A quick guide to Pro’s albums

HEADS AND TALES (2005)

This is fresh-faced Pro, still with the “kid” suffixed to his name. He brings the raw aesthetic of rap cyphers, and narrates hood tales like the streetcorner punchline pugilist he’d been groomed to become. Listen to: Soweto, They Fell, Extraordinary

DNA (2006)

Pro had limited time to finish this album. The true heads are divided over whether this offering is worthy of serious consideration in the emcee’s catalogue. Listen to: We Get Down, Iqiniso

DANKIE SAN (2007)

Pro wanted to reach a broader fanbase, and this initial release on TS Records did exactly that. Trusted collaborators Omen and Dome inked their heat-laced producer fingers across this album, while the new-found blood of IV League’s synth-laden, four-to-the-floor beats broke into new sonic territory. Listen to: Bhampa, The General, Uthini Ngo Pro

SNAKES & LADDERS (2009)

The emcee is cruising. He’s got gold and platinum albums to his name; brands are clogging up his agent’s phone; and his Dankie San label is flooding streets. The heat-packing punchlines tell a different story, though, for Pro sounds as determined as ever to prove why he’s Soweto’s top don. Listen to:

Sekele; Budget Speech; Pressa, Pusha, Panda

CONTINUA (2012)

This album finds Pro unsteady. The TS Records affiliation had ended, and the IV League was no more. Yet the emcee remains focused amid the chaos of a rapidly transforming environment. Listen to: Makasana, Anivulen’indlela, Um’futho