In 2001 the Cape Flats township of Gugulethu gave birth to a force of nature that would come to be known as Driemanskap. This 4-man crew, made up of members El Nino, Ma-B, Redondo and Dla, has gone from strength to strength, driving crowds crazy with their high energy, hurricane-like performances.

Driemanskap form the vanguard of the new generation of proudly South African Hip Hop artists who understand that Hip Hop, more than any other musical art form, is about addressing important issues and representing where you’re from. They are one of the pioneers of the Spaza movement, representing Cape Town with a rhyme style that combines their mother tongue, isiXhosa, with English and Cape Flats slang.

One of the hardest working crews in Cape Town, Driemanskap have paid their dues performing all over South Africa, always taking their music to the people at park jams, street bashes as well as major events. In 2003 they sealed their in Cape Town underground Hip Hop history with the release of their classic Itsho Into.

Driemanskap have performed alongside Cape Town’s biggest underground artists including Ben Sharpa, Archetypes and Writers Block. They also take pride in having shared the stage with some of Mzantsi’s most prominent performers such as Simphiwe Dana, Robbie Jansen, Pitch Black Afro, Pro Kid, Ntando, Ready D and Stompie Mavi.

In 2005 Driemanskap took part in the Baobab Festival where they opened for the legendary New York Hip-Hop crew Dead Prez. Anyone who was there that night will tell you that Driemanskap stole the show! They also took part in the 2006 Tri-Continental Festival, warming up the stage for one the New York’s illest freestylers, Wordsworth, the UK’s Jonzi D and Ben Sharpa. Drie have also performed at the Grahamstown Festival, Fire on the Mountain, the Cape Town Festival and Goemarati.

Driemanskap are always on the grind. While work on their debut album continues, they have released 2 mixtapes, Battle of Gugulethu Vol 1 and Battle of Gugulethu Vol 2. Their street anthem Go and Ask (Hamb’ubuza) also features on Pioneer Unit’s Planetary Assault, and Intwenje features on the October/ November edition of Hype magazine’s Hype Sessions CD. Driemanskap created the sound track for the Precious talk show on SABC 2 and Itsho Into was used in the international movie Sizwe.

Before signing to Pioneer Unit, Drie held down the number 1 spot in Hype Magazine’s Unsigned Hype charts. Catch El Nino alongside Imbube and HHP in the video for Vuvuzela.