The podcast format was only invented in the early 2000’s, but we have already entered the medium’s golden age. They are cheap to produce and unlike traditional radio you can access content whenever you want. Titles like the true crime podcast Serial and the political satire show Chapo Trap House have become cultural phenomena, with…
When you quit high school to pursue your rap career, you sure as fuck better make it. If you don’t, your parents and classmates will never let you hear the end of it. Not that having a Matric guarantees any kind of success, but such are societal pressures. The Big Hash calls himself a professional dropout,…
Upon listening to 20 year old, Vancouver-based artist KENZA’s sophomore release ‘Dixie & The Dead States’, it becomes clear that she draws as much from the avant-garde as from pop. Presented with a strong 70s aesthetic, the 3-track album features a variety of sounds, from the atonal ‘VEGAS BEST, NV 89109’ to the trap-like ‘BISCAYNE…
Sometimes it pays to wait. Singer-songwriter Msaki and artist Francois Knoetze have been planning to collaborate for years, ever since their time studying Fine Art at Rhodes University. In particular, they wanted to make a video for ‘Dreams’, a beautifully haunting song of memory and regret. After a previous attempt didn’t work due to bad timing, they…
Much like the printing press, the internet has democratised knowledge, spreading information that was once only available to a limited number of people all over the globe, simultaneously connecting people to each other. For those with a desire to express themselves through music, there has been no better time than now to learn how to…
If you are a hater, Nodiggity are not for you. For real, if you have hate in your heart, don’t even bother reading further and most certainly don’t click their mixcloud link because, in their own words, “Nodiggity is for the lovers, by the lovers”. This dope duo of audio and visual curators from Cape Town…
Since dropping their debut EP ‘Based on A Qho Story’, Stiff Pap have consistently been thinking of different ways to push their sound and live performances, competing with previous versions of themselves. Their agility and future-oriented vision has seen their fan base growing exponentially, revealing how they are plugged into the direction fans want SA…
The Ray-Ban Reinvention on Air performance and opinion platform has been getting together for the past four weeks to celebrate eight South African artists in conjunction with four of Ray-Ban’s iconic frames. The finale of these events took place last Thursday and Friday at the Milkbar, Keyes Avenue. The round frames were celebrated together with…
While South African hip-hop today is dominated by artists based primarily in Johannesburg, the roots of local hip-hop can be traced back to pioneering Cape Flats acts such Prophets of da City, Brasse Vannie Kaap and Black Noise. Exploring topics such as social issues and everyday Cape Flats life, these groups would lay the foundation…
WE ARE ONE Music Festival is framed as an experience of “heritage, music and inevitably oneness”. Founders Tokoloho Booysen and Tshepang Mabizela explain that basing the festival on this idea came through reflecting on the fact that there are so many barriers in Johannesburg that divide people. Their intention was to create a platform that will allow people…
Rhea Blek calls herself The Goddess of Finesse (aka Finessa). It’s apt because she has an impressively delicate touch and skillful use of her voice, which is pretty in line with the definition of ‘finesse’. Rhea is singer/songwriter born and bred in the city of Durban, which you can kinda tell if you’ve been paying attention…
