matchboxology

Le Club Hip Hop Opera
ImageHip hop is the best selling global genre of music today. It's a $3 billion industry worldwide and is the fastest-growing genre of music in South Africa. But most importantly it is the poetry of our time; its rhymes unlock the myriad of stories from the world's streets. It crosses borders, embraces languages, inspires youth with a path to attainable stardom.

Opera is as popular today as it was three centuries ago. It has openly embraced creative evolutions; Porgy and Bess and uCarmen eKhayelitsha are examples. Operatic pieces evoke strong emotions because they touch universal human themes. And the average South African has never had the chance to enjoy this.

So mat©hboxology created a hip hop opera.

It's set in a real Johannesburg venue, Le Club... it was the hallowed ground where many of SA's top hip hop artists cut their teeth and earned their cred. It was a place of ritual and respect.

We're not the only ones excited about this project... were nominated for a 2007 BASA award in the category: Best Use of a Commission of New Art. The Saturday Star gave it the thumbs up: "This is a first for South Africa and the show has to be seen...".

To read more about it, download our presentation (1.8mb .pdf file).

Take a listen:

listen!LeClub Hip Hopera Act 2
25mb streaming quicktime .mp3 file