Kay Faith has been working behind the scenes for a long time now. An acclaimed sound engineer and DJ, you might know her as ‘your favourite rapper’s favourite producer’, having made huge strides amongst female hip hop producers in South Africa.
Her debut EP, Antithesis, is a powerful combination of trap, EDM and hip-hop, bringing on board some of SA’s best and biggest rap artists to help push a brand of sound that is entirely her own, and it’s undeniably her most exciting, progressive offering to date.
Opening with the digitized voice of a woman reading the definition of the word antithesis – “a figure of speech, it refers to the juxtaposition of opposing and contrasting ideas” – that’s what this album is all about. It’s a predicament, a contradiction of melody, instrumentation and structure, every element of Faith’s largely experimental sound clashing in expert style.
“Top Ten” (feat. Owethu, Kashcpt, Hanna & Holy Alpha) follows the intro, a banger of monumental proportions pushing a dirty trap-bassline that breeds pure, unadulterated swagger. Similarly, “PROUDLY CAPETONIAN” (feat. E-JayCPT & YoungstaCPT) is appropriately harsh, its hard flow and explicit lyricism proof of Faith’s brazen ability to push boundaries, and push them far.
Tracks like “Township Deluxe” and “Sugar Water” bring a lighter, R&B classic rap sound, however it’s “Amamenemene” that remains this album’s centre-piece. Dark and brooding, it’s almost ritualistic in its nature, Bravo Le Roux and Venus Raps bringing an intuitive approach to their collaboration with Faith that smacks of creative energy. And that’s ultimately the driving force of Antithesis – collaboration.
Faith’s sound is won not just in her own artistic talent, but in the work of others, and it’s a fine example of creative partnership at its most beautifully diverse.
Feature pic by Gabbi Kannemeyer
