Jack Parow

Jack Parow

Zander Tyler, better known by his stage name Jack Parow is a South African Afrikaans rapper from Bellville in the Western Cape. He is well known for his contribution to the song Die Vraagstuk with Die Heuwels Fantasties. He also performed with Die Heuwels Fantasties at Oppikoppi 2009. He is also known for his contribution to and collaboration with Die Antwoord and Fokofpolisiekar in their songs Wat Pomp and Doos Dronk. He is also known as being the best thing to happen to rap in a very, very long time.

Hello, my naam is Jack Parow. Ek hou van Afrikaans. Ek hou van rap. Ma' rap is boring en is oorval met mense wat nie weet wat hulle doen nie. Ek is hier om hulle almal te wys hoe om dit reg te doen. Ek maak musiek saam met my vriende. Ek hou van drink, gevaarlike karre, gevaarlike paarties, gevaarlike cherries, braai en rugby. My musiek lat jou glimlag. My musiek lat jou huil. My musiek lat jou dans en my musiek lat jou dink. Ek het groot geword op die strate van Bellville en Parow en in die Wonderland games arcade in Tygervalley. Ek rook Dunhill sigarette en drink Wellington brandy. Ek hou nie so baie van sokker nie, want ek verstaan nie die reëls nie, ma' ek is besig om te leer, so hopelik hou ek gou daarvan. Ek hou nie van mense wat nie hou van Afrikaans nie. My song "Die Vraagstuk" saam met Die Heuwels Fantasties som my goed op, so luister dit. My musiek is eerlik. My naam is Jack Parow, romantiese Afrikaanse superster rapper. Kief Kief.

— Jack Parow, Oppikoppi, 2009

The above quote roughly translates as:

Hello, my name is Jack Parow. I like Afrikaans. I like rap. But rap is boring and is full of people who don't know what they're doing. I am here to show all of those people how to rap properly. I produce music with my friends. I like drinking, dangerous cars, dangerous parties, dangerous girls, braais and rugby. My music makes you smile. My music makes you cry. My music makes you dance and my music makes you think. I grew up on the streets of Bellville and Parow and the Wonderland games arcade in Tygervalley. I smoke Dunhill cigarettes and drink Wellington brandy. I don't like soccer all that much, because I don't understand the rules, but I am busy learning, so hopefully I will like soccer soon. I don't like people who don't like Afrikaans. My song, Die Vraagstuk, produced with Die Heuwels Fantasties, sums me up nicely, so listen to it. My music is true. My name is Jack Parow, romantic Afrikaans superstar rapper. Cool Cool.

Early life and career

Parow has reportedly always wanted to rap ever since he heard Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle at a very young age, and, partly due to the rise in the Afrikaans culture "coolness" phenomena, brought about by the many local South African music groups, he now pursues rapping as his full-time career.

I bought that Now Monster Hits 4 and Snoop Dog's Doggystyle was on there and since then I always wanted to rap. I was in Standard 3 or 4, that's when you first decide what type of music you like. And I always liked Dr Seuss, I have always liked things that rhyme - its fun I dig it.

— Interview with Jack Parow

Jack first started out rapping in English, but he soon decided that Afrikaans worked a lot better for him.

I rapped in English for long and then I did this song. I was with Juda from Brasse Vannie Kaap and MC Dread and everyone was rapping English cause at the time there wasn’t really an Afrikaans rap market, but we did this one track called Hard Headed Hobo, where they were the Hobos and I was tuning them as an Afrikaans Boer. And it went so easy and sounded so nice and I thought: why haven’t I be rapping in Afrikaans before?

— Interview with Jack Parow

Popularity

From an outsider's perspective Jack Parow appears to be a rough, take-no-nonsense kind of person, into a lot of partying and speaking his mind. This being half true, Jack explained in an interview that he really is a nice guy who tries to avoid conflict, which seems to be a slight occupational hazard when he performs in small towns and places where sometimes, his music and style is not too welcomed. Parow's song Cooler as Ekke has gained a large amount of popularity in South Africa and so has the song Die Vraagstuk, which he produced with Die Heuwels Fantasties. Music videos for "Cooler as Ekke". and another single, "Dans Dans Dans". have been produced and are available for viewing on YouTube. As of 16 August 2010, Jack Parow had appoximately 74,322 fans on a Facebook fan page.

Jack Parow's popularity is a result of the ever-growing South African sub-culture locally known as Zef. Parow, in an interview on Gamestate, aptly describes the movement:

It's kind of like Posh, but the opposite of Posh.

— Interview with Jack Parow

Discography

Jack Parow released an EP in December 2009. It was released on a USB flash drive in the shape of an ice-cream, and featured 10 songs as well as 6 music videos, only 600 of these flash drives were produced. He has released his debut album, Jack Parow in May 2010, it features 13 singles.

Cooler As Ekke EP (2009)

Track Listing

1. Brackenfell Boys Choir (featuring Rufio Vegas)
2. Cooler As Ekke (featuring Reënboogperde) (Skoon)
3. Cooler As Ekke (featuring Reënboogperde
4. Dans, Dans, Dans (featuring Francois van Coke
5. Die Vraagstuk (remix; skoon)
6. Die Vraagstuk (remix)
7. Ek Wens Jy Was Myne
8. Ma Se Mooiste Kinders
9. Onder Draai Die Duiwel Joints
10. Wie Hou Van Brandewyn Drink

• Skoon in Afrikaans translates as clean.

Music Video Listing

1. Cooler As Ekke
2. Cooler As Ekke – Taxijamkyz
3. Mosambiek Beach Sessie
4. Jack Parow – MK Ad
5. Die Vraagstuk – Live
6. MK Studio 1 Onderhoud

Jack Parow (2010)

Track listing

1. Ek Wens Jy Was Myne

2. Hier's Hy Nou

3. Cooler as Ekke

4. Dans Dans Dans

5. Feite

6. I Miss

7. Ricky Louw

8. Farmhouse Brekvis

9. Die Vraagstuk Remix

10. Byellville

11. Word Wakker

12. Tussen Stasies

13. Parow to Paarl