In any artist’s journey, there comes a time where the totality of their life’s journey, culminates in a body of work reflective of the depth of their maturity. Such is the case with Afrikaaps hip-hop artist Jitsvinger’s album “Jitsonova Vol.1: Compos Mentis,” to be launched on the 19th of November 2021.

With his third studio offering Compos Mentis (having full control of one's mind) Jitsvinger explores a range of subject matters such as knowledge of self, taking back ownership of the Afrikaans language, celebration of culture, honouring those who came before us and an unapologetic immersion into the lyricism and boom bap that is hip-hop music.

Speaking about the influence behind his latest album, Jits explains the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on his artistry and creative process “The hard lockdown and the inability to move and perform forced me to sit still and do some introspection. Being in lockdown I was compelled to let my thoughts come out. I feel like I have been out there, inwardly, and I have found some planet. Those planets have come out in the form of songs”.

The planets or songs being presented include the album’s title track “Compos Mentis” featuring popular comedy duo Joe Barber’s most famous skit “Ek wietie watte”. While the skit itself comes from a comedic front, Jits’ use of the material seeks to anchor the complexity of rhyming with vivid imagery that dares the listener peer into the depths of his lyricism.

In the song “Super Afrikaner” featuring France based Cape Town vocalist Natalie Nova, Jits and in his partner in song take on the characters of formidable Kaapse agents on a mission to reclaim the Afrikans language. Jits describes as “Super Afrikaner” as being akin to the soundtrack to a bar fight scene in the movie Desperado. “The retro feel of the banjo makes this the perfect soundtrack for a saloon bar fight somewhere in the Klein Karoo desert where we wrestle Afrikaans back from those who nationalized it, to its rightful owners”.

Other songs on the album include Die Horing featuring poet Jethro Louw and DJ Willy, Klaarwarritsoeis featuring Def Eff and Robert Black, as well as Balaklava featuring DJ Willy.

In his musical journey Jits has worked with several musicians and beatmakers, some of whom have contributed to the album. They include Dutch producer Jeeja (Stiekyt), Lowmacks (Die Profeet), musical maestros Mervyn Africa, Winston Siljeur and Grant van Rooyen as well as young virtuosos, Kirsten Skippers and Chadley "Bassface" Beukes. A special mention of Sweden based Belhar (Cape Town) native Robert Black who lends his voice and arrangements on several songs on the album.

Jitsonova Vol.1: Compos Mentis will be launched in the form of a voyage of performances and conversations, curated in collaboration with Cape Town based design lab “Soema Just”. Describing the vision behind the launch, Jits describes the journey as “a performance driven audiovisual voyage aboard the Jitsonova featuring the super-talented artists featured on the album”.

Words by Koketso Sachane - 76 Media (Pty) Ltd

Illustration by Brandan Reynolds