Few South African figures are as instantly recognisable as Jack Parow. The rapper, known for his larger-than- life persona (and even larger peak cap), is a national icon.
From spitting bars and entertaining friends at house parties to becoming a household name, Parow tells us how he got here, where he’s at and where he’s going to next.
Zander Tyler grew up behind the ‘boerewors curtain’ (the writing his own rhymes, northern suburbs of Cape mostly copies of whatever he Town), Vibracrete walls and two protective older sisters. Deeply introverted, he hid out in his bedroom playing video games and never really fit in until he picked up a rugby ball.
“Getting good at rugby, everyone just automatically left me alone and stopped bullying me. Rugby is such a big part of Afrikaans culture, and if you’re good at it, you’re like a god. I played first team and Craven Week and even club level after school. That’s how I know a lot of the professional players now.”
While rugby gave him confidence, it was a fascination with rap that Zander pursued with his entire being. “Growing up, I listened to whatever was playing in the house – Koos Kombuis. Johannes Kerkorrel. David Kramer. For my 14th birthday my mom gave me a CD played and a Monster Hits CD. There was a Snoop Dogg track on there that started everything.
Throughout his teen years, Zander listened exclusively to rap – EazyE, NWA, Bone Thugs N Harmony – buying whatever he could find at Musica. Then, when he discovered The Source magazine, he went deeper. “Cypress Hill. WuTang. 2Pac. Biggie. Method Man. Redman… From there I was looking for more obscure and experimental stuff. MF DOOM. Dr Octagon. DJ Shadow. When I finally got onto the internet, I’d go onto Napster and pirate so much music.”
Zander also gravitated to other fans of rap and started writing his own rhymes, mostly copies of whatever he was listening to at the time, but he loved it and kept at it. Like his rugby success, another pivotal moment was when he got an ‘A’ for an English essay he’d written. “That freaked me out, because I was never great at school. After that I was the golden boy. It gave me so much confidence. English isn’t my first language, and it helped me to stand out at school. I realised that I really enjoyed writing, and I kept writing my weird little stories and then raps.”
Zef origins
After school Zander moved to central Cape Town where he found his people. Free from his strict Calvinist community’s confines, Zander gravitated towards people who shared his world view. “I was living with a professional rollerblader from Benoni, and he introduced me to these guys, Anthony and Dennis – Dennis still raps, and Anthony is in jail – and we started a crew. I was called Bong Scare, rapping about weed because that’s all I was doing.” Zander next met underground heavyweights Isaac Mutant, Scallywag and Garlic and discovered rapping in Afrikaans. Forming a new crew, Die Donkermag (The Dark Army), he was taken under their wing and to rap battles in Mitchells Plain and shows at the taxi ranks. “I was always the weird white kid. Everyone else was wearing hoodies and backpacks and I was rocking six watches, two different colour shoes and a Nintendo controller glued to my belt buckle.”
Studying graphic design, rap was just a good way to meet girls, and not once did Zander think he could make a living out of it. But he was in the right circles and the people around him were pushing him to write more, jump in on the cypher, rap over stolen beats and sharpen his skills at open-mic nights.
“It was great until everyone got caught up in their own things and it started becoming a headache. Everyone was smoking too much weed. So, I decided to quit the crew and do it by myself.”
Despite the confidence that rugby had instilled in him and the validation he’d received from that high school essay, Zander still wasn’t confident enough to rap alone and enlisted a hype-man by the name of Rufio Vegas. “Vegas taught me to be myself. He was like a shield where, because he was going so crazy, it let me be in the background, because I was still shy to get on stage and shit like that. So, I wrote a bunch of raps for him, and we became The Parow and Vegas Show. ‘Parow’ was always kind of there. I’ve always been, like, super dirty and gravitated to rappers like ODB, you know? Vegas helped me develop more of that character.”
What Vegas also did was introduce him to a hugely influential mentor – Watkin Tudor Jones – and after Vegas introduced them, Parow was invited to join his crew.
“Waddy was listening to my stuff, and it was a bit all over the place, but I had this one line in this moany kind of voice, and he was like, ‘Bro, that’s your style. You got to rap like that.’ And I just leaned into it. Obviously, he was a hero of mine and I’d been obsessed with him, like, forever, you know? So that was just insane.”
Waddy took Parow overseas for the first time, and it was on a train in Amsterdam where they started to discuss the concept of ‘zef ’ and Die Antwoord. Even though Parow features on two early Die Antwoord songs, he chose to go his own way. Nothing had blown up yet. There was no ‘Enter the Ninja’, and Waddy was still living with Yo-landi and their baby in a bachelor flat in the Gardens Centre in Cape Town. Parow, who had been working as a graphic designer at King James, quit his job, moved in with his mom, convinced his ouma to give him her car and put all his energy into rapping.
