Rattex

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South African rapper Rattex did not have an easy childhood. Growing up in the notorious ghettos of Cape Flats, Rattex used music as the only route to escaping grim realities of ghetto life.

Away from the stage, Rattex’s calm and quiet demeanor belies the intense fire that burns deep within him. Rattex takes his name from a well-known brand of rat poison that is popular in South Africa’s townships. Like the poison, Rattex is known to lyrically kill any rapper foolish enough to test him.

1981, born Thabo Twetwa in Nyanga, Cape Town, Rattex (or ‘Rah’ to his friends and fans) came into the world during an intense period of political turmoil and racial oppression.

Rattex was raised by his grandmother, not knowing his father and believing that his mother was his sister. At the age of 9, Rattex moved to Khayelitsha with his grandmother to escape his violent, alcoholic grandfather.

The dusty ghettoes of the Cape Flats are notorious around the world for their harsh conditions, rampant poverty and crime. These are conditions where only the strong and determined survive.

Music was one way for Rattex to escape the grim realities of ghetto life. In 1994, he formed Maniac Squad with MAD (Man After Dollar). Middle Finga and Saqwiti joined in 1995 to round off this popular Khayelitsha super crew.

Rattex is now at the forefront of the new school of proudly South African rappers who understand that Hip Hop, more than any other musical art form, is about addressing important issues and representing where you’re from. It is therefore not suprising that Rattex is one of the pioneers of the ‘Spaza’ movement, where lyrics are performed in a combination of isiXhosa, English and Cape Flats slang.

Rattex has always been a true Cape Flats soldier, representing Khaltsha (Khayelitsha) wherever he performs. His music has also been on heavy rotation on community and campus radio stations (such as Zibonele, Bush Radio and UCT Radio) across Cape Town and the Cape Flats. Noteable performances include Khayelitsha Festival, Cape Town Festival, Fire on the Mountain Festival, Drudge Dialect II, the Hype Magazine Live Sessions and the Planetary Assault launch party. Rattex has also performed on Channel O’s number 1 rated show, Mzanzi Ridez. Most recently, Rattex supported legendary Brooklyn-born super lyricist Wordsworth on his tour to South Africa. Rattex is currently on tour in Europe with Swiss electro-dub band, Filewile.

Rattex caught the attention of producer Dplanet with his blazing and controversial verse on Battle of the Sexes which appeared on the Drudge Dialect compilation in 2006. Dplanet then featured Rattex on the Planetary Assault compilation album in 2007 where he killed verses on Township Storm and Imbadla Yez’rhumsha.

In 2008 Rattex signed with Pioneer Unit Records. His debut solo album, Bread and Butter was released on 15th October 2008.

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