Sizwe Alakine. Audio 2D: Dear Darkie Album

 By Lindokuhle Nkosi

When I saw that Sotra Cyphers exclusive with Sizwe Alakine (Reason) two years ago, it reminded me of what this man is capable of, but with a twist, because it's far from the Reason I used to listen to back then. What I heard sounded like a breath of fresh air—something you're not likely to get from mainstream artists.

Sizwe Alakine album cover. Image from google

One thing is for sure: that clip from Sotra Cyphers made me wish he would go back to more rapping and less Amapiano. Fast forward to September 2024, and I’m scrolling through Facebook when I see a post from Speeka talking about a new Sizwe Alakine album dropping soon, with him as a producer on some of the tracks. That really made me excited—why wouldn’t I be? I mean, one of my favorite producers and a rapper who’s really sharp with a pen are joining forces.

The album dropped on 13 September 2024, and man, it’s something out of this world. I wasn’t sure about the whole concept of bringing Alakine to hip hop and not just giving us Reason back, but I guess I was still caught up in the fact that I really enjoyed listening to Reason. However, listening to the album made me realize that I can relate to Sizwe Alakine more because he’s just a guy from the hood telling his story.

The album consists of 14 songs, and from the first track, which is F.O.M., you get a sense of the direction the album is going to take. This is what makes me say I can relate to Sizwe Alakine even more—with Reason, I was still too young, but here, I fully relate because now I’m grown up and I’ve witnessed some of the subjects touched on in the album firsthand.

What drew me even closer to this project is the Kasi Rap sound within it, thanks to the features and the production. The idea for the whole project came via the Sotra Cyphers freestyle, and if you know how Speeka gets down when it comes to production, then you know this project was bound to be fire. Producers are sometimes not given much credit, but with this one, Reason made sure everyone was aware—he even mentioned in interviews who he worked with. I like that most of the producers and artists are from the underground scene.

The album has production credits from Speeka, Infektist, Tweezy, Hopemasta, and 808 X. It’s not only the production, though—the artists who appeared on the album understood the assignment very well. Some of the artists who appear on the album are Ntombela, Lwamii, M.I.A, Vuyina, Espiquet, Umthakathi Kush, Infektist, Strictly BK, Bellinda, Chester, and Firdy.

This has to be one of the most solid albums to drop, not just this year, but possibly in SA hip hop for a while—from the first track to the last, with no skips. The best part is that it’s been a really good year for rap, and no, this isn’t about everyday mainstream rappers, but about rappers who are still willing to show us their lyrical ability without dumbing anything down.

If you haven’t heard this beautiful masterpiece yet, I suggest you give it a spin.