In a weird space, having moved back home and feeling like a loser, Zander was especially anxious watching a show at The Assembly one night. “Everyone was too cool, you know? So I went outside and sat in my car, which was parked underneath a street light, and wrote some lyrics on the back of a Checkers slip.”
Those lyrics became the song ‘Cooler as Ekke. “I freaked out because I knew it was good. I reached out to Justin de Nobrega (DJ Hi-Tek) and was like, ‘Bro, this song, we got to record it.”
Afrikaans music was blowing up by then – there was even an Afrikaans MTV called MK – and YouTube was becoming a thing, so Parow spent all the money he had, about R3 000, on a music video. “I was hitting refresh on You Tube and the views were climbing like 5 000 at a time. It became the first Afrikaans music video to get a million views. After that I was travelling so much, eight flights a week, four international flights a month, making the most money I’ve ever had in my life!
“I bought the biggest flatscreen TV, the most expensive coffee machine, PlayStations for all my friends, rented a place in the Tampon Towers [the three circular apartment blocks in Vredehoek, in front of Table Mountain in Cape Town] and bought a Golf CSL with leather seats.” Parow says that early success was like a dream. He’d game all day, hook up with girls, drink coffee and make raps. And it just got better and better from there…
All the presents
After 10 years of work, Parow had become an ‘overnight’ success. Today, Jack Parow is more than a rapper; he’s a brand, a symbol of zef culture and a man who has come to define a generation of South Africans. His music has evolved, incorporating a broader range of influences and styles, reflecting a much more mature and introspective side of him, but it’s never lost the raw energy that made him famous. “I did this retreat, where for six days we did psilocybin [magic mushroom] journeys and guided sessions with psychiatrists. It was an incredible experience and afterwards I wrote ‘Demone’ and ‘Piele’. I stopped drinking and didn’t want to go out any more.
I’d much rather stay home and jol with my mense. That’s what ‘Meisies and Partytjies’ is about, like, classic Yoko Ono and John Lennon stay-in-bed- all-day type of vibe.”
Beyond music, Parow has ventured into other areas, including apparel and alcohol, and is focused on creating a lifestyle around the full Parow experience.
The photographs for this story were all shot at Parow’s house, which he bought with the sales of his debut self-titled album Jack Parow. The same album that went platinum at a time of physical album sales, not streams. “No label wanted to sign me. They thought I was ridiculous, that I’d never make it, so I did everything myself and continue to do so, now with a team to support me. I’ve got a great booker. I’ve got a great manager. I’ve got people to take care of all that other shit so I can focus on what I do. Being creative is a difficult task and if you’re tired and overworked, you can’t be creative.”
Working with different brands, Zander has companies sending him stuff on the daily. Most recently, he signed a deal that resulted in a pimped-out Suzuki Jimny parking in his driveway. He’s also started an experience company called Heeltyd Speeltyd – his first event at the Springboks vs All Blacks game in Cape Town saw guests go home with goodie bags filled with gold-plated braai tongs and brandy cups after drinking with Drikus and partying with models. “I live my brand. This is me, and Jack Parow the rapper is drunk me. I’m having fun and inviting people along for the ride. At the same time, I’ve grown up.”
I LIVE MY BRAND. THIS IS ME, AND JACK PAROW THE RAPPER IS DRUNK ME. I’M HAVING FUN AND INVITING PEOPLE ALONG FOR THE RIDE. AT THE SAME TIME, I’VE GROWN UP
Future proof
Jack Parow is focused on leaving a legacy, and while innovation is still at the heart of his plans – whether that’s exploring new music, planning concert tours, creating experiences or aligning himself with brands – Parow knows that he needs to always protect the brand he’s built and stay true to himself.
“My brand has become, like, a heritage brand; it’s established and it’s going to stick around for a bit. I just need to stay committed to what got me to this place – being real, having fun and being the best rapper I can be.”
After our shoot and interview, he left for Japan (yes, Jack Parow is big in Japan too). Next year is another European tour, then a bunch of shows in Saudi Arabia, and after that there’s Parowfest in Utrecht, Netherlands (his own rap festival, started in 2017). His latest brand extension, after doing everything from boxed wine to brandy, is a vape – ParowChoof. “Next year I’m going to focus a lot on Heeltyd Speeltyd, because I love doing fun things and will always look to create more fun things.” When it comes to having fun, you’re not going to beat Jack Parow, so you might as well join him.
Follow Him
Facebook: Jack Parow
Instagram: @jackparow
TikTok: @jack_parow
Words: Dylan Muhlenberg
Photographs: Zhann Solomons
Styled by Mia-tess Smith & Calista Da Luz
