Jack Parow’s new album is ‘a monster’

NAG Van Die Lang Pette, his third full length album, is a monster – in both size and the music contained within it. At 32 songs long, you’d have trouble packing it into an afternoon of easy listening – but why would you want to?

Lang Plette is split into two sides: an electronic section and an acoustic side – and it’s the first 18 songs where he really excels. And while he probably won’t have any plans to follow Capetonians The Parlotones to America in order to pursue international success, Lang Pette can be considered to be the first step in the road to international recognition. Songs like Attack Kill Destroy wouldn’t feel out of place ripping up clubs around the world, while Blou Bek would have Macklemore hopping in his blue onesie pyjamas.

But don’t be fooled in thinking this is an entirely solo album, as he heavily features the best up-and-coming South African artists like PH Fat and RufiYOLO, all of whom add different flavours to an already inescapably diverse body of work.

The acoustic side of the album shows that while Parow can be a foul mouthed, cigarette smoking, brandy drinking performer – he is also a good musician. He pulls off what most rappers would be loath to do, and sings on his own album.

While those songs aren’t likely to appeal to an overseas audience, they offer a different perspective from his previous works, Eksie Ou and the self-titled debut Jack Parow.

It’s something that should strengthen his domestic position as the leading force of rap in the country, as well as adding another reason why music fans from Cape Town to London should get a piece of the Parow brand.