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Afrikaans mumble rapper and certified rock star Angelique Eurika Greeff lost her battle with stage four lung cancer in the early hours of Saturday August 19. She was just 24 years old.
True artists are far and few between, but when one rises it is exhilarating to watch. Such was the short but impressive life of Angelique Greeff, better known to her fans as Angie Oeh, whose outlook on the music art and life was something to behold.
READ: Racy, raunchy and dirty: Getting saucy with Afrikaans mumble rapper, Angie oeh
Just last week, in conversation with her manager Wynand Myburgh, her spirits were high as she entered what was supposed to be lifesaving surgery. As her family, friends and fans gathered with her and online, no one could have predicted the artist's life would be over just a short week after receiving her stage four lung cancer diagnosis.
Industry peers and her fans raised R250 000 on her BackaBuddy campaign in just 48 hours. The funds would be used to pay her medical bills for her surgery and six months of chemotherapy afterwards.
Her peer and collaborator, Pierre-Henri “Peach” van Pletzen confirmed Greeff’s passing in a statement.
He wrote:
Greeff's life was a shining testament to true authenticity. I remember the first time I spoke to her, I thought to myself: “This has to be the coolest person I’ve ever met.” I was in awe as I watched her through the computer screen with her coffee and cigarette in hand.
It was almost surreal, although she had a nonchalant demeanour, her presence was magnetic and would pull anyone in with every word. She wore her heart on her sleeve, she was honest and real, something you don’t really come by these days.
During our conversation, we found ourselves deviating from just talking about her music, and ventured into the world of queerness. We spoke more about our experiences within our not-so-accepting communities.
In fact, last year Greeff clapped back at Afrikaans singer Steve Hofmeyr on social media, condemning his anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiments. As a result of that interaction, Hofmeyr ended up donating R100 000 to an LGBTQIA+ organisation, and apologised to her and her fans.
We spoke about the impact she had made in representing queerness within the Afrikaans community, which is very traditional at its core, and laughed at some of the situations she had found herself in while discovering who she wanted to be as an artist.
Greeff admitted that when she was on the come up, she felt conflicted about the pressure to be a certain kind of rapper and musician. Her face lit up when she spoke about how she was able to bring the Afrikaans music she grew up listening to with her mother, and her own musical taste together, and the pride she felt when she completed her first track, Dis Jou Wyfie.
Greeff was quite the resourceful artist, most forget that art doesn’t have to be big, it can be made anywhere and with anything. For Greeff, her cellphone was her greatest resource: “I use this little cellphone app called BandLab, and I use it to this day,” she laughed.
I ended my conversation with Greeff by telling her that she was better in person than I could have ever expected, and that's the truth. Behind her tough exterior was a kind and compassionate person, a true artist with a passion for the music she made.
Very few people realise their purpose on this earth, but Greeff realised hers and lived unapologetically. History always has its eyes on us, and those who are remembered have been the ones who have changed the trajectory of an entire craft. Because of Greeff, Afrikaans music will never be the same. Angie Oeh leaves behind her mother, partner and a swarm of fans from across races and cultural backgrounds who will miss her.
Goodbye Angelique Greeff may the legacy of your contribution to art live on in the artists who will come after you.
