FOR gospel hip-hop group Last Days Fam, rapping about God is not enough to stand out in the cut-throat music industry.
The group believes that they have to be on top of their game as well as hold their own against the country's hip-hop groups.
Last Days Fam's vision was to create an act that would dismiss any assumption of gospel hip-hop as a sub-standard of the genre.
They wanted to define what gospel hip-hop in South African should sound like.
Last Days Fam pay close attention to their lyrics, beats and flow.
The group was started in 2004 by Thabang "Landmarq" Byl, Thapelo "Baggz" Mpai, Tshepo "Bonafide" Shabangu and Thembelihle "Braintrain" Mlambo.
They are unapologetic about using hip-hop as a vehicle to spread the word of God.
The group scooped the MTN Hype award in 2010 and won Best Gospel Rap at the SABC Crown Gospel awards in 2011.
Byl says they are passionate about God and hip-hop, adding that writing songs and performing together has been about building a bridge between the two entities they are most passionate about.
He says when the group started they were criticised by both the church and listeners.
But he says they were so good that it was hard to dismiss them.
"Now there are people who would die for Last Days Fam. They have shown us nothing but love," Byl says.
Shabangu says his church was not pleased with his decision.
"But they started to accept us when they saw how passionate we were," he says.
They love their fans so much that they do not mind performing at hip-hop gigs where their faith is potentially tested.
"We go there to make sure that the message is heard," Mpai says, admitting that they have made mistakes.
"It is about how you rise up from the fall. We are human, like everyone else," he says.
Last Days Fam consider themselves brothers.
They help each other to keep the balance between working full-time and developing their music.
They insist on living according to the principles they rap about.
They have succeeded in demonstrating the relevance of Christian values to social topics.
Their track, Father to Them, deals with fatherhood as a pivotal role in society.
Recently they worked on a video with social activist Thulani Madondo on Big Up on SABC1. Madondo runs the Kliptown Youth Programme in Soweto.
The project provides tutoring, meals and school uniforms for more than 400 children.
Byl says they get their inspiration from American gospel rappers such as Beautiful Eulogy, Theory Hazit and New Breed.
They also worked with Grammy-winning producer Symbolic One, who has produced for Beyoncé and Kanye West.
Last Days Fam worked with Symbolic One on their latest album, Eternal Effect, which was released in May last year.
Rapping about God and gospel
FOR gospel hip-hop group Last Days Fam, rapping about God is not enough to stand out in the cut-throat music industry.
The group believes that they have to be on top of their game as well as hold their own against the country's hip-hop groups.
Last Days Fam's vision was to create an act that would dismiss any assumption of gospel hip-hop as a sub-standard of the genre.
They wanted to define what gospel hip-hop in South African should sound like.
Last Days Fam pay close attention to their lyrics, beats and flow.
The group was started in 2004 by Thabang "Landmarq" Byl, Thapelo "Baggz" Mpai, Tshepo "Bonafide" Shabangu and Thembelihle "Braintrain" Mlambo.
They are unapologetic about using hip-hop as a vehicle to spread the word of God.
The group scooped the MTN Hype award in 2010 and won Best Gospel Rap at the SABC Crown Gospel awards in 2011.
Byl says they are passionate about God and hip-hop, adding that writing songs and performing together has been about building a bridge between the two entities they are most passionate about.
He says when the group started they were criticised by both the church and listeners.
But he says they were so good that it was hard to dismiss them.
"Now there are people who would die for Last Days Fam. They have shown us nothing but love," Byl says.
Shabangu says his church was not pleased with his decision.
"But they started to accept us when they saw how passionate we were," he says.
They love their fans so much that they do not mind performing at hip-hop gigs where their faith is potentially tested.
"We go there to make sure that the message is heard," Mpai says, admitting that they have made mistakes.
"It is about how you rise up from the fall. We are human, like everyone else," he says.
Last Days Fam consider themselves brothers.
They help each other to keep the balance between working full-time and developing their music.
They insist on living according to the principles they rap about.
They have succeeded in demonstrating the relevance of Christian values to social topics.
Their track, Father to Them, deals with fatherhood as a pivotal role in society.
Recently they worked on a video with social activist Thulani Madondo on Big Up on SABC1. Madondo runs the Kliptown Youth Programme in Soweto.
The project provides tutoring, meals and school uniforms for more than 400 children.
Byl says they get their inspiration from American gospel rappers such as Beautiful Eulogy, Theory Hazit and New Breed.
They also worked with Grammy-winning producer Symbolic One, who has produced for Beyoncé and Kanye West.
Last Days Fam worked with Symbolic One on their latest album, Eternal Effect, which was released in May last year.
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