FRATPACKER WORLD.

Funking Up The Game

In 2026 we’ve seen artist come up with new genres and sub-genres. We see it in house with Amapiano and the sub-genres that have come from that such as 3-Step. In Hip-Hop and RnB, we’ve seen the kids dive more into South African samples, a mix of traditional records merged with Neo-Soul and what some would call new age Maskandi. With this we’ve also seen the reemergence of ome genres such as Gqom. One genre that feels like it’s a forgotten art is the Funk & Pop genre. These genres also tie into flirtation and seduction, another lost art and maybe we lost it when we lost the music. Don’t worry though, there are two young men trying to revive it and bring it back.

Imani Basquiat & RGRSNW [pronounced Roger Snow] are two artists and friends who’ve used their love of music and women to come together as a funk-rapping singing duo. The last time we seen two brothers come together and get this funky was Andersan Paak & Bruno Mars. The two artists both come from the way of Pretoria, which in the recent years has been birthing some of South Africa’s best Hip-Hop & RnB artists, who carry a certain jig and vibe with them, so it’s no surprise that we would get a Funk-Pop RnB duo from Pretoria.

Now before they were a duo, Imani Basquiat & RGRSNW were individual artists. Imani Basquiat came to my attention in 2022 when he released his Internet Girl EP. The production, RnB-Funk fusion and writing caught my ear instantly. I was like, “This the player pimp sh*t I be about.” and need to hear more. That’s when I discovered that he had an EP released earlier that year called Hooptie Music. If you know the terminology and definition of a “Hooptie” then instantly as a player pimp you would be drawn to the EP and if not; a Hooptie is an old, worn out, busted up, car. Only reason this is player pimp music is because in the 80s and 90s you were considered really player if you could pick-up beautiful women in a hooptie, just to show it’s not the car but the man that gets the ladies. From there I’ve followed Imani Basquiat and in 2023 he released his Groove Theory single which is an embodiment and ode to funk music. The single did so well he release a Groove Pack, where different produces like Yolophonik, Doushii & KaeB remixed the song in different versions.

When it comes to RGRSNW, I came across his music in a live format. I forget which show I was at, but I remember seeing this tall dark figure with blonde hair moving through the crowd acting all mysterious and silent. Net thing I know he’s on stage with Imani Basquiat and hitting some new age trap-funk type vocals. This shocked me because I expected to hear some rappity raps from this mysterious figure. His vibe oozes of “I’m going to bar you to death n*gga” but he comes in with the exact opposite. After that performance I went to his Love, Snow EP, that he released in 2023, and liked the jig of his funk. His record Soul Train was a stand-out for me. Keeping an eye on him since then he’s dropped multiple EPs; Reset [2024], SNL 2 [2024] & Colours [2025]. He found his groove, got in the funk and never stopped.

These two individual artists decided to start 2026 with an agenda in mind…women. It seems like the two artists and friends came together and saw that the sounds they play in and use as their artform was always built on the needs and please of women. Whether it was singing to praise, flirt, seduce, compliment, uplift or just admire women. The muse has always been women and the love of them while keeping it sexy. They started the year off with their single Rewind It and did it by having a gang of gorgeous girls winding and hip-notising (see what I did there) us while we listen to a mixture of funk and afro-beat sonics. Their second single Women ft Phiwo, released on the 27^th of March, is about exactly that…women. This time they had an elevator full of stunning women dancing to their smooth sounds. It shows that they know the history of the music and are intentional about not just making the music but living it and bringing sexy back as Justin Timberlake once did. I could continue and guess how this duo came about and why but wouldn’t you rather hear what the funk they have to say from them?

INTERVIEW WITH IMANI BASQUIAT & RGR SNW

Who are you?

Imani Basquiat: “Imani Basquiat is a Progressive Soul artist, all around creative and ladies man extraordinaire, who thrives in pushing the boundary in creating music that feels like a breath of fresh air and encompassing it in a world that one can get fully immersed in.”

RGRSNW: “Roger Snow (stylized RGRSNW) is a Afro-Pop / Alternative R&B artist from Pretoria. I love music. I love it so much. Um yeah, I think I just I’m just trying to push boundaries, get people dancing. I love rhythm. I love house. I love I love music that makes people make their feet move. I also love music that, you know, um has an emotive element to it. I love pushing boundaries. I’m experimental on everything. Yeah, that’s what I am.”

 What brought you two together?

