Barcoded Magazine by Barcoded Magazine

O LA NL ED U INE IT NC IO H N

HANG SUITE

NTSI

ZW A M I

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JOH

KAY-E Issue #1 November/December 2011

THE REPS

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N N KA

J COLE

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CONTENTS

Publisher Infin8Media Editor-in-chief Phumzile Twala

6 Contents

34 FROM THE INSIDE 22 BREAKING I.T. DOWN 23 PROJEKT 101 24 GET SKILLED 26 PURE ART 30 FRAMED 34 PIXELS 36 GROUND UP 37 OFF RAMP 40

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EDITORIAL 3 SOUNDBOOTH 4 UNCOVERED 6 LOOK OUT 10 11 HANG SUITE No. 1 HUSTLER 14 WE SAY 16 LEGENDZ 17 SPOT ