Johannesburg-born hip-hop and R&B duo MajorSteez, consisting of brothers-in-music Sandile and Sihle Mabena, are a name to which the streets have been jumping since they exploded into the scene. Having travailed for years with labour pains that rocked the industry in the shape of singles like the viral hit “Asbonge” and the sirenlike “Changitse”, the pair has birthed their long-awaited debut album The Sweet Life of MajorSteez. The project comes bespangled with an array of features such as AKA, Cassper Nyovest, Emtee, Khanyisa Jaceni, Priddy Ugly, Lucasraps, Usimamane, Ziggy4x, BabyDaiz, Roiii, Benny Chill, Trevor Jackson, and Litty V.
Throughout the 41-minute ride sectioned into thirteen tracks, the gourmet crate of The Sweet Life’s production predominantly consists of hip-hop, with much of its personality characterised by warped oscillations of drill music, seismic bass rumbles synonymous to trap, and the sporadic employment of log drums that pander to amapiano sensibilities. With an ensemble of producers such as Xduppy, kool b xclsv, MustBeDubz, NxMercy, and theuniquemusic, the brothers’ maiden offering is a hamper of sounds which also include afrofusion and R&B, widening the flavour palette of MajorSteez’s music, which allows them to sculpt a Siamese opus that fuses epicurean bragging with vicarious yet visceral experiences of resentment from mistreatment in the past.
The Sweet Life of MajorSteez album artwork
The thematic compass of the first seven songs steers the beginning portion of The Sweet Life toward horizons which more-or-less stress the cause-and-effect of pleasure-seeking (“Looking At Us” and “Smooth Operator”, and “Asbonge”), treachery (“Izinja” and “No Mercy”), and the underdog complex (“Too Late” and “Changitse”). Consistent in its faithfulness to remaining within the umbra of hip-hop, drill, and trap, this side of the album is monolithic in its style, loaded with boasts of being young, black, and gifted, all this touched with whispers of implicit bitterness. Whether they are making it known to their naysayers that it’s raining panties where they are or that they’re swimming in currency, it’s almost as if the Mabena brothers are doing their utmost best with their songwriting to make one point: theirs is a life of posh standards and none below their balcony are invited.
The second section focuses exclusively on young love and the challenges of romance. From likening love to a shot of Hennessy hitting the spot (“Ngaphakathi”) to spinning slinky webs of promises of a better future (“Khona Manje”), this side of the album showcases MajorSteez’s lighter side. It also hints at the duo’s latent and not-often-explored acumen for ballad song-making. It’s deep in this territory that the brothers hit the musical sweet spot where heartfelt songwriting overlaps with controlled production, the climax of this meeting resulting in something akin to “Mathata”.
Watch “Asbonge” feat. Cassper Nyovest:
A long time coming, The Sweet Life of MajorSteez is a debut that exhibits thought, intention, and well-orchestrated execution. While its shortfall is its straightness, its weakness is also what enables the brothers to focus on strengthening the themes discussed on the album without veering off track by introducing guests and plots not relevant to the overall creative vision.
This might be MajorSteez’s first; however, there’s a lot enveloped in this cache of songs, and the material hints at the existence of a deeper rabbit hole that the brothers might tap into sometime in the future. For now, though, it’s all about dancing, celebrating, and lifting the middle finger as high up as possible so that even haters living in the remotest parts of Mars can see it.
Check out The Sweet Life of MajorSteez:
