01, 2008 |
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 Music with a mission Luyolo Mkentane A PORT Elizabeth hip-hop outfit from the Joe Slovo informal settlement have their hearts set on preaching tolerance and life skills through their music. Formed in 2004, the four-member Scoffers comprises Olwethu Ndabaninzi aka Oscar, 21, Zwelethu Vikilahle aka DJ Zwei, 20, Sicelo Mkhize aka Sciba, 15, and Zola aka Street Ambassador, 23. “Our music is bent on drumming tolerance and positivity into people‘s minds,” said Vikilahle. “We use our music as an instrument to disseminate our views on social issues such as HIV/Aids and xenophobia. “We have enquiring minds and are bent on challenging age-old stereotypes that youngsters should go to places like taverns, among other social ills,” he said. The outfit is mentored by playwright Mncedisi Mkhize. This year alone they‘ve penned about 20 original songs which include Masibambaneni, Bengas, Sithandwa Sam and MC Paradise. He said Masibambaneni advocated that “we should be united and say no to social ills like xenophobia or anything contributing to the decay of the moral fibre of society”. Vikilahle said that their music, which they fused with afro-pop and R ‘n B, was more into drumming facts into people‘s minds and exposing sugar-coated lies, than just entertainment. “If we could come together as one, we could create a better society for us all, that‘s what our music is all about.” He said they had a demo CD and “we are busy working on a second CD project”. “Some of the issues we talk about (on the CD) include curbing crime and alcohol and substance abuse. We‘ve dedicated one of the tracks to South Africa where we‘re just praying for the nation.” Asked what set them aside from other local rappers, Ndabaninzi said: “Local rappers are more like the same, their music is not something out of the ordinary, but we are different. We fuse our music with afro-pop and R ‘n B elements and our (rapping) flow is divine.” The group teaches break-dancing to interested teenagers at Joe Slovo twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Mkhize compared the outfit to gold that was “dug from dirt”. “Out of dirt you get precious, shiny stones and these boys are just that,” he said.
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