Centre stage with Anatii
FINALLY STEPS UP TO THE MIC
f you call yourself a newschool hip-hop fan, you would probably agree that it is pretty hard to make a list of South Africa’s most influential producers in the genre and leave out Anathi “Anatii” Mnyango. At the tender age of 23, Mnyango has already earned the title of being a musical genius and is fast gaining street-cred among his industry counterparts. This talented artist recently bagged the South African Hip-Hop Award for Best Collaboration and Video for the song he did with controversial hip-hop Metro FM award winner Keenan “AKA” Forbes for the song, The Saga. Born in Bisho, the capital of the Eastern Cape, this proud Xhosa man wears his heritage and spirituality on his sleeve. Anatii broke into the music industry at age 16, when he was fortunate enough to work with South African Grammy award-winning Lion King music composer and producer Lebo M. This collaboration presented Anatii with an opportunity of a lifetime, in which he produced one of the main songs for the Confederations Cup, opening back in 2009. It is, therefore, no surprise that this young talented man has since become a force to be reckoned with. To date, Anatii has written, produced and featured in songs by international artists such as Erykah Badu, Taz Arnold and South Africa’s hip-hop giants Riky Rick, DJ Dimplez, award-winning artists Cassper Nyovest and AKA. His neo-tech bass sound is depicted in every key he composes, and this is evident in his first debut album, Artiifact.
When asked about his journey leading to the album, which took more than a year to record and release, Anatii says: “The journey for Artiifact, for me, is a new sonic wave for Africa. If you listen to the album, it takes you through the different vibes and channels I am about.”
The 16-track album explores Anatii’s creativity and international connections. Featured on it are Nigerian female pop sensation Tiwa Savage and former RnB boy band, B2K, singer Omarion.
The two have since sat down over dinner in Los Angeles, US, to plan their local tour in correlation with the official Artiifact album launch.
Omarion, who arrived on Sunday, seemed hyped to be in the “motherland”. His tour with Anatii will only cover two cities: Durban and Johannesburg – and the duo will record a video for the album single, Tell Me.
With the release of Artiifact, Anatii touches on the transition from being behind the mic to finally stepping up to it and letting fans explore the artistic side of him.
“I’ve been an artist for the longest time. I just had not let people see it,” he says.
The album was recorded on travels between Los Angeles and Johannesburg, and features the best of the US’s hip-hop producers, including Taz Arnold, who has produced Kendrick Lemar, among others, and Soul singer Jill Scott. Artiifact is among the items any hip-hop lover needs to have in their collection.