There’s something incredibly alluring and awe-inspiring about the grittiness and the hustle of Johannesburg. As I write this I’m on a work trip where I’ve been running from meeting to meeting, making deals and securing bags. This tangible feeling is something that Washa X has managed to capture on his new single, “Back In Jozi”.
This jazzy hip-hop treat of a track from the Pietermaritzburg-born rapper, frames the City Of Gold from the perspective of an outsider who’s intent cracking the code, and making his time in the city count. It’s groovy in all the right places, with quotable lyrics that pay homage to Riky Rick and detail the struggle of trying to get ahead.
His music is a blend of dance and hip-hop, as he draws sonic cues from Lokishi (Kasi) dance music, which constantly played in his father’s taxi, as well as from hip-hop, which he was exposed to while living in the suburbs with his mother, who was a teacher.
The track is also accompanied by not one, not two, but three visualisers, with each one expressing a unique side of the city through camera angles and various grading techniques. It’s an impressive body of work and it deserves your attention.
His music is a blend of dance and hip-hop, as he draws sonic cues from Lokishi (Kasi) dance music, which constantly played in his father’s taxi, as well as from hip-hop, which he was exposed to while living in the suburbs with his mother, who was a teacher.
