Tag: Tumi

Tumi Asks You to “Stop The Violence”

“This is my story and I’m sticking to it. I don’t are what’s hot right now. I’m going to stand for what I believe in. I’ll still out rap any rapper” -Tumi (SABC Digital News Interview Oct 2013). 

Boltumelo Molekane, also known as Tumi, continues authentic Hip Hop that is overlooked by the more catchy gimmicky genres like Hipline and Bongoflava. South African born, Tanzania raised, Molekane’s music reflects the daily realities for South Africa. In 1992, with apartheid facing its final days, Tumi and his family returned to South African, settling down in Soweto. At this time, Hip Hop was booming in not only America, but in some parts of Africa as well. Tummy’s rap reflects social problems in a post-apartheid society. Tummy’s reputation increased through his battle rapping. He still can be seen going toe-to-toe with anybody who care to challenge his skill, or anybody who thinks they could out rap him. Tumi belonged to the group Tumi and the Volume, a popular rap band, until their unfortunate disbandment in December 2012

July 20th 2015 Tumi performed for the television show Expresso. His song “Stop The Violence” is a gritty anthem calling out the detriment of society via male infidelity.

It’s all Qur’an and Bible, it’s war business
You call it final then walk in optimistic
I’m caught deciding if rifles are more malignant
Then a jaded husband
Then a fading father
I played my part in
Making it harder
I’m a shell, I’m a bomb, you are Gaza

Tumi correlates the malign act of war and religious persecution to adultery within marriage. The life that is glorified within Hiplife of money, cars, women, and illegal substances disrupts the familial structure. “I played my part in making it harder” apologizes to the women or woman he has hurt in the past. Tumi states the male’s infidelity is like a bomb overpowering the woman, in this sense, Gaza.

Shots fired
Far cry from the honeymoon
Live wire
What you done you can’t undo
That’s desire
Gave me her heart but I put it through
Pain is enough that I shouldn’t do
Maybe her love is not bulletproof but she said

Far cries from the honeymoon points out that young men are not committed to the woman long before marriage is initiated. Tumi warns that what is done cannot be undone.  He states that infidelity ruins the strength of love and once these men realize the wrong they have done, it will be too late. Her love is not bulletproof.

Tumi has worked on the documentary Afrique, in which Tumi travels the continent to collaborate with other great Hip Hop powers. In his journey, Tumi realizes that the experience of each person is not all that different.

Here is the link to the documentary’s preview:

Tumi is a great lyricist who uses his poetic background to address his current world issues by way of soulful flows and dope beats. Not forgetting his roots, Tumi remains the Hip Hop voice of the people in a world of commerciality.

 

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumi_Molekane

http://bimba.co.za/tumi-molekane/return-king/stop-violence

SABC Interview

 

Short biography of Tumi (Tumi & the Volume)

Boitumelo Molekane, which is also known as Tumi, is a South African rapper and poet. Molekane was born in exile in Tanzania in 1981, and returned to Soweto, South Africa in 1992. He is also formerly known as MC Fat boy and is the lead vocalist of Tumi and the Volume (Molokane, B). He has done countless work on the Johannesburg and world of the hip-hop scene. After listening and reading to only one of his songs, his lyrics are incredible and are relevant to the issues that are occurring all over the country.

In 2012, Tumi, released a song named “POWA,” this was a song that rallied against women abuse. In Africa, there has been a serious issue of the way women are being treated, so this song clearly expresses Tumi’s feelings about the power men are abusing. In his song he declares, “No man should have all that power, you put your hands on a woman, are you a coward? (Mahala)” In other words, Tumi is asking the abuser if he may be afraid of something, and if so, then why is that individual taking it out on their women. As a result, he claims no man should have all that power. Tumi does not claim men are the ones that are abusing the women, but he does specify from listening to the lyrics that the females are the individuals with no power. He is right, for many reasons, men feel like they have the ability to abuse their force because of their gender or for other reasons. Just because an individual is a male does not give him the right to disrespect a female. A male should protect his women with love and affection rather than abuse her. Although many are tired of this issue, many hope this horrible issue will come to an end. Fortunately, at the end of the song he wants all who are tired of this issue to stand up and cheer with him, he states, “So if you fed up with it, everybody do the power clap, Clap! Clap! Clap (Mahala).” In other words, making the abuser feel inferior by making everyone feel like they have the power by cheering with him.

On the contrary, Tumi’s music video is relevant to the issue he is rapping about.

After watching the video, there are six women in the video that are dressed in school uniforms and have all the power in their hands. By walking around the city and destroying what they come across, the video portrays how they feel about this issue. These women feel like they would like to take over the world, so it really demonstrates the femininity Tumi is trying to portray. Towards the end of the video, the six girls set Tumi on fire. Although, this scene may have different meanings, that scene portrays how he feels about the whole situation. Women deserve the right to be treated with respect, and should not be taken their rights away because of their gender. So, because he is a male he feels he is completely against these issues and wants it all to come to an end, so by letting the women put him on fire expresses his inner feelings. Tumi’s lyrics are very hopeful for women, and this song has a very strong meaning and is very inspiring for the listener.

Mahala. “No Man Should Have All That Power”. 2014, November 25. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.

Molekane, Boitumelo. Facebook. [2014, October 19. Retrieved from
<https://www.facebook.com/TumiMolekane>