Music Beyond Flames
Grandmaster Ready D, his family and neighbours were struck by terror on 16 October 2022 when a fire flared up, burning parts of their homes. The blaze started in the Grandmaster’s car garage due to a faulty motor- concluded by a forensic investigations team. Among the many miscellaneous items lost, including two motorsport vehicles belonging to the family, with great misfortune, a lifetime collection of DJ Ready D’s vinyls met its demise in the inferno too. An estimated 5 000 LPs were destroyed. The collection contained rare and iconic records that helped introduce and cultivate Hip-hop culture in South Africa since the 1980s Each piece had a powerful story attached to it, moving people physically and deep within their souls. One in particular- Prophets Of Da City and their international pressings also fell victim to the fire. Thankfully, a group of visionaries and artists have come together to help salvage the lost memorabilia and turning them into art in itself. We embark on a 2-month art exhibition, taking it back to where it all started, Mitchell’s Plain, with the RLABs team.
Devastation
This is the first time that Grandmaster Ready D and Falko collaborate. This 1 of 1 photo was created inside the space that was destroyed by a fire at Grandmaster Ready D’s house on 16 October 2022. The artist decided to bring his interpretation to life by creating devastation. All the elements in the photo are remnants of the blaze.
As a self- taught artist, who, inspired by nature, Bradley draws inspiration from endless supply of shapes, grains, patterns and movements that exists – this is what fascinates & captivates him to fuse whatever nature has to offer with a variety of materials to his disposal He works mainly in acrylics but loves exploring various other mediums, such as using newsprint, chalks, sand, bark, pebbles, glass and various oils and solvents in his mixed media works Having had solo exhibitions and exhibited his work in South America and exhibited at the Foire de Marseille in France. He formed part of Too Good to Waste Co-op and featured in the city recycling initiative 2Wise2Waste, creating upcycled arts and crafts
Prophet’s Of Da City Release Year - 1991 Boomstyle was Prophets Of Da City’s second release. This album exposed the Apartheid government’s dark impact on artists. The music video for Kicking Non Stop was banned and later re - edited for T.V. P.O.C’s version of the National Anthem titled Ons Stem was banned in South Africa. The burnt Boomstyle record is the actual item used in the bands live shows.
Prophet’s Of Da City Release Year - 1990
This was the first South African Hip Hop album released through a major label. It set the stage for a chain of many historic events to follow for GrandMaster Ready D and the group. The burnt Our World record is the actual item used in the bands live shows. It was used in a performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival hosted by Quincy Jones and Caiphus Semenya
Working with a specialised Planet Cape Town / Beatz Of Boom/ Muthaland Funk is a rare limited release 12 inch record of selections taken from Prophets Of Da City’s U.K released album Universal Souljaz. This record was released for the European and Scandinavian markets only with limited pressings
The Camouflage Jacket is one of the centre pieces for the Iconic Falko’s 1 of 1 photo print titled Devastation. It was also part of wardrobe for the T.V show DJ Ready D’s Deck Tales. It caught alight while packed away inside the Grand Master’s car that was also destroyed in the 16 October 2022 fire
Prophet’s Of Da City Release Year - 1990 This was the first South African Hip Hop album released through a major label. It set the stage for a chain of many historic events to follow for GrandMaster Ready D and the group. The burnt Our World record is the actual item used in the bands live shows. It was used in a performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival hosted by Quincy Jones and Caiphus Semenya
Artist : Dion Cupido
Artist : SethOne