RGRSNW: “What brought me and Imani together? Um, were working with the SAMA NOMINATED Producer Baitu Manong. We were both working with him. Baitu produced 3 projects for me. So, um we appreciate him and yeah man as we started working we started we’re making songs together we have some collabs out like wait but then we started making more music and then the chemistry just started growing and we realized okay let’s keep doing this let’s keep working on this you know I mean so we got a few songs we’re working on and something special coming out soon stay tuned.”

Imani Basquiat: “We met at SAMA nominated producer Baitu Manong’s studio, and through months of just working on our own individual efforts and observing each other create, and becoming friends – ultimately, we gained an understanding each other’s soundscapes and through that started collaborating.”

In an age where nostalgia is the trend, what made you want to look specifically at a funk/pop/R&B inspired sound?

Imani Basquiat: “Growing up I always had the likes of Jazz, Funk, Pop, R&B and a lot of soul music playing around the house. My pop’s has an extensive Vinyl, CD and DVD collection in his study and so every weekend from Friday to Sunday I’d be hearing the likes of Donna Summer, Fourplay to watching Michael Jackson and D’angelo concert DVD’s, and so for me it’s almost poetic that I gravitate towards creating the music I grew up on, the music I knew before I really knew the world like that.”

RGRSNW: “Old school R&B Usher Chris Brown and you know what I mean the works that my dad was always playing that. Gospel music and all the type of things that us as black people we make or people of African descent, whatever you want to call it, all those type of songs, you know, from even how I was brought up with my upbringing (DRC heritage) like um Warrison and Koffi. So, just bringing everything together, you know what I mean? Um that’s what really inspired and you know, I think Imani and I are really transitioning into a pop star phase that I think y’all are going to love.”

What separates/defines you as individual artists?

RGRSNW: “Um, what separates us? Well, firstly (laughs) but for real, what separates us is um I would say Imani is a little more centric. You know what I mean? He’s going to be the n**** that’s dancing and doing all that and that’s fine. You know, that’s him and it’s a beautiful what he does, you know, he must keep doing him. But I’m more of a you know. I’m the big cuz I’m a tall guy, you know. I mean, I’m like I’m like the big guy who’s looking swag and you think, ‘Oh, this n**** thinks he’s too cool for y’all.’ But then I get up there and I wow you with how vulnerable I am and how I sing and how I move and how I interact with you. You know what I mean? I’m more of a juxtaposition whereas Imani looks like what he does. Does that make sense? … Um I think yeah like I said right now you know that’s what defines us you know but um yeah I’m a juxtaposition how my music is so emotive sometimes so slow sometimes so upbeat and also um large spectrum but I’m dressed like a hip-hop artist. I’d say I have the swag as a hip-hop artist. A lot of people tell me that, but I never made a hip-hop song in my life. So, yeah. And then Imani, you know, look like Vanda Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson dance like Michael Jackson feel. Still has that swag though but it’s a different type which is fire to me.”

Imani Basquiat: “I think it’s definitely our individual backgrounds and personal experiences. We both grew up differently, and even though there’s a lot that we relate to each other on, we have our nuances in how we grew up and the experiences we were exposed to. It’s this aspect of individuality that give’s us our unique storytelling perspectives.”

What is the importance of portraying a look that matches the feel of your music?

Imani Basquiat: “This is actually my favorite part of releasing new music! I grew up as a visual artist so this is me still tapping into that side of me. It adds to the world building aspect of the music itself. It gives the record an environment to thrive in and the listener a world to delve into, to experience what we make in the most immersive way possible.”

RGRSNW: “Very important. it’s a large part of world building, you know what I mean? It’s a large part of um showing people you know who we are and what we do. I feel like clothes is another way to express yourself without saying anything. 60% of language is body language so you know expressing ourselves through clothes and how we. I use my clothes as a armor my music is like very vulnerable. I dress like a thug you know what I mean so you think like ‘yo don’t play with this boy’ but don’t worry I’m a sweetheart. I think it’s very important.”

Are you lover boys or just lovers of women?

RGRSNW: “I think I’m a little bit of both. There ain’t nothing wrong with that in my opinion. When I love my shorty, I love my shorty to the fullest. When I’m outside, I’m outside for real and I love being outside sometimes. So, um I love it. I love it. You know, Also, I think I’m also a lover of woman in a wholesome sense too. Sometimes just like kicking it with my homegirls. You know, some of the realest n***** I know are my home girls. So, shout out my home girls.”

Imani Basquiat: “Hahaha, let’s just say I’m a lover boy who is in a world that forces him to be a lover of women. But on a serious note, I don’t think the one can exist without the other. Take away the adornment of women and the lover boy disappears.”

Are women or love the muse for you?

