Talking brandy, girls, cars and dangerous braais with Jack Parow
'F*k Jack Sparrow, the pirate of the Caribbean! I'm Jack Parow, the pirate of the caravan park'
I first heard 'Cooler as Ekke' on a mini bus taxi on the way to work one morning and, although I only understood the words 'Pep Stores, bru', the song made me chuckle aloud.
The Afrikaans rapper hails from Bellville and is quite a character—sporting oversized caps and a handlebar moustache. What shot him to popularity, though, is that he has no airs or graces. His lyrics are peppered with his love of brandy, girls and dangerous cars. He is Jack Parow. And he is real.
My fondest memories of Bellville are... Burger Fair, Welgemoed natuur tuin and Wildside Surfshop. Die bergies agter die NG kerk bergsig, dirt ramps met Niels se ma se resies fiets, Morning Star Shebeen, Wonderland Games Arcade, Tygervallei and Lazer Quest en die dag toe Airwolf by Durbanville mall was.
I discovered rap when... I first heard Snoop Dogg on one of the Monster Hits compilations. I was 12-years-old. I was hooked.
I've always had...my parent’s full support. They were, and are my biggest fans.
I have two sisters called... Tanya and Tasha. They are next level kief!
When I came up with the name 'Jack Parow'... I was drunk, watching Pirates of the Caribbean and I thought, ' 'F*k Jack Sparrow, the pirate of the Caribbean! I'm Jack Parow, the pirate of the caravan park.'
My big moustache and my even bigger cap are inspired by...Brandy.
If I was running for a train but the peak of my gigantic cap got stuck in the closing doors while I was still on the platform... I'd go all the way with it.
My big break was...when I released a song called die Vraagstuk with die Heuwels Fantasties, this started the ball rolling. Cooler as Ekke went completely crazy. What an insane feeling."
The most hilarious thing that’s happened to me on stage was...I puked.
My response to the statement: 'White men can't rap' is... King to C4.
A dangerous braai is...a lot of booze, a lot of blerrie people and a few lekker chops on the kole.
Things that make me cry are... onions.
Things that make me laugh are... jokes.
Things that surprise me most are...ghosts.
The people I find utterly pointless are...Nicholas Louw and Juanita du Plessis.
In the future, I will be...dropping a braai sauce called Parow Braai Sous, as well as a clothing label and a few other secret, next level things under my label Parowphernalia. I'll always be making more lekker music and getting my jol on.
By Lisa Nevitt
Jack Parow recently performed at Hip Hop Kop. Read our interview with its founder, Deon Maas. Check out our interviews section and our music section.
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