My Friend Kabza

My friend Kabelo and I have known each other since we were toddlers. We grew up right next door to each other. Between the two of us are endless stories from our childhood that still make us laugh 'til our stomachs feel like they're being punched by some invisible laughter demon. The picture above has one of those stories attached to it. We were at some kid's birthday party and happened to be two of the oldest kids in attendance. As we were sitting there, I noticed that I had accidentally worn my pants backwards. At that very moment, the photographer decided he would take that opportunity to immortalize my epic moment of embarrassment.

Like most kids from the 80s and 90s, we spent most of our childhood playing outside - a concept I highly recommend to today's laaities. The games we would play included soccer and reenacting scenes from some of our favourite action movies. When indoors, we would pretend to be a rap group on stage performing in an imaginary packed stadium, using TV and Hi-Fi remote controllers as microphones. Music and movies played a huge part in our childhood, to a point where we eventually ended up forming a Kwaito group in our early teens (along with our friend Emmanuel) called BloodHoundz - named after a 50 cent song. I ended up becoming a beatmaker because we couldn't afford beats and I sort of picked the shortest straw.

MorseKode, Kabza and myself in 2011

As we grew older, I became more and more of a Hip-Hop head. Kabza? Not so much. While most of my attention was fixated on Hip-Hop and Kwaito, he expanded his music knowledge and taste and ended up becoming a walking music encyclopedia. There is no one I know personally who knows as much about music as he does. From Bonobo to Hiatus Kaiyote, to Cinematic Orchestra, I am forever getting schooled by my homie. I value his opinion on music so much that to this day, I can never release any music without him (and his younger brother MorseKode) giving it a listen first. The same goes with TV series and films. Kabza put me on to one of my all-time favourite comedy shows The Office (UK & US). Considering how much of a fan I now am of The Office, having seen the entire US series at least 100 times, he never fails to remind me of how reluctant I was to watch it. I've received a lifetime worth of I-told-you-so's.

More and more memorable situations occurred that helped strengthen our friendship. Stories of laughter and heartbreak, countless instances of "O tloba grand, ntwana", all crucial building blocks of our bond. Now, with the both of us in our thirties and each facing our own struggles, I can still proudly call him my oldest and dearest friend. Anyone who knows him personally will tell you how awesome of a human being he is. Trust me, knowing Kabelo Ramotlou is a privilege. Today, the 7th of August 2021, is his birthday.

Happy birthday, mpinch! I wish you all the happiness, love and success in the world.

- SPeeKa, An Obsession or Two