I had a quick chat with Phillipi spaza rap crew, Rivln Clique, about their inception, their dreams and ambitions and the current state of CPT hip hop among other issues. It went as follows:
Could you fellas introduce yourselves?
We go by the name Rivln Clique. “RIVLN” is an acronym made up of our names: R-Revelation, IV-Invisible Virus, L-Luhlakanipho, N-Ncutshe. We’re all from Phillipi (Philly). We also have a new member of the family who goes by the name of Sive. He also comes from the same hood and we’re part of Godsend Records.
When was the crew formed? And how did it happen?
The crew was formed in 2010. We were friends even before the crew got formed and solo artists too. So we saw that we’re from an underrated township, and as you know two heads are better than one, we decided to form a crew because we also had one vision.
What role does each member play in the crew?
There are no specific roles that we have. We all work as a team ‘cause we believe team-work can make the dream come through. So we work and do everything as a unit.
Your single “Sondela Kubawo” kinda introduced you guys as a gospel crew. Is that what you are? Could you describe your music?
We’re versatile so we do good music for the masses not meaning we’re gospel rappers. We [just] felt it would be appropriate to drop something different ‘cause that’s what is lacking these days – everyone sounds like everyone, and rappers are so materialistic so we thought of doing something to acknowledge the high power. Our music style is just food for the soul, inspiration for life.
How was your mixtape received?
People loved it. We received positive feedback. In terms of sales, it did good but if we had better distribution channels we would have better figures.
What are the crew’s long-term goals and ambitions?
We want to infiltrate the music industry with a different sound that will define Godsend Records. Basically, we want to create our own lane and do what we do better than those who came before us.
You guys are solo artsists as well. Are there any solo releases we can expect?
As Godsend Records, we have so much in the pipeline – a dozen of records in the hard drive that we still contemplating on how to put them out, and we’re also at the early stages of our upcoming projects which we can’t disclose yet. We are busy doing collaborations and some of the songs we are planning to put on our upcoming projects.
What are your thoughts on the Cape Town hip hop scene right now?
CPT hip hop is growing big. [A] lot of young artists [are] coming strong and we like the fact that everyone considers the business side of the music. The hip hop culture is really taking over the mother city – crowds are growing on a daily.
What can we expect from Rivln Clique this year?
Rivln Clique is focusing on learning more on music business. We will release a few singles but you can expect more from Godsend. We are working on a project as we mentioned, we still on the early stages of production. At the moment, everyone can follow or keep checking our website for updates.
Any last words?
Stay focused, remember what’s important is not where you are now but where you see yourself in 10 years to come. We Godsend!!!
https://www.facebook.com/Rivlnclique l
https://twitter.com/RivlnClique
Contact number :073 5165 364 Ncutshe Mkwambi
