Shaheen Ariefdien is a South African rapper.

Early life

Born in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, son of jazz musician Issy Ariefdien, he grew up in Elsie's cape on the

Cape Flats The Cape Flats ( af, Die Kaapse Vlakte) is an expansive, low-lying, flat area situated to the southeast of the central business district of Cape Town. The Cape Flats is also the name of an administrative region of the City of Cape Town, which lie ...

, but spent most of his earlier years travelling various parts of South Africa with his father.

Career

The Sugarhill Gang's "

Rappers Delight "Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip-hop track by the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band's "King Tim III (Personality Jock)", "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip-hop mus ...

" had a big influence on him, and Ariefdien ranks today as one of the most talented rappers or MCs in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. He gained recognition at ''The BASE'' (legendary club which featured Saturday afternoon hip-hop jams), with his supremacy in freestyle battles. He is credited with having set the standards with rap styles, skills, and lyrical content in

. As an MC, he is almost unsurpassed in South Africa, while his production skills are dominant on all of POC's releases to date. He has also made his mark on hip-hop history in South Africa, as he was one of the key members who were responsible for setting up the African Hip Hop Movement, and still concentrates on development in the hip-hop community. He has always been politically and socially conscious, which stems from his school days when he was a member of the Student's Representative Council and was actively involved in protests at school. He brought an air of political awareness and criticism to his lyrics, and has been understandably harsh on the old

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

government.

Personal life

Former member of the pioneering South African hip-hop group

Prophets of Da City Prophets of Da City (POC) is a hip hop crew from Cape Town, South Africa. They are composed of about eight members, though the exact membership fluctuates frequently; these include Ishmael Morabe (vocals), Mark Heuvel (dance), Shaheen Arief ...

, he is now involved in a number of youth educational projects using hip-hop as a tool for social justice and has facilitated several youth programs in

and abroad. He is currently completing his M.A. in social anthropology at

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, with his research area focusing on hip-hop and education.Ariefdien, Shaheen and Nazli Abrahams. “Cape Flats Academy: Hip-Hop Arts in South Africa.” ''In Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-Hop'', ed. Jeff Chang, 262-70. New York: BasicCivitas / Perseus Books, 2006.

Discography

With
Prophets of Da City Prophets of Da City (POC) is a hip hop crew from Cape Town, South Africa. They are composed of about eight members, though the exact membership fluctuates frequently; these include Ishmael Morabe (vocals), Mark Heuvel (dance), Shaheen Arief ...

*''Our World'' (1990) *''Boomstyle'' (1991) *''Age of Truth'' (1993) *''Phunk Phlow'' (1994) *''Universal Souljaz'' (1995) *''Ghetto Code'' (1997)

References