Achisa

During the mid nineties Kwaito (a local version of house music) was on its way to absolute popularity and domination in South Africa whilst Hip Hop was conquering the world elsewhere. Achisa's release of local Hip Hop was an attempt to voice their problems of mostly shattered homes, death and violence around them.

The Story

Achisa consisted of Thabo Matheatzie, Thembile Bam, Monde Nyamakazi, Lunga Mbethe, Suvuyo Kemele, and Sipho Mamomsi: six young men who grew up together at the Khayamnandi Baptist Home for Boys in the Cape Town township of Langa where they lived with other boys from mixed backgrounds. The group was coached and supported by Simpiwe Matole and Lungiswa Plaatjies of Amampondo and recorded two albums, the first ACHISA in 1995 was produced by Sheldon Isaacs and helped by Orb collaborators Kris Weston and Greg Hunter. In the summer of ’97 Achisa worked with producers of the group Eyedentity from Los Angles – Krishna Booker (alias Chill Factor) and Diana Purim(alias dB) on the album “Bill of Rights”. The band dissolved in 1999 when over a period of less than one year two members were shot dead and became victim of what they so vividly tried to oppose in their campaign track “Say No To Guns”