---

---

Ready D

Prophets of the City, Cape Town, South Africa

Shaheen Ariefdien

Prophets of the City, Cape Town, South Africa

In this session, Shaheen of Cape Town’s Prophets Of Da City raps with his fellow Prophets member Ready D, who's also the top hip hop DJ in South Africa. In the midst of a life listening to mixtape bootlegs smuggled into the country, and battling police subjugation, Shaheen Ariefdien, son of jazz musician Issy Ariefdien, started a group called City Kids. Shaheen then joined forces with Ready D to form the Ballastic Rockers – before they settled with the name they now have: Prophets Of Da City. Ready D aka The Black Battle Cat aka DJ X-Plode (known to his mother as Deon) - was born in District Six, Cape Town. At the age of 10 during the height of the Apartheid Era, his family, together with thousands of other so called "coloured" families, were forceably removed from District Six in the centre of Cape Town to the Cape Flats – a desolate township on the other side of Table Mountain. Growing up there, Deon was constantly surrounded by gangs, poverty and a lack of identity, before hip hop and breakdancing culture began to infiltrate the nation, and Deon started to take interest as a breaker and aspiring MC. Sponsored by a friend, he was able to visit Liverpool, England, where he got turned on to what a DJ was capable of. On returning to Cape Town, Deon acquired his first pair of Lenco turntables, and from his first DJ battles with the only four records he owned, this hip hop lover progressed to become a national champion and international DMC battle competitor - along the way, making music that helped to express the struggles and passions of his community.  

Share This Lecture: