Mail&Guardian (South Africa), 4. October 2001

By Katy Salmon

SSP have teamed up with O2, Angola's most popular Zouk band, to produce a
joint album, Pure Style, to teach young people about Aids.

"It's a problem that's affecting our country and the whole world. Being
young, we know young people love to go partying and everything. So, we must
do it. But being conscious that it can be dangerous," says Big Nelo.

"We're trying to help society get the message and think about the problems
we are living with right now. This album might not change two billion minds
but maybe some 500 000 minds can be changed towards the message and we start
helping," adds Bigu Ferreira of O2.

Angola's Ministry of Health is providing financial backing for the project,
recognising the young artists' unrivalled power to reach the youth. "People
having them as idols, being their fans, they want to do what they do.
They'll say 'If they fight Aids, let us fight Aids," says Pure Style's
executive producer Nelson Mangueira.

Music is an extremely effective way to spread the message. "Even having
government campaigns to fight Aids, music is a wider language. People might
not have television or newspapers to find out about Aids. But they can
listen to our music even in small towns far away," says Big Nelo.

Surprisingly, the lyrics of Pure Style do not preach about the horror of
dying of Aids. This is a deliberate strategy to ensure the album's
popularity outlives its novelty as a vehicle for the all-important Aids
message.

"If you talk about dying and Aids very directly, it scares people. So we
talk about love, everything else. But everything about the project is trying
to appeal to people to fight Aids," says Fereira.

It is encouraging to meet African artists - especially coming from one of
the continent's most war-devastated countries - with such positive ideas and
attitudes. They could, like so many other African musicians, choose to base
themselves in Europe. But they have decided to stay on in Angola.

"Because it must be us making our country grows, help our country get going.
If we abandon our country, they have to start all over again. It's us that
must make the difference," says Big Nelo.

Big Nelo first got into hip hop while living in Berlin, Germany in the early
1990s. His father was a diplomat based there. SSP - or South Side Posse -
was the name of a gang that he and other young Africans formed to protect
themselves against racist skinheads. They also dabbled in music.

When he moved back to Angola, he was determined to continue with SSP, and
set about finding three new members.

It wasn't easy getting started. "When I arrived, rap wasn't much heard in
Angola. I brought that culture - Public Enemy, KRS1 -- to the country. No
one trusted the style. They thought hip hop was for drug people. So no one
wanted to sponsor our album," he recalls.

Their lucky break came in 1992. After a resurgence of fighting in Angola's
decades old civil war, a Portuguese TV station, SSIC, came to Luanda to
shoot some stories. They produced a piece on SSP and ran it on one of
Portugal's main news bulletins.

A local record company saw the story, liked SSP and offered to produce an
album with them. '99% de Amor' became Angola's first rap record, and an
instant hit.

SSP have gone on to produce two more albums - Odyssey in 1998 and Alfa in
May 2000.

Odyssey, including the track Danca Comigo Essa Keta was a phenomenal success
in Angola, South Africa and other Lusaphone countries, such as Cape Verde,
Mozambique and Portugal. Sales of the CD in Mozambique earned them a silver
disc.

The third album, Alfa, includes collaborations with well-known Portuguese
and African musicians, such as To Cruz, Boss AC, Guto and the 'African
Voices'. Lena D'Agua lent the CD her voice and her great hit Sempre que o
Amor me Quiser. The album is dedicated to the record producer, Ramiro,
Lena's husband, who died during recording.

Not only that, they are also making a conscious effort to help the local
music industry develop. Most Angolan artists record under international
companies, usually in Portugal.

Despite offers from several of these companies, SSP and O2 decided to
produce Pure Love with a new Angolan record company, Ruben Productions.

"This company has just started now. They only have two albums out. Pure Love
will be their third," says Ferreira. "We decided to give the opportunity to
an Angolan record company because they can do something for our music and we
can help them grow as well. All our previous albums were done under foreign
companies so we are trying to bring something back to our country and
Africa."

"Even if marketing, sales, are not that good, we must make an effort to make
it grow. We are just trying to make the industry grow in terms of record
companies, shows, promoters. We want to give it more strength and weight,"
adds Mangueira.

In December, they are planning to have two main shows in Luanda, the
capital. Many Angolans living overseas, like students, go home at Christmas.

It's not the first time SSP and O2 have collaborated. "From the beginning,
both bands knew each other. They've done about five shows together," says
Mangueira. "When they get on stage together, it's the bomb, it's just the
bomb. Maybe, it's an O2 show and they invite SSP to feature on one of the
songs. When SSP come on stage, the crowd goes wild."

They also believe the joint project will encourage other people to work
together. "It's also to show other artists that it's not all about
competition, being different bands. Union also makes us bigger and might
help us. If we try to compete every time, we might not get anywhere," says
Big Nelo.