"The Johannesburg Files" review

Bishop The Overseer | The Johannesburg Files

A Hip-Hop interview set to music

On coming across the album title, 'The Johannesburg Files', one is very likely to know not what to expect exactly even though it apparently portends something out of the ordinary - and sure it is!

In bearing testimony to the universality of music, The Johannesburg Files draws its contributors from South Africa, Nigeria, USA, and the Netherlands.

The album is a most interactive musical creation, a fusion of music with intellectual and creative discourse, something never seen and expectedly a trend-setter. Some history on the album's creation will sure come in necessary:

After a series of interviews with Bishop The Overseer by UbuntuFM's Ikenna Okeh, the idea was born to compile each one of the twelve questions and answers into musical tracks, mixed and mastered against a backdrop of Bishop's music. The interview discussions are centered around Bishop The Overseer's creative process, the global music business, and international politics, offering an intellectual stimulation whisked into the musical sensation. Also on the album are three exclusive releases, each bearing the signatory rap delivery for which Bishop's informed inclinations have gained him a reputation.

The album is a fusion of music with intellectual and creative discourse, a potential trend-setter

To add a theatrical feel to the album comes King Vusi Mavuthela on the intro. King Vusi Mavuthela is a South African radio host whose contribution to the intro sets the mood for the album as well as prepares the listener for what to expect. Not only is his intro musically stimulating, but it seeps through in that South African lilt, unmistakable in its natural melody as in its unpredictable stress pattern. You can't miss that for anything!

Each track down the list is an offering of Bishop The Overseer's rap music, standing out as his unique brand. His lyrics are punchy and arrive at the listener's senses laden with deep messages that spur the mind. They mostly revolve around topics of social construct, stirring the consciousness as much as the rhythmic beats do to the senses.

His lyrics are punchy and arrive the listener's senses laden with deep messages that spur the mind

In the spirit of keeping the theatrical feel alive comes King Vusi Mavuthela again, this time, on the outro. No different from the intro, he communicates his charm in his seemingly effortless manner, putting the seal on the assurance that The Johannesburg Files has been a performance, and one worth attending again and again; for in bearing testimony to the universality of music, The Johannesburg Files draws its contributors from South Africa, Nigeria, USA, and the Netherlands.

'The Johannesburg Files' is available on your favorite music streaming platforms and digital stores, including UbuntuFM Music store.