On March 28, at a grand finale spectacle hosted at The Pyramid in Johannesburg, Snazz the Dictator was crowned the king of Africa's lyrical freestyle arena, having won the continent's first hop-hop reality-based talent search show, Channel O Sprite Emcee Africa. He walked away with a $10 000 cash prize, plus the opportunity to record a single and video in collaboration with US freestyle veteran Wordsworth.
Snazz the Dictator at The Pyramid in Johannesburg, 28 March 2008.
The Dictator wasn't the evening's only winner, however.
The grand finale also represented the culmination of a project that was conceptualised, managed and produced from start to finish by The Re:public Media Group. Not only did the company come up with the idea for the show, which it then successfully pitched to Channel O, but it also secured the headline sponsor and produced the entire series from scratch - including production, design, filming, editing and packaging as well as managing the show's branding, public relations and sponsorship elements. In addition, the company also produced and staged the grand finale event while simultaneously shooting it for TV!
“Channel O Sprite Emcee Africa presented a perfect opportunity for The Re:public Media Group to showcase its 360 degree offering, from independent idea generation through to the creation of innovative and professional branding platforms,” says group co-founder Pepsi Pokane.
This particular branding platform took the form of a reality-based talent show that traveled to six African countries - Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Angola and South Africa - hosting battles to find each country's top lyrical emcee artist. These national battles formed the basis of the first six episodes of the show, each of which also included a comprehensive view of the hip-hop scene in each country, featuring recording studios, cypher venues, graffiti walls and other interesting sites unique to the local hip-hop community.
The winners of the national battles won the right to fight in the grand finale in South Africa, in front of presenters Lee Kasumba and Channel O VJ and Rapper Extraordinaire ProVerb as well as judges chosen from each of the six participating nations, the list reading like a who's who of African hip-hop. The show was also fortified with performances by members of Africa's Hip-Hop Royalty, including acts such as, Morafe, DJ Waxxy, Tumi and DJ Papercut, Mode 9, Nazizi, Professor Jay and DJ Black. Over 500 hip-hop fans turned out to watch the events unfold live, dwarfed by the hundreds of thousands who sat glued to their TV sets to watched the finale on the small screen.
In keeping with the urban underground theme, the birthplace of hip-hop, each segment was styled to resemble an arcade battleground, complete with arcade-style shots and battle sequences.
“It's crucial to produce a show that's not only absolutely authentic if it's to connect with the hip-hop audience, but also one that's fresh and exciting - something new to capture attention and hold it for the duration,” says Pokane.
“Channel O Sprite Emcee Africa brought the entire African hip-hop community together for the first time. It has been a huge inspiration for continental music collaborations and has created an explosive platform amongst the continent's youth,” he concludes.
In total, over 1 000 hopefuls entered the competition across the six countries, and plans are already afoot to repeat the success of the first series with a second, bigger and even better production.
Visit our PRESS OFFICE: The Re:public Media Group is a brand-centric group of companies that offers a full turnkey branding communications solution primarily in the advertising , and television production arenas.- more....
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Snazz the Dictator at The Pyramid in Johannesburg, 28 March 2008.
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