Stogie T sets Lyric Theatre ablaze

Tumi and the Rebirth of Cool, a band that gets its name from the Miles Davis compilation album Birth of the Cool, played an eccentric show at the Lyric Theatre in Johannesburg on July 29, where ticket sales were based on talent and not on No 1 radio hits. Botswana-born singer Mpho Sebina set the tone with an astounding opening performance that had the audience captured in the power of her voice. As soon as the show began, it was difficult to make sense of how anybody would enjoy live music while sitting down – in a theatre of all places. The Japanese are pretty good at enjoying live performances from the comfort of a chair, but in South Africa fans prefer to spill beverages over each other while swaying uncontrollably from side to side.

Kaya FM presenter Shane Ngwenya emceed the show. His baritone voice was pleasant to listen to but his stodgy presentation made him an unnecessary accessory. While introducing the show, he mentioned the sponsors, during the first intermission he did the same and before the headliner went on he spoke only about the sponsors, underselling the main act in the process. Corporate.

Tumi is an artist with a formidable repertoire enjoyed by his old fans and those who were introduced to him in the post-Volume era. When he got on stage he said there was a reason people called him an OG. The reason, he said, was that everybody had a different story to tell about how they met Tumi. The statement resonated with many in the audience and his words were met with a resounding round of applause.

The rapper took time to talk about the name change and explained the meaning of Stogie. He said a quality cigar took seven years to be at its best. The cigar is a metaphor for his personal growth, because he, like a stogie, had passed through many hands. The metaphor is not that profound because at the end of it all Stogie T still sounded like good ol’ Tumi, and a stogie is actually a long, thin, cheap cigar if the dictionary meaning is anything to go by. Of course, 'Cohiba Behike T' doesn't have the same ring to it, so we'll let Tumi keep his new name for now.

The OG in Tumi Molekane's method is no myth; on the night, he recited songs that displayed his indubitable cadence. His lyrics were not subordinate to his performance – he values the writing process. He performed the song ‘76’ with singer Pebbles who walked onstage to euphoric screaming from the audience. Former The Soil member Samthing Soweto was another artist featured on the night. The young rising star stole the show with his modulated voice that had the audience in rapture. Tumi was also accompanied by DJ Kenzhero, who provided scratches throughout the show. This brought old-school authenticity to the performance. Emtee was also supposed to be at the gig but the rapper, who features on Stogie T’s song ‘By Any Means’, was a no-show.

Before introducing upcoming trap rapper Yanga, who also features on ‘By Any Means’, for the last song of the night, Tumi told a story about how Yanga had said to him that the DNA of hip hop was still the same but the form was different. This was in relation to a new presentation of trap that isn't heavily reliant on lyrics. The end of the show was perhaps a little underwhelming; the audience was expecting an encore and although they cheered for more, the musicians continued to bow and disappeared backstage for good. It was the same feeling you get when you lift a cup of tea to your mouth only to realise it’s empty.

Stogie T lived up to the legacy of Tumi’s live performances, gelling flawlessly with his band like he used to with the Volume, and fusing genres like hip hop, rock and jazz into a style that other South African rappers are yet to execute correctly. In addition to his open political critique, Tumi’s interdisciplinary approach lets him enjoy a cult following that will be there long after his colleagues have been forgotten. There was a metamorphosis of sorts during the Lyric Theatre performance: the audience first saw the sombre political commentator – Tumi – after which the braggadocio alter ego Stogie T appeared with an air of cynicism that can be seen as poking fun at an absurd hip hop scene defined by women, money, cars and bling.