As well as ‘NO!’ being a statement of defiance, it is also an abbreviation for ‘number’, a reference to the notorious numbers gangs in the South African prison system (26, 27, 28). The number control the crime world on the Cape Flats and their influence is everywhere. NO! is also a reference to the refusal to be a just a ‘number’ in a system.
Musically, the album is raw, unfiltered, menacing Cape Flats street rap delivered over an aggressive, apocalyptic onslaught of hardcore, industrial strength beats with sonic stains of grime, trap and sexy pervert pop, all held together with a don’t-give-a-fuck punk attitude. DOOKOOM loosely identify themselves as a hip hop crew, but their music is more about emotion and energy than genre. They have been called ‘noise rap’, ‘afro-punk’, ‘industrial hip hop’, ‘grimy trap-hop’, and perhaps best, ‘the most vile, common gangsta shit’. Maybe all or none of those are right, but their music is a wild emotional ride which is not for the fainthearted. Thei...