ProVerb is a South Africa rapper who also dabbles in producing, television, and radio. He is most famously known for being the television host for “Idols SA”. As a rapper, he wrote a few studio albums.
“Are you tryna be German if I see you in a BM? Or if I blow a trumpet, am I tryna be European?No.”
-ProVerb
Manuscript is ProVerbs second studio album. It includes songs such as I am Hip Hop and Street Music but more specifically Truth Is Revealing. Truth Is Revealing is a song that Manuscript wrote about how his style of rapping doesn’t change the fact that he’s African. There are two important verses that stood out to me “I’m getting tired of people trying to tell me what’s African and what’s that got to do with the language that I’m rapping in” and “So who’s to say what language music should be in and where do they get off saying I’m trying to be American when I’m proud of my roots, my culture, and my heritage.” ProVerb uses Truth is Revealing as a way to express that the accent he chooses to rap in doesn’t define his cultural background. It’s culturally appropriate to incorporate western culture into Africa when its cars or instruments but why is the line crossed for a language that many schools in South Africa are incorporating into their teaching regime. Throughout the song he is continuously trying to prove how African he is, “I’m African face it, there’s no debating this. So focus on what I’m saying and not how I’m saying it.” His roots will be continuously integrated into his raps but in order for his people to be open to what he’s saying, they have to move past the fact that Hip Hop is apart of American culture but it’s the way that he’s using it that makes it specifically unique to his country.