C.A.V.É. was a hip-hop trio in Seattle comprised of three brothers, Ziyani, Dumisani, and Tendai, who were all musical prodigies. Their father Dumisani Maraire Sr. was an accomplished musician from Zimbabwe, and the family spent time in both the US and Africa growing up. This gave them a chance to immerse in a new culture as children, and helped to shape their identity, expanding their consciousness. In the year 2000 they released a rap album as C.A.V.É. and chose aliases, Ziyani went by “Baby Boy,” Dumisani Jr. was “Draze,” and Tendai chose “Boy Wonder.”
Holy Haters is a Christian rap tour de force album. Bible verses are frequently quoted, and messages of the Bible are woven through every song. “You ain’t hard to me, Jesus the only superstar to me, the Lord’s a part of me,” is a good example from “Say That Then,” which starts the album. One lyric that always makes me chuckle is, “Look up in the sky, in the birds, it’s a plane. Ay yo what’s God’s name? Captain save a soul, man,” from “Emerald City Communion,” because the MC uses the same inflection as the classic E-40 verse.
Album highlights include “The Saint In Me,” for its minimal, smooth jazz beat. “Would you still love me if my last name wasn’t Maraire?” ask C.A.V.É. rhetorically. The three Rymer’s Anonymous cuts, “Rhyme-oholic,” “Hip-Hop Fiend,” and “Battle Dependent,” are more freestyle-based, and show off the wordplay of the group. The track I connect with the most is “I Hope They Feel This,” which explores the group’s thoughts about various situations in their lives. I must admit, to an atheist like myself some of the songs on Holy Haters are too preachy, but “I Hope They Feel This” doesn’t seem that way, rather it shines for its musical craft and lyrical honesty.
Several years later, Tendai curated the excellent 2004 Evolution Of Hip Hop Seattle rap compilation, including two new C.A.V.É. songs, “Just Don’t Stop” featuring heavy hitters Kutfather and E-Dawg, and the careening “Yeah Yeah Baby!” According to Draze, Holy Haters was the group’s only album, and in the mid-2000s the brothers each went their separate ways to pursue new musical paths. Draze stuck with a more traditional show-and-prove rap style for his very successful solo career, while Tendai took it to the fourth dimension and evolved hip-hop into something entirely new with his group Shabazz Palaces. Written by Novocaine132