INTERVIEW WITH YUGEN BLAKROK!!!

"20 centuries deep, inside a fabricated lie, the truth is like rain to a desert, at best its a mirage" - Yugen Blakrok (Tetra Tarantula) taken from Return of the Astro-Goth!!

Pieoneers Blog had a young minute to chat with one of the most lyrically gifted South African emcees, Yugen Blakrok.  

How did your journey with Hip Hop begin?

Heard WTC on tv, Salt n Pepa, Busta Rhymes. Discovered a whole culture.

From Kanif’s dark, mystic, suffocated, distorted, abstract boom bap beats to your unmatched witty, poetic rhyming style, y’all form a formidable force. What is your creative process in making music?

We feed off each other’s energies. Often, the concept’s inspired by Kanif’s beats; other times, the lyrics dictate the vibe of the sound.

You come off as a very well read individual on esoteric ancient knowledge and unconventional science. How important is that knowledge in today’s world?

It’s an alternative to the conditioning that’s being shoved down our throats. I have more faith in alternative healing than in western medicine. There’s wisdom in our old cultures, our ways of doing things. Our past is futuristic as hell.

Reading through Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code, he speaks of Divine Femininity, the Holy Grail. He also touches on how women were devalued by the church to keep them oppressed and obedient so that they do not realise their full potential. What are your thoughts?

I agree. Most of these major religions perpetuate the oppression of women. The whole system needs to go.

How was your experience here with the Iapetus and Scrambles4Money family at the Forex 3 battles?

I always enjoy attending S4M battles, this was especially dope cause it was my first performance in Bots and I really felt the love. Got to connect with some like-minded heads and get into that true hiphop spirit.

We have seen you go on tour to as far Germany and getting featured on the Black Panther Soundtrack ‘Opps” with K. Dot and Vince Staples. For an artist who is not the mainstream, how do you manage to wave yourself into this deals?

Good lyrics, dope beats and a kick-ass stage presence. Can’t f**k with my style.

Any music from Botswana you listen to? 

You need to link a sista up man, I ain’t heard sh*t since Staggalicious, haha. Links!

Name a few of your favourite books and movies?

I won’t go into movies cause that’s a lot, I’m also into a lot of authors but I have a weakness for Burroughs