Interview: @MrHeinzCPT Is Repping ‘Ghamstad’

Mr Heinz is claiming his share of the Cape Town hip-hop scene with a consistency that is reminiscent of YoungstaCPT’s; so far he has shot nine music videos for songs from his debut album ‘The Republic of Ghamstad’ which dropped in March. 

He incorporates details about culture in Cape Town and has been described as an original Cape Flats-style rapper with a touch of Afrikaans raps. ‘The Republic of Ghamstad’ features a wide range of artists from Kashcpt to YoungstaCPT, Chad Da Don, Early B and Dee Koala among several others.

In the interview below, Mr Heinz speaks to SlikourOnLife about his album, how his latest single ‘Hula Hoop’ came about and his relationship with YoungstaCPT.

Please break down the title of your album ‘The Republic of Ghamstaad’. 

‘The Republic of Ghamstad’ is based on the struggles of Coloured people. If you google the word “Gham”, you will see the meanings like, for example, grief, sadness and so on, but, at the same time, we can have our moments like ‘CHY?S’ and ‘Hula Hoop’, but if you listen to the last track on the project titled ‘Ghamstad’, it describes what we going through on a daily at our households.

How has the project been received?  

It’s my first project ever, and I been getting mad love and respect since it dropped. Twelve-track project and nine music videos down and one more to go, says it all. So, I kept the consistency through the rollout to stay relevant.

How did the song ‘Hula Hoop’ come about? 

Growing up in our era, we played with hula hoops but at this moment people replaced hula hoops with TikTok and going out, so that is a thing for the past now. I wanted to use a concept that is original and that would be relatable but it should have movement at the same time. I was in studio with YoungstaCPT, and Shaney Jay gave the idea and we ended up with ‘Hula Hoop’. 

Tell us about your relationship with YoungstaCPT who you seem to enjoy working with. 

My relationship with YoungstaCPT is more then just music industry. We go way back, he’s been apart of my life for years and plays a big roll as a brother. We were friends before the ‘HOY?A’s ‘CHY?S’s and ‘Hula Hoop’s but It took me seven years to get a YoungstaCPT verse. He taught me about 3T (things take time). We understand each other so we know when to work and when to play.

You can stream the album below: