Schooled on the streets... Ameer Titus aka Heavy G.
Fans of the Cape Town underground hip-hop scene can do themselves a favour by picking up Pavement Special, the latest offering by Grassy Park rapper, Ameer Titus,also known as Heavy G.
Born on Robben Island, Titus says the inspiration for the title track on his self-released album lies in his upbringing, lessons learnt while growing up and those unjustly incarcerated on the Island during the dark days of colonialism and apartheid.
He says, it speaks to society’s outcasts, rejects and downtrodden, those ignored by the system, hence Pavement Special.
Weekend visits to Robben Island, where his mother Ayesha worked as a teacher, exposed him to things of an historic nature from an early age.
“In school, my favourite subjects were History and Language due to the fact that my mother introduced me to reading books.”
While his mother may have ignited his passion for words and books, it was his late father, Amien, who awakened his interest in music.
“He introduced me to music as a whole, whether it be hip-hop, jazz or R&B, from POC to Tupac, from Brasse Vannie Kaap to Toni Braxton.
“My father and grandfather were also heavily involved with the Malay choirs and klopse. I think that’s really where my love for hip-hop started. Listening to the international stuff, I thought to myself, why can’t I just write about things I see around me.”
● Pavement Special is available on all digital plaforms or at Unwanted Kicks Store, 2 Exeter Road, in Wynberg.