Snotkop is one of the most exciting acts in Afrikaans music right now. His brilliant, hilarious raps have been a hit with audiences since he burst onto the scene back in 2005. Now, 11 years later, he switches things up a bit as he drops his new album ‘HKGK’. The album’s lead single ‘Cool Soos Koos Kombuis’ is rocking the airwaves and this week, I sit down with the star and chat about his new album, Koos Kombuis and his fans.
You just dropped your new album ‘HKGK’. How different is this record than your previous albums?
This is my seventh album. I tried to make it a banging, bass filled, beat driven, fun album all the way from the first track. The sounds are a little bit more progressive, in terms of the Afrikaans market, the lyrics are tongue in cheek and the subjects are cheeky. I think that the fun we had in creating this album definitely radiates through the music. My brand is all about having fun, and not taking life too serious, and being a little bit rebellious and care-free in the process.
Tell us a bit about what inspired ‘Cool Soos Koos Kombuis’.
I never used to be very popular at school. I used to study the cool kids from a distance and would practice and mimic the way they spoke and all their mannerisms. Creepy I know… I never really wanted to be part of them, but did wonder what it would be like. So the song speaks about being cool, but uses Koos Kombuis as a reference. Koos is my ultimate definition of cool. He doesn’t care about what people think, he speaks his mind and basically says being cool is not following the crowds but cool is being an individual and finding your power in what you consider as your flaws.
The song is more melodic than we’re used to hearing from you. Was this part of your strategy?
I am a sucker for a strong melody. I usually like to incorporate good melody’s in between my rap. The song is mostly melodic and I don’t rap. There is a slower beat that sits firmly in a groove that will make you want to dance. We managed to create a killer hook and chorus in studio and the song just snowballed from there. It’s important that a song sticks in your head for days, something that is easy to sing along with and that the lyrics speak to you.
The song has an awesome video as well. What was the day on set like?
I really needed to have Koos Kombuis in the video. I hadn’t met him prior to the day on set. I sent him an email with the song attached, and minutes later he replied saying he would love to be in the video. When I met him on set I was a little star-struck but as we started chatting I realised why I wrote the song. He is cool. The scenes in the diner was extremely messy and a lot of fun. The models were super and game for getting really dirty. The scenes with the mustang however were a bit racy… I nearly let a million rand mustang roll off a cliff into the ocean, after I “parked” the car got out. It was a “technical error” from my side…
You have some incredibly loyal fans. What message would you like to send to them?
Ah, my fans are everything! They are the reason I breathe. They are extremely supportive and loyal and we connect on a level that is really gratifying. They’re more like friends. When I do a gig it always feels like I’m at one huge mother of a party with all my friends and we’re just going nuts! I love them and am so grateful that they made all of this possible.
What do the next few months hold for you?
Many concerts and a lot of travelling around the country and internationally. I will also be doing lots of promo for the new album. I won’t be sleeping much, but it’ll be loads and loads of fun.
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