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Journey With @Palmtree_za #TropicalReign: A Story By @Skinnygenes_TV

By @SkinnyGenesTV on 01/05/2017 in

"Had the date palm not existed, the expansion of the human race into the hot and barren parts of the "old" world would have been much more restricted. The date palm not only provided a concentrated energy food, which could be easily stored and carried along on long journeys across the deserts, it also created a more amenable habitat for the people to live in by providing shade and protection from the desert winds. In addition, the date palm also yielded a variety of products for use in agricultural production and for domestic utensils, and practically all parts of the palm had a useful purpose". The early importance of palms in the Middle East is shown in scripture. They are mentioned more than 30 times in the Bible and more than 22 times in the Qur'an." - Wikipedia

This festive has been really hectic for me. I was in four different cities, on the road, in buses, in planes but the beauty about all this is that I had the pleasure of listening and reviewing Palm Tree Paradise's new EP titled Tropical Reign way before it's release date. I would be lying if I said this was not a special privilege.

With that being said, welcome to an unconventional music review for Tropical Reign Ep. I won't do the traditional thing of telling you what each track stands for. But I will try get your mind in the right space for you to click download when the EP drops.

The title Tropical Reign is inspired by Durban’s indecisive weather climate in 2016. The word ‘Tropical’ in the title represents and brings through the imagery of a Palm Tree Paradise, and the play on the words ‘Reign and Rain’ symbolizes the fact that now is Palm Tree Paradise's season, their Reign.

So here is the story.

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I was invited to listen to Tropical Reign in my hood eMontclair, Durban. Pdogg who is one third of Palm Tree gave me a call and told me where to go. So I get to the spot and low and behold, there were palm trees. Okay, I am playing but I could literally spot like 5 nyana palm trees next to the pool. When I first arrived I was amazed at how these guys have turned a house into a full blown creative space. There were speakers everywhere. There were cords and empty pizza boxes. This could only mean one thing - that these guys live and breathe music. This is the space that tracks like Abaright and Unbelievable were cooked up.

After I saw the inside of the crib I kicked it with the homies. I was introduced to lots of guys. I reckon about 15 guys who don't even rap but they are also a part of Palm Tree Paradise. I thought to myself, maybe this is what we expected BoyznBucks to be. But before I could finish that thought Pdogg told me a story of how Scoop was at the crib and he himself is the 7th official member of Palm Tree and his name is 7. After I heard this I knew I was in for a treat. The thought of hearing this EP, which Reason co-signed on Instagram, and how these kids were begging for me to come listen to it only meant that something special was brewing.

A video posted by NDU DONSA (@skinnygenes_tv) on

After we had done the meet and greet with the 15 guys it was time to listen to the music. I was sitting opposite the speakers on a leather couch which almost made me fall asleep but I had to keep my composure because I was here for one thing and one thing only. To understand why this tape is important for the culture.

So let me share with you why this tape is important and the mindstate you need to be in. I created 5 themes that you need to think about.

Theme 1: Collective

I was not joking when I said I met 15 guys. Amongst the fresh 15 were like 5 different producers who couldn't stop raving about the sound they have created on the tape. All of the producers were talking about how their sound is about to shake up SA Hip Hop. Besides the producers, cats like Wandile Mshengu from SMB was also in the cut and he was yelling, "Le tape will change the game especially here in Durban". I thought that was a fitting statement from a dude who is well known for his fashion sense and here he was making a very bold statement.

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Theme 2: New Genre

“As Palm Tree Paradise we aim to produce a type of Hip Hop that has never been heard before. We basically wanted to invent our own sound, something that has never been done before, and I think we achieved that, we created our own genre that we call Palm Tree Paradise. It is smooth, chilled vibes for all occasions, and keeping true to the Hip Hop culture, we made sure we don’t water down the lyrical content of any of our songs, and like that we created a monster of an EP,” - says P-Dogg Amazing of Palm Tree Paradise.

Theme 3: Originality

Okay I promised not to talk about the tracks but let me give you a scooby snack. Duzeh which is track 5 on the tape is original with a dope melody. On My Way which features Reason is a smash joint. I love the chorus. I love how the guys hold their own with Reason on the joint. Another track which is a smash is The Way It Is featuring WTF. I love how everyone flowed on this joint and the chemistry between the cats is electric. Speaking of being electric, there is a track titled N.W.O which stands for No Way Out. This is my joint. I really love it and this should cause commotion in the game. The rest of the tracks are also dope but I don't wanna spoil it for you.

Theme 4: Good Vibes and Positivity

This EP is aimed at inspiring young talent in Durban and South Africa at large to pursue and not to give up on their dreams no matter how big they may seem. The Tropical Reign EP spreads a message of positivity and is sure to ignite good vibes and get the listener dancing. Throughout the tape you will hear optimistic messages of making it with your crew and vibing while you do all of this.

Theme 5: Musical

The last theme which is very important is the musical aspect of Tropical Reign. We are all bombarded with trap music which is not a shot at anyone but these cats did not go with a trap sound. Tropical Reign is musical to the core. Almost all the choruses are melodic and have that chilled easy vibe fit for any occasion.

So those are the themes I discovered after listening to this EP in four different cities. It is really an amazing piece of work. You are going to love it.

Before I sign off, let me explain the quote at the start of this article and why I used it and what it means when we put it alongside SA Hip Hop. A Palm Tree is important for two reasons. It provided a concentrated energy food which could be stored and carried with you on long journeys. To me this means that this group is important for SA Hip Hop. These are the guys we should be looking at to carry the future of hip hop groups because we know there are a few groups left in SA Hip Hop.

Secondly, Palm Trees are mentioned more than 30 times in the Bible and more than 22 times in the Qur'an. To me this signals that in years to come we will be talking about the importance of this group. That is a very brave and wild statement to make but look at the moves these kids are making, and the co-signs they are gathering. More importantly listen to the music. It is both culture and genre defining.

Tropical Reign EP drops on Monday.

 

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