SA rapper has own take on hip hop

Neil Atlantis, whose real name is Neil Louw, has been a presence in the Johannesburg music and poetry scene since the days of Horror Café, Shivava and Cool Runnings in the 1990s and 2000s when he was known as Blindfold – a name he says he outgrew. Louw has been working on ‘Die Walkure’ since 2014 and he says it was inspired by the 2008 historical thriller Valkyrie starring America actor Tom Cruise.

“I watched the movie and I asked myself what the Valkyrie is,” Louw told Music In Africa. “After researching I found out that it was an opera by Richard Wagner, Die Walküre. Valkyrie was one of a group of women who decided which soldiers should live and which should die in war.”

But the album’s concept does not dwell solely on the story of Valkyrie. “Each song is a different experience,” Louw said. “People understand things through comparison but there is nothing to compare this album to – it has its own sound and story.”

Louw said he didn’t want to come across as pretentious with his new offering. “Rapping has its limitations. For me it’s about being heard. I don’t want people to think too much. They must relate as the words are being said. It’s about the feeling.

“There isn’t a process to the writing. I just let the music tell me what to do. On my first album 'Magic In My Mouth', there was a song called ‘Blue’. The minute the producer played the song to me, that’s what I saw – the colour blue.”

The 23 September show will feature a six-piece band. Louw said there were more possibilities when working with a live band because the music became interactive and the audience could be brought into the performance.

“Working with a band feels freer, there is more inspiration. It comes without limitation like using a loop would,” Louw said.

Louw, whose brand of hip hop cannot be easily categorised, said he was trying to reach audiences that appreciated serious music and the written word.

“I’m making music for a learned audience. It’s a niche market and I want to cater for people who like literature and music. I don’t see myself as fitting in mainstream or underground hip hop.

“With this album I aim to reintroduce myself to audiences. During my absence from the scene, friends were telling me to perform. I thought to myself that I can’t perform without a product. But now that I have something I can get back onto the stage,” Louw said.