@ItsYangaChief - Neighbourhood Genius EP

It's an EP and it's here! What was meant to be a four track EP was extended by an additional track by the Chief 'cause we got too much heat to keep locked up. Besides, we're dropping an album in September some time so why not share the heat?

 The Neighbourhood Genius is nothing like you'd typically box Yanga into, and he did that on purpose. He knows we expect that kwaito influence from him but he's capable of way more and so now you know. The opening track, Heat For The Hood is a fire starter for real-real. Yanga then sips us into a twisted vibe with AKA and Gemini Major on Tricky, which is very cool, calm and collected in the delivery and atmosphere. This EP is actually a whole mood of the fine life, sophisticated finesse and scenes of smoky pleasures. Take Fine Dime for example, that distant flute takes you to a secret dance by an enchanting belly dancer as Yanga croons over the minimalist yet intricate Picasso beat. Do I lie? I think not. You can't deny how there's a long loop of mild ecstasy carried throughout the project. Even as the kwaito influence finally kicks in on All Time Fave, it's still on the trippy end of the music scale. It's immaculate given that he has different producers on all the tracks here. WOW!

By the time you get to Juju you agree on the "genius" part of this EP. How Yanga managed to lock the sounds on this project is unbelievable. The features are minimalist, but they are the perfect collaborators. Even with notable names like AKA, Gemini Major and Kwesta on the roster, their presence is not overcompensated for. They fall into what Yanga wants them to do on the tracks without losing the essence of their own greatness! UWHOA. You go from a dreamy mood right to a slow wake up call by the end of the EP. I am not able to match this Neighbourhood Genius. Intwana yase kasi transcending boundaries with music on a whole new level.

Stream it over here: