Five @ Five: with Stiff Pap.

Stiff Pap was a Cape Town based, but now resides in Johannesburg musical duo that is made up of a rapper, Ayema Probllem and producer, Jakinda. Stiff Pap first came into the music scene when they released their first body of work titled, “Based On a Qho Story” in 2018 that had bops like “Dlala” and “Jiva Pantsula.”

Their music career has blossomed ever since, from releasing multiple projects under “Stiff Pap Radio” to performing on some of the biggest stages such as Boiler Room, Afropunk Johannesburg, Red Bull Music Festival, Capsule Fest and Oppikoppi.

The duo has now established their own event “Ebumnandini” which they host with Franadilla and Lenzo. They explain it as, “a platform for unearthing underground talent around South Africa.” The duo has been and will always take the world by storm with their unique sounds. We present this week’s Five @ Five.

1. Is there a special name for this new sound Stiffpap has been coming up with ?

2. What were the differences or similarities between the making of “Based On a Qho Story” and “Stiff Pap Radio” ?

Based On a Qho Story was about nice times, partying and creating a vibe. Radio was more about creating a feeling and a narrative about ourselves, less about “hits” per se. The similarities are the catchy hooks and the universe in which the characters exist. A lot of the stories get told through the radio station. Based On a Qho Story begins in the radio station and Stiff Pap Radio expands on the radio theme and its narrative qualities. All the characters exist within the Stiff Pap universe and the story of Bharagash (the main character) is the story of an anti-hero, trying to hustle through tough circumstances and find his place in the world.

3. What Made Stiff Pap want to start their own events brand ?

We started doing events because we felt like there weren’t many parties that catered to the kind of music that we like or the kind of vibe we like. A lot of events are run by old people and they try to attract other old people and people with money who buy bottles. We’re not about that popping bottles kind of life, we just want to have fun. We wanted something that would cater to the kids, by the kids. We also wanted to create a platform for other artists who don’t get the recognition they deserve, who don’t fit into the type of artists that typical events book.

4. What have you learnt from moving from Cape Town to Johannesburg ?

Joburg is a lot more fast paced than Cape Town and there is a much stronger sense of hustle this side. It taught us to have a much stronger work ethic and let the work speak for itself. In Cape Town it’s easy to get caught up taking it easy because there is a much more relaxed atmosphere there, which isn’t always the best for keeping yourself productive.

5. Should we expect any new freestyles as a follow up from “Pikachu Freestyle” ?

Yeah, there’s more music in the works, not necessarily any freestyles. We’re just developing the overall sound of our band.

Listen to Stiff Pap’s latest body of work Pikachu Freestyle on all digital streaming platforms.