Ghetto Ruff Records

Amukhelani Tshwane a.k.a Amu, founded the rap group Township Frquency (Amu,Wicked, Nothende and Selwyn). Amu's 2003 solo effort, The Rap, life and drama, was a critical and popular success. Later that same year, Amu turned his attention to production. He helped launch the careers of Wicked and Selwyn. Also the founder of Buv Ground Production label.

Discography:

Solo
     Album Title:The Life Rap & Drama
     Artist: Amu
     Category: Rap/Hip Hop
     Label: Ghetto Ruff
     Format: CD
     Release Date: 2003

Group/Duo

     Album Title: Tha Muthaload
      Artist: Cube Hip-Hop Compilation
      Category: Rap/Hip Hop
      Format: CD
      Label: Gallo
      Release Date: 1996

     Album Title: Ghetto Code
      Artist: P.O.C
      Category: Rap/Hip Hop
      Format: CD
      Label: Ghetto Ruff
      Release Date: N/A

    Album Title: She's got my heart
      Artist: Ashaan
      Category: R & B
      Format: CD
      Label: Ghetto Ruff
      Release Date: 2002

Soundtracks

     Album Title: Yizo Yizo 1 Soundtrack
      Artist: Various Artists
      Category: Rap/Hip Hop/Kwaito
      Format: CD
      Label: Ghetto Ruff
      Release Date:

      Album Title: Yizo Yizo II Soundtrack
      Artist: Various Artists
      Category: Rap/Hip Hop/Kwaito
      Format: CD
      Label: CCP/EMI/BOMB
      Release Date: 2002

     Album Title: Tsotsi Soundtrack
      Artist: Various Artists
      Category: Rap/Hip Hop/Kwaito
      Format: CD
      Label: Ghetto Ruff
      Release Date: 2005

Production

    Album Title: The formular
     Artist: Mr Selwyn
     Category: Rap/Hip Hop
     Label: Buvground Buvground Entertainment,Gallo
     Format: CD
     Release Date: 2004

    Album Title: Wicked-Anger Management
     Artist: Wicked
     Category: Rap/Hip Hop
     Label: Buvground Buvground Entertainment,EMI
     Format: CD
     Release Date: 2005

   Album Title: My first time
     Artist: Unathi
     Category: R & B
     Label: Ghetto Ruff
     Format: CD
     Release Date: 2005

   Album Title: Heads & Tales
     Artist: Pro Kid
     Category: Rap/Hip Hop
     Label: Gallo
     Format: CD
     Release Date: 2005

    Album Title: Yours Fatally
     Artist: Jamali
     Category: R & B
     Label: N/A
     Format: CD
     Release Date: 2005

    Album Titile: YBA 2NW
      Artist: Hip Hop Pantsula
      Category: Rap/Hip Hop
      Label: EMI
      Format: CD
      Release Date: 2005

    Album Title: Washumkhukhu
      Artist: Skwatta Kamp
      Category: Rap/Hip Hop
      Format: CD
      Label: Gallo
      Release Date: 2004

Birth Name: Amukhelani Thswane
Genre: Rap
Active: 90s, 2000s
Instrument: Vocals, Keyboards

By being assimilated to the US, in language and presentation, South African Hip Hop has never really been given a unique identity.

Amu, Hip Hop veteran and one of the first Mcee to fuse vernacular in an English flow, awakes with The life, Rap and Drama, to give this art-form direction and make Hip Hop cynics pay close attention.

Amu started rapping at a very young age after he was inspired by a rap record bought by his father in the early eighties while living in the U.S.A. Born in Soweto he found it very hard to exercise his first love of hip-hop, because his peers thought it was a foreign art.

But through all of this, giving up was never an option for this young man. Today he is considered one of the pioneers of South African hip-hop.

Skills I possess manifest my complexion, straight from Gauteng... were the lyrics that saw, Amu launch his professional career when he took part in the 1996 CUBE hip-hop compilation Tha Muthaload. His track 1Skilz became the first single off the album and shot a music video for it. He then went on to become a household name in local hip-hop, from JoBurg to Cape Town. He later worked with P.O.C. on their Ghetto Code album, on the track title Soundz of Murder11.

At that point in time, Amu became a name to be reckoned with, he was a subject of every hip-hop cipher (a gathering of rappers competing in a circles The Ashaan breakthrough hit Shes got my heart, on which Amu gave his blessings by rapping on it, making the track
popular among both hip-hop and RnB supporters.

The Yizo Yizo 1 soundtrack took Amu to new and greater heights, selling more than 100,000 units. He contributed a track he did with Ishmael, called The Good and The Bad, the track went on to become a sequel on the second soundtrack, as The Good and The Bad pt 2.

Amu's long awaited album The Life, rap and drama released in May 2003. The video for the hit song Attention featuring Selwyn and Proverb taken from The album made it on Channel 0 top ten charts. The song also enjoys airpiay on national and regional radio stations.

The album has already created an unprecedented buzz around its release. With all the noise resulting from the radio airplay and video flightings on both SABC, e-tv and Channel 0, there can be no doubt that The Life, Rap and Drama is going to be the album that takes South African hip hop to new heights.

BUV GROUND, Amu's production label, is set to record talent that the major labels would normally overlook, simply because they might not be commercially viable. He aims to change the way the public perceives local hip-hop, RnB, Soul and any other niche genre. He has done so by collaborating with kwaito artists such as Zola, on Ghetto Scandalous to try and lure the South African audience into paying attention to local rappers, which has worked.

He is considered a talented musician and producer.

For more information contact Ghetto Ruff at

Tel: +27 11 447 1943

Fax: +27 11 447 1607

Last Updated 2006