Slikour’s New Memoir Is an Energy-Inspired DIY Document of Drive and Dedication
A hip-hop rookie’s ascension from humble beginnings to the summit of music is a story usually observed from the backseat. Rappers, or at least the top percentage of them, predicate their lyrics on rags-to-riches stories and offset their newfound opulence with references to having grown up with nothing. However, most lyricists draw the line there, leaving a thin membrane that separates the artist from the listener. So while the listener can look and hear, the glass makes the story feel distant, impersonal, and unrelatable.
Rapper-turned-entrepreneur Siya “Slikour” Metane breaks this glass with his new memoir Slikour: The Life of a Hip-Hop Pioneer, published by Penguin Random House South Africa. Written alongside music journalist Helen Herimbi-Moremi, the book is a personal take on the struggles and successes that come from intentional energy exchanges. The Life of a Hip-Hop Pioneer flows with thematic gradations, following Metane from being an overly zealous youngin wet behind the ears to becoming a seasoned conductor of different energies that flow into and out of the hip-hop world.
The brilliance behind the writing comes from Metane’s ability to select the best parts of what makes a tell-all great and what makes a standard memoir work. In his debut, he’s candid about his feelings, the injustices endured along the way, and the impact of good and unhealthy connections and events. However, in his honesty, he’s never crass as he suggests he was in his younger days, a mark of maturity.
The greater portion of the book covers the founding, fame, fortune, and fall of one of Mzansi’s most iconic musical acts, Skwatta Kamp. From the group being more than a SAMA-winning band to egos swelling and eventually swallowing the septet, Siya carefully teaches about the impact friends have on each other’s destinies. Within the much-discussed theme of “energy”, the first half is a syllabus of fraternity, rejection, and fringe life that aims to share knowledge of how one should use their life force productively.
The story of Bozza, for example, is a sobering reminder that goodwill energy that might’ve powered former connections could short-circuit another not built for it. On the other hand, Siya’s departure from Skwatta in pursuit of finding himself warns about the dangers and the self-sabotage of falling and staying in love with memories of what’s no longer giving energy back. Such caveats are neatly presented within the overarching theme. The result is neither a critique nor criticism but a recollection that provokes thought and the soul to search for its deepest desires and motivations.
The latter portion of the memoir continues to deal with energy. However, the key difference is that in this half, Metane faces the challenge of building something for others and himself with knowledge and lived experience. Mirroring the former half of the book, the second half delves into Slikour using energy to bring together connections and people, and the biggest example is the establishment of SlikourOnLife. Moreover, SlikourOnLife replaces Skwatta Kamp as the primary beneficiary and outlet of the “Banga Banga” songwriter’s energy. The growth point is shown with one simple thing: the making of SK was unintentional and Frankenstein-like, whilst the creation of SlikourOnLife was focused and with gradual fine-tuning. Joined from end-to-end, the two halves become a DIY document of drive and dedication.
Metane proves the scientific theory behind energy correct: that it can neither be destroyed nor created, only converted from one form to another. And in the memoir, he owns his energy. Much like the hero’s journey trope in fantasy storylines, he goes from being an awkward fellow with no place to being a co-founder of a brotherhood which eventually went on to write some of the earliest chapters of mainstream SA hip-hop history.
Though there are periods of despair, doubt, and desolation, the book is also a testament to how strong perseverance, hope, and a never-say-die spirit are. The double-faceted nature of how energy can be constructive or destructive is well unpacked, showing that when wielded properly, it can be an agent of purpose-driven art, connections, and life.
