Your favourite MC formerly known as Tumi, a.k.a Big T, a.k.a T from The V is introducing us to 'Stogie T' with a tour, the current single Diamond Walk and a self-titled album that signifies the powerful SA Hip Hop movement.
Why the name change? Tumi’s latest incarnation as Stogie T is as real as keepin' it real can get. He's not the same man he was 10 years ago. He's brave, almost too brave. Willing to dispense of a decade-plus worth of work as an artist, producer, label owner; rocking shows solo or with his former band The Volume; dropping knowledge by the busloads on Mzansi and overseas audiences.
Stogie T has shed some of the seriousness he has been known for since 2004 when he began releasing albums, but on his new album he says he still offers a perfect balance of “Depth, consciousness and entertaining new generation Mzansi Hip-Hop. This offering is a true indicator of the success of the genre in South Africa and beyond.”
Under the new moniker, T brings a reinvention that speaks to “The new generation with a sound inspired by today’s finest talent in hip-hop, production and lyricism.” Stogie T features Emtee, Yanga , AKA, Nadia Nakai and Da LES. Hit makers Tweezy and Tru Hitz provided the beats.
Working with fresh talent is not something new for him. As a hip-hop artist Stogie T contributed to shaping today’s urban Mzansi sound not only with his unique style and consistency, but also through his label Motif Records, having developed artists such as Reason, Riky Rick and co-signing The Soil, AKA and Nasty C in their early come-up days.
Stogie T keeps consistent in delivering the highest quality musical offerings in this genre pedigree, season after season, with constant improvement and evolution through each offering. Stogie T is not only a major player of SA hip-hop music but he’s consistently pushed the game to new heights, the new album is no exception. Freedom remains the underlying motif tying all kicks, snares, orchestral arrangements and swirling melodic sensibilities together on Stogie T.
The album’s lyrical themes steer towards an economic freedom. This means booking holidays at off-shore hotels and affording whatever his partner wants, as he tells us in the lead single Diamond Walk and Big Dreams, or zoning in on the life his mother carved out for him by highlighting her cause. “I see your sacrifice in my children’s eyes. They were born free. Incredible!” he exclaims in the intro to Son Of A Soldier. This goes a long way to humanize a concept that mainly exists in a vacuum, obscured from actuality by smoke screens, haunted by a legacy of stale and regurgitated tales told by former slaves who are now oppressive masters. And that's just a tip of the iceberg!
In 2016, Stogie T's not content with his story alone; not anymore. He wants to be a repository for all our stories, and he wishes to tell them with only the skill he can master. In order to achieve that, he needs to be true to – and to reflect -- his own reality.
You can preview and pre-order the new album while we wait!
TRACK LIST:
1. Going Gorilla feat. Lastee
2. Big Dreams
3. By Any Means feat. Emtee & Yanga.
4. Diamond Walk
5. Miss Joburg feat. AKA
6. We Own This Bitch
7. Funny Love
8. #FF feat. Nadia Nakai & Tribal
9. Freakend feat. Da L.E.S.
10. Chairman of the Board
11. Sub City
12. Son of a Soldier
13. Pray For Us
14. Clean Stuff feat. Nasty C
STOGIE T - TOUR DATES
18th November, Bassline, Newtown
19th November, Vanity, Pretoria
20th November, Starbucks, Rosebank
25th November, Da Side, Krugersdorp
26th November, 47 Avenue, Durban
27th November, The Establishment, Soweto
2nd December, The Good Luck Bar, Newtown
3rd December, Blue Room, Pretoria
(Additional Dates TBA)
