{"title":"Penny Penny","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"shaka-bundu","title":"Shaka Bundu","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe story of South African singer and dancer Penny Penny is fit for Hollywood. A nearly homeless janitor with no education gets a record deal, becomes a multi-platinum-selling pop star, plays stadiums across Africa, then builds a career as a politician for Mandela's African National Congress party. Penny Penny's debut recording 'Shaka Bundu', recorded in 1994, is the album that took a 34-year-old Giyani Kulani Kobane from the streets of Johannesburg to the chambers of power. After a chance meeting with Tsonga disco producer Joe Shirimani, just six months after apartheid was lifted, Penny Penny's Shaka Bundu was released and entered the consciousness of the entire country. Penny Penny became an immediate sensation, against the expectations of everyone involved. The album went on to sell more than 250,000 copies in South Africa and Penny Penny has played to thousands on stadium stages from Liberia and Sierra Leone to Namibia and Mozambique. The music was something new for Tsonga disco. Slow house music rhythms became the foundation for Penny's anthemic exultations. Using Atari computers, Korg M1 synthesizer and reel-to-reel tape for vocals, Penny and Shirimani cut the entire record in just seven days. Their signature bass sound combined richness and sharpness with the root tones of an organ. Penny's rap-like delivery became his calling card: a husky, playful vocal performance heavy on vibes. Nearly 20 years since Shaka Bundu blasted from speakers across a newly free South Africa, the music still sounds big and worldly. And, despite shifting his energies from stadium shows to municipal matters, Penny Penny still sports his signature top-bun hairstyle.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Awesome Tapes From Africa","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50491973239115,"sku":"368578","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50491976188235,"sku":"368579","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/30c7f39a-255e-4ff8-9eee-6b34944ad260_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727690184"},{"product_id":"yogo-yogo","title":"Yogo Yogo","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe rags-to-riches chronicle of Penny Penny's life would be remarkable if he had only released his smash debut Shaka Bundu and packed houses for a few years. But the inimitable South African singer and dancer known for his trademark top ponytail and emphatic anthems was no one-hit wonder. In the aftermath of Shaka Bundu's nationwide explosion, far beyond his country the album resonated with ever bigger audiences. He performed up and down the continent, building fanbases in more than a dozen countries. So his sophomore album \u003ci\u003eYogo Yogo\u003c\/i\u003e - released in 1996 - solidified Penny Penny's standing in pop music nationally and provided new energy to his pan-African stadium-filling adventures. The album also reflects the era in which it emerged. If Shaka Bundu arrived triumphantly amid newfound political freedom in South Africa with the end of Apartheid and Nelson Mandela's election, \u003ci\u003eYogo Yogo \u003c\/i\u003ewas a next level expression for the maturing artist. He wanted to get a message out. Composed with Joe Shirimani, who also produced the album, the sound and compositional style echoes the earlier recording but the topical nature of the lyrics became more deliberate, more didactic. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Awesome Tapes From Africa","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50498880340299,"sku":"1096902","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/3e5abe8f-0e07-44bb-b531-1e8e41c5f815_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727760481"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/penny-penny.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}