Quietude is a two member Hip Hop collective with poetic, jazzy, rhythm and blues roots. Their fresh interpretation of Hip Hop and R’nb is best described as a cocktail of their personalities brewed into a vibrant musical concoction that caters for the open minded, non-conformist lover of music as a whole.

1. How did you guys come up with the name and what does it mean?

A: Bakdraft: I will start by giving the meaning of quietude, quietude means calmness, tranquility and peace. How we came up with name, we looked at where we are in our lives, what our music represents and how we feel about our music. We are at quietude when we write, make and record our music; our music represents peace, calmness and a sense of humbleness.

2. Introduce the band members and what each ones role is in the group?

A: Paradox: The roles are essentially shared amongst us but Sello “Bakdraft” Motsoko is second natured to communication and relation management while Pule “Paradox” Pelo is more of the creative perfectionist.

3. How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?

A: Bakdraft: We’ve known each other for more that 15years, we are childhood friends that live on the same street, same block and we grew up together. It was through sports and other activities in our neighbourhood that we got acquainted.

4. What inspired you to make music together?

A: Paradox: Life, our hood Tembisa, people that we met while on tour and most of all we inspire each other.

5. What has been your biggest challenge as a group?

A: Bakdraft: Being in a group is a challenge, one has to compromise however also bear in mind that the group’s work must prevail. Although this is a challenge it is not been a huge factor to us since we have known each other for so long and share the same sentiments.

6. What’s your ultimate direction for your group? Are you seeking fame and fortune?

A: Paradox: In doing what we love to the best of our abilities, our passion is not fortune or fame but in sowing a beautiful seed that will one day bare us fruit and further more making Quietude a brand in the Hip Hop culture and the music industry as a whole.

7. Describe your music?

A: Bakdraft: Our music originates from Hip Hop and we call it music for the listening ear or think twice music. Like most musicians we grew up in the church and through that came the singing, we also have influences from R’nb, Soul, Pop and Jazz. Most rappers concentrate on their raps more than the music they rap over, we as Quietude believe that our music represents our rap and our rap represents our music so we concentrate on both.

8. How did quietude form?

A: Paradox: Basically, two homeboys that were crazy about the same music who eventually collaborated on one song, one song led to another and Quietude was born.

9. What music do you listen to?

A: Bakdraft: We listen to anything and everything that sounds good in our ears, from House, kwaito, R’nb, Pop, Jazz, Blues, Maskhandi, Gospel and obviously Hip Hop.

10. When you write your material how do you go about it?

A: Paradox: It’s funny you should ask that question and the answer is quite interesting too. Whenever Quietude selects a particular beat, it is not mostly about the quality of the beat but how it speaks to us. We don’t sit down and say we’re going to write about this or that, we listen to a beat and it speaks to us mostly centering on the same idea that we’d individually have. We then identify a topic/theme that best translates this emotion to lyrical content.

11. How would you like your music to influence people?

A: Bakdraft: We like to inspire, motivate and encourage listeners of our music. One other thing we would like to bring the peace back into the industry, it seems like people are concentrating on who is whack and who is dope forgetting that Hip hop is music as well. So we are bringing the musical side of Hip Hop back to the streets.

12. What is the most memorable interaction you’ve had with a fan?

A: Paradox: Every interaction with a follower of our music is memorable because it is genuine, unexpected and it means that they were touched in one way or another and we are so Blessed by it all.

13. Tell us something about Quietude that no one else knows.

A: Bakdraft: Funny you should ask that well here it goes. We are going to feature on a 6 month project with an online magazine, Quietude is one of the four bands/groups/artists that will be followed by the magazine. Every month the readers will get to know what the four bands/groups/artists have been up to and what they have achieved in the month look out for that.

14. Describe Quietude in one word?

A: Paradox: Revolutionary

15. What are your plans for the rest of the year?

A: Bakdraft: To finish recording the album, bring as much awareness as possible before we release the album. We are also working on a clothing line, our T-shirts are almost ready to hit the streets, look out for that one as well.

16. Any final words?

A: Paradox: Looking forward to meeting all of you at the shows, myspace and facebook.