Faded Gang kept hip-hop alive in 2016
Dumisani Ncube | Thursday December 22, 2016 12:07
The three men crew, which consists of Ammo Ski Mask, Mane Dilla and Obado, has been on top of the game and is the most trending group in the country at the moment.
“Well this is a group that was formed back in 2008 by Ammo Ski Mask and myself. Dilla was still in school he later joined us. Starting off we were just solo artists recording together till we ended up being Faded Gang. Faded Gang is an abbreviation for Fresh All Day Every Day Group,” Obado said.
Their music has an international commercial feel fused with the local sound that tells African stories. According to Mane Dilla, the youngest in the group, Faded Gang’s music is feel good urban music hence they do not prefer being recognised as rappers due to their musical versatility.
Having been formed that far they did not reach stardom overnight, as they started off as hood stars that released hip hop tracks on the Internet, which seemed to be an appealing sound for many urbanites. This triggered their fan base to grow which led to them being household names.
“When we were coming up a lot of people used to tell us to stick to motswako saying the English type of rap won’t take us anywhere. We kept putting in work till we reached this moment which is still part of the growth,” Ammo Ski Mask said.
Their fame became visible this year after they featured on Ban T’s Why so hit track, where they all delivered sizzling bars which hyped the track with Obado on the chorus. They went on to steal the show at an event that was supposed to be headlined by Nasty C and Emtee.
“I disagree by saying we stole that show, what I can say is its work in progress and that was part of the growth and we haven’t even reached the peak of everything,” Ammo Ski Mask said.
He added that releasing tracks on the Internet catapulted their careers to reach various listeners across the country and regionally and found a niche market by giving away free downloads.
The trio’s success has also been through by their solo careers, where they released a number of singles and mix tapes. Obado and Ammo Ski Mask also trade as music producers.
Just like many commercial artists Faded Gang also focuses on the business side of music, with their own music stable dubbed Faded Music Group, which has a number of artists such as Cibil Nyte, Trippy Rae and Bankhead to mention just a few.
They have since added a new department of film to their stable, which is directed by Ammo Ski Mask, a record label and a clothing label called Anti BHVR.
With a lot of controversies and conspiracies surrounding the hip hop industry Faded Gang also has a bad boy image, with some accusing them of using and promoting drugs, some labelling them as bad influencers due to the body art, tattoos, on their bodies.
“First and foremost this thing of doing cocaine is a lie. As for the tattoos they are an expression of my art,” Mane Dilla said. Whilst Obado stated that to him tattoos are spiritual markings.
As individuals they also have a fair share of the bad boy image. Mane Dilla broke the Internet this year when he had a head on with veteran rapper Scar on Facebook, where Obado backed him. Ammo Ski Mask who is the reserved one in the group has previously dissed individuals such as DJ Izzy and Drama Boi on his tracks.
“Not every OG rapper will say something nice about you. We have OGs such as Stagga who have complemented our music.
Me and Scar have always been cool its just that we had some misunderstandings and I had to tell him. Most OGs are intimidated because we are outspoken,” Mane Dilla said.
Faded Gang’s music and popularity has led them to be trend setters for the new school with a number of young urbanites adopting their pop culture of dressing and posing for pictures. “We have influenced a number of people on how to dress good. In the streets you will find someone that dresses like me, Ski Mask or Dilla,” Obado said.
The group has released a number of tracks such as Reasons, Headliners, Skununu and Girlfriend’s boyfriend.