PRO KID

tracklisting

01 . Intro
02 . PRO KID
03 . Soweto
04 . Ungaphel' Umoya Son
05 . Let's Wait A While feat Syd Money aka VIP
06 . It's Over
07 . I Dont Give A______!
08 . No Mans Land feat Syd Money aka VIP
09 . I Made It feat Carla Diamond
10 . They Fell
11 . Ghet-To Science feat Relo
12 . Wozobona feat Hoodlum
13 . Living The Way I Should feat Nothende
14 . Extraordinary
15 . Fede Fokol
16 . Celebrate feat Maggz And Sgebi

Album IN STORES
Gallo Record Company
Release Date: May 2005

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Buy now:
- Heads & Tales

PROKID - Heads and Tales

'This is a track where you shut the f**k up, keep your ears and your eyes wide open. You might learn something, and try to keep your head down cos what you have could be taken within a second and you won't know what happened. So stay close with your weapons and let me do the rapping.'

Pro Kid (or just plain Pro as he seems to prefer to be known as these days) is stepping up to the plate to take the crown in one of the most contested musical genres in the country - a genre that is exploding, having been nurtured from infancy in the last few years from like-minded people in the know. That genre is hip-hop.

One company that has perservered in the breaking of new hip-hop ground is Gallo Record Company, with top names such as Skwatta Kamp and Mr Selwyn on their roster. Pro is the latest talent to join the stable and, no longer a kid (hence the name adjustment), he is taking JHB by storm with the hip-hop blessing Heads And Tales.

Behind the quiet demeanour and calming presence is a ballistic MC that has delivered some of the most insanely fresh and cutting edge ryhmes of our time. A powerful personality despite his down-to-earth ways, 2005 is happening for Pro. His recent performances have not only blown his fans away but have silenced his critics and garnered him new devotees and a string of followers. His brutal honesty, sometimes humorous anecdotes and cleverly crafted compositions have opened new doors in the hip-hop genre - and Pro delivers the punch beautifully.

Steering clear from over-hyped producers and guest stars, many of the tracks on Heads And Tales were born from the close-knit group of friends Pro keeps close by his side. Originally titled The Perfect Ghetto, Heads And Tales encompasses real life stories of his life in his 'perfect ghetto' - the ghetto that is Soweto. Growing up in Jabulani and Klipspruit in Soweto has made Pro focus his attention on the people, situations and stories that make this metropolis home to so many. Bursting with party anthems and contagious beats, 16 tracks tell it like it is.

'I'm from the South Western Township, where we get down kid, where you usually get smacked if you act like a clown kid!'

But the album is not without a certain realistic darkness, relevant attitude and hip-hop aggression. Pro has not neglected the real-life issues that plague us all and amongst his catchy rhymes one can hear the truth deep from within his heart - no issue is too big to be dealt with and one can argue that he is at his most powerful when he has something important to say. Drugs, poverty, AIDS, the economic status of the country, unprotected sex and guns are all brought into the mix effortlesly. This is especially prevalent on the monster track Ghetto Science, a spine-chilling tale of real-life sadness featuring Relo on backing vocals - best known for her outstanding work with Skwatta Kamp.

Thankfully, his rapping has no international pretense and delivers the truth in Soweto-style with all the right dialects and languages. All the vocalised topics are relevant to South Africans, yet his style and talent is one that will not be ignored on international shores. His homage to his home-town is one of the most appealing aspects of Pro's style, incorporating the beauty of the South African culture so effortlesly, whilst merging it with sounds that have yet to even be experimented with on South African hip-hop soil.
The first single from Heads And Tales is Wozo-Bona, a huge introduction to the career that's unfolding for this relatively unknown artist. Although Pro had two albums before Heads And Tales, this is the first one that wasn't released independently or 'in the streets', as he puts it.

Alongside his passionate management team, 'In Da Bag Entertainment', Pro has found loyal confidants as well as fellow MC's, namely Syd Money who doubles as guest rapper on several tracks alongside Pro. Obviously having spent ample time with the genre, Syd's rapping skills match Pro's in quality and the two compliment each other perfectly.

Together with the dedicated Klipspruit massive and his diligent managers, Pro is set for stardom. But it's his natural born talent and personal freedom that will elevate this rapper to his designated destination. His love of hip-hop, agility of speech and open-mindedness will always remain the core of all that is Pro Kid.

Heads And Tales is an album that's going to be placing our hip-hop culture firmly on the map.