A nostalgic look at HHP’s most memorable collaborations
There are a few musicians who have managed to change people’s lives with their craft. Only a dime a dozen have managed to change the game and pave the way for an entire genre. HHP is one of those people.
As he would say, “what would summer be without Jabba?”. We are left wondering, what will the Hip Hop industry be without Jabba? With an album rumour that had been doing the rounds prior to the artist’s sad passing, it is sad to realise that we will never see him perform it live and hopefully bring us more ‘Motswakolistaz’.
While HHP was great on his own tracks, one thing he was really good at was making a feature a hit. Every song that Jabba lended a verse to was touched with his magic. While we celebrate his legacy, let us celebrate some of his most memorable collabs.
Here are some of his songs with his fellow industry mates that made some of our summers and just basically made us feel good. In no particular order.
Show Dem with JR
Who can forget his collaboration with JR. ‘Show dem’ or make the circle bigger became the anthem throughout the country. Young and old people were opening circles and singing “ We love it…and that’s why we make the circle bigger.”
The Breadwinners with Proverb
‘The breadwinners’ with Proverb was not only filled with thought-provoking lyrics, it was also extremely musical. There’s a drumbeat throughout the song that brings a sort of organic texture. It is layered by smooth piano strokes and they all rest upon a chilled bass guitar. They then alternate with raps that address not only the fathers who are present in their children’s lives, but the deadbeats too.
‘Wa mo tseba mtho’ with Cassper Nyovest
‘Wa mo tseba mtho’ was a song where HHP featured Cassper and his long time producer Thas’man. A big part of Jabba’s life as a trailblazer was his ability to put up and coming artists into the industry. Cassper Nyovest was fortunate to have such songs to serve as a springboard to propel him into a successful music career.
Born for this with Liquideep and Teargas
Not only did HHP have a way with words, he also had a way of bringing genres together to create a unique South African sound. He proved this in a song called ‘Born for this’ that had the house duo Liquideep and the then hip-hop trio, Teargas, a beautiful sing-along that crossed genres and still remains one of the most memorable South African collaborations.
Manong with Mo Molemi
When we think of Motswako, there’s a number of rappers that stand out. One of these rappers is the incredibly rhyme-filled Mo Molemi. He and HHP teamed up in a song titled ‘Manong’. Produced by Amu, Mo Molemi glides over the beat with his verses. HHP then comes in with the hooks and puts the cherry on top to complete the song. These two rappers knew how to have you relate to a song, whether or not you understood Setswana.
What was your favourite Jabba collab? Tell us in the comments.
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