Imani Basquiat: “Love is the frequency for me. It just so happens to be that women are one of the many facets of life that I love, and so I find myself drawing inspiration from that place at times.”

RGRSNW: “Yes. Um, when I started making music, I’m R&B. So, most of my songs are like diaries about my relationship or how I feel about, you know, my significant other. So, hell yeah. But it’s also just life in general. I think you know um as artists kind of just write from one perspective not every song is about love you know and not every love is romantic so um I think I just love I just write like writing about love and good things in general but women are also one of positive aspects of life I love writing about.”

What’s the difference in making a project alone vs. coming together as a duo?

RGRSNW: “uh making a project alone very self-centered very me me it’s very what I want to do, how I was trying to shape this, it also there’s also you get that feeling like it also falls on you, you know what I mean? When the song is doing great, it’s on everybody’s talking about you, but when it doesn’t do well, you know what I mean? The world is going to be like, ‘Man, that’s on you, n****.’ And keep it pushing like, you know what I mean? So, uh, making music on your own, it’s a great experience, but it’s also like very hard but nobody does this alone… Recognition but when we do it together, we get recognition together. We suffer together. Uh, You know what I mean? And then we also compromise, not compromise on ideas, but building on ideas together we’re thinking about ideas that accommodate both of us. Then sometimes when you got a feature accommodate three of us or four of us plus a producer etc you know? So just learning that and just learning how to be in a collaborative space… is really beautiful to be a part of. Um so yeah, that’s the difference between coming together as a duo and doing it on your own. I think I just like love the collaborative aspect of it.”

Imani Basquiat: “Man…I think the key difference is perspective hey. There’s a saying that goes ‘That which makes us different, makes us great’ and I think that’s so powerful. We have to constantly make room for each other and the work itself – There’s a lot you learn about letting go of control yet still maintaining it, leaving room for consideration and then coming to the result that it isn’t about me or the person I’m collaborating with…It’s about the record. You sort of develop this Hive-mindedness, it’s odd but cool at the same time.”

I can see inspirations of OutKast, but who are you trying to define yourselves as?

Imani Basquiat: “The guys that made a really fun project to listen to and experience, the guys that moved the needle artistically and the guys who had the cajones to do something that daring in soundscape, visuals and experience in a climate where most play it safe because of what’s popular in South Ahh…nothing more nothing less.”

RGRSNW: “Um, you know, shout out to the ATLiens. We very inspired by Big Boy and Dre, you know, shout out Dre. Shout out Andre. Shout out to Aliens. But also at the same time, I think um we got our own feel, our own sound, our own way how we do it. I think what defines us also is that we’re both um vocalists, you know what I mean? It’s not a rapper and singer duo. So, um I think that that’s a real good twist to it where it’s more of a I wouldn’t say like a boy band, but you know what I mean, man. Like it’s a lot more for the shortys. It’s a lot more sultry, Big Boy was the juxtaposition to Dre. And I think what defines us is that I’m not exactly the opposite of Imani. I’m more of a variant of something, but we do come from the same universe. Did that make sense? Word. But yeah, that’s how we define ourselves.”

Two singles out and both women centered. How’s the fan reaction been? And do n*** hate you?

RGRSNW: “Um, fan reactions have been fire. seeing how fan bases changes. Um, our fan bases have become a lot more woman centered around this time. I feel like we have a really cult following in terms of our home girls. Shout out the home girls. So, just seeing the love and feeling the love and knowing that everything just feels so genuine cause really we really do be living this life, you know what I mean? … a lot of n***** write music about women from a sense of admiration and not reality, but we know the reality of being around them and how great they are. Do n***** hate us? N***** always going to hate, but we are going to keep going now (laughs). But for real, all n***** really ask us is, ‘Yo, who are those girls in that rollout, man? Those girls looking fly.’ That’s all n***** want to know. But n***** rocking with it. You know what I mean? Shout out to the homies, too. But yeah, man. This for the girls.”

Imani Basquiat: “It’s being received very well and the one’s who are really drawn to the visuals are the women. As for n*ggas – haha, those that get it, get it and the rest get left behind for real.”

What can we expect from this duo for the rest of the year?

Imani Basquiat: “A full body of work, visuals shows and the rest of the world of this project to be built.”

RGRSNW: “Whole lot of music. The next single coming out soon. We’ve been working on something a little special. We got a name for it. We got everything for it. But we’re trying to make a little bit of a surprise for y’all. So once we’re ready to give y’all more information on that, we’ll give you that. But way more music, I’ll tell you that. Trust, way more music second half of the year. We outside. So, let’s get it popping. And you know, much love Sango Velaphi and Frat Packer for having us word to bro.”