Friday the Giddy triumphs at rap battle
• By Confidente Reporter
LYRICISTS set the stage alight during the fifth instalment of Rap Battle Conversation under the theme ‘Vernac’ held at Desert Tavern in Swakopmund last Friday.
Rap Battle Conversations is an initiate of Melissa Müller, popularly known in the music spheres as Scarlet Gray.
Hip hop lovers witnessed epic performances by Rivaldo ‘Space’ van den Heever, Eldino ‘Gemini’ Madjiet, Nicky ‘Krazy’ Karihinga, Gideon ‘Friday the Giddy’ Kazondandona, and the host herself – Scarlet Gray, among other performers.
The judges for the show included Mark Westcoas, as well as multi-award nominated Nga-I, with the latter performing his smash hit ‘Kozondundu’.
Friday the Giddy (25) was crowned as the winner of the battle with Krazy emerging as the runner up rapper. Another local rapper known as Phillip ‘The Unexpected’ Raj ended in third placed in the competition.
For his outstanding prowess on the microphone, Friday the Giddy won a trophy as well as a t-shirt and a haircut at Nevaeh Barbershop and a feature with the king of the Ovitrap music genre, Nga-I.
Krazy and The Unexpected also won trophies as well as free haircuts and features with Nga-I.
Friday the Giddy described the victory as momentous for his rap career.
“I am super exciting about the win because it gave me exposure. The opportunity gave me confidence as a rapper.
I really hope that there will be more shows like this at the coast,” he said.
The event was well organised with excellent sound provided by Corporate Gear Events and the spectators who filled the Desert Tavern provided the perfect ambiance for the show.
Hip hop lover, Julia Shihepo, who attended the show for the first time said that she thoroughly enjoyed the event.
“I was skeptical at first because I thought it was for lyricists, but I enjoyed the performances from the artists as well. I also appreciated that the environment was so inviting and the sound was amazing,” said Shihepo.
Scarlet Gray is already planning the sixth edition of the event, with surprise judges who are prominent in the hip hop industry expected to appear. Rap Battle Conversations was started with the aim of bringing storytelling alive through introspection of the self.
The movement was also initiated to keep the art of lyricism fun, adventurous and educational.
The first edition of the event was held in Windhoek in 2020, after which the next four events took place in Swakopmund.
In addition the organiser thanked all the sponsors that made the latest event a resounding success.
The event was capped off with emcees stepping onto the stage to freestyle freshly conjured lyrics.