ALL LOVE FREE

To Record

Well, what can I say man? Now And Still After! I mean the whole phrase itself is like a whole philosophy; it’s so monumental you know. It’s like having a complete understanding of what it means to record, or should I say, having the understanding of what the word ‘record’ means.

Let me start by expressing what the word record means to me. A record is a piece of evidence or information constituting to an account of something that has occurred or been said, or a document or it’s like a way of preserving that which was recorded at a certain event of existence, in a certain period of existence. So, with that being said, one reaches an understanding that to record is not only limited to capturing audio signals and playing that back, but it is to capture information for later reference. That capturing could be in many different forms. It could be in writings, drawings, paintings, photography, compositions and a whole lot of stuff. I mean that’s how history is made; by keeping records of events that took place in a certain period of existence and by that one gets to further understand that life is ‘What is’.

‘What Is’

‘What is’ remains forever. ‘What is’ is a process of eternal creation. That’s why giving a definition to ‘What is’ is to confine it within limitations of ‘what was’. “What is’ is relevant throughout all the periods of existence, ‘What is’ has no beginning or end. ‘What is’ has no comprehension of death because ‘What is’ is now and still after. Since I know I'm just a mere mortal and someday I will cease to exist, I record.

In what I record I acknowledge ‘what is’ to immortalise my expressions so that I can be able to keep living in the hearts of the coming generations. God is ‘What is’ and love is all there is. Let me repeat that, love is all there is.

For the love

So don’t get it twisted the next time you hear me saying I make my music for the love. I am not saying that I want to starve myself to death, No! What I am saying is this; I do what I do because I love it, its my only way of acknowledging that I am a creation or a product of love.

My Purpose is to reflect that truth upon anything that I do because its only through love that we could all preserve existence, its not through economic systems that we created. Not through politics, not through traditions. Not even through religion! Until we ALL know what it is or what it means to LOVE, we will never know what it is or what it means to be FREE.

My name is Tongogara aka Battlekat, signing off for Beats Against The Beast and Promise Land.

Love, Peace and Truth.

This is for the ever-burning memory of the mid-teenage 4bia rapping his heart out to us at ‘the headquarters’, our (bo-Mrepa, ma-Nigga, bo-yoyo!My-man) version of the corner. For the tears streaming down Ole’s face after what he considered a “failure” of The Basement Party. For the unparalleled honour, Letlaka Khoi has and the pain (caused by a miscommunication between him and his fellow Hiphop comrade) he felt; one that sparked an ongoing/unresolved beef, to our dismay.

For a youngin’ worrying and spreading efankgedi ya hore “ba robile koloi ya malome ‘be ba utswa laptop ya hae”. ODB’s grand stage crashing at the 1998 Grammys has never been clearer; “Wu-Tang is for the children”. This statement has a new meaning as 3 months later, the youngin asked how I would carry on with my work when thieves stole my laptop. I gained wisdom, we are to protect them from the world as we kick in its doors, waving our thoughts. A task I unjustly concluded ODB gave up on when I interpreted what The RZA gives an account of witnessing in his book The Tao Of Wu. Paraphrased, he says that he knew they lost ODB the moment he did drugs in front of his son, forcing the innocent soul to watch. That was the last RZA to see ODB alive. The 'thieves' stole Ason Unique.

These 'thieves' not only vandalise but also steal valuables and invaluables. They attempt to distract and alter ‘What is’. But wait, there is more. 5 of us shall chase 100 of them, it is only right I Sam-L-Jack the Pulp Fiction steez.

There is nothing new under the sun. Years ago, an urban myth did the rounds that one of the greatest musicians was disheartened and almost walked away from music when a magnum opus was stolen from a car broken into at a parking lot. The 'distract and alter' attempts will not cease.

However, we will multiply to a 100 and put 10 000 to flight. Till then, “we just corner boys with the corner office”[i], recording ‘What is’ ,for the love!

[i] JAY Z (Carter, Shwan), GOD Did, GOD Did (2022), (line 15, verse 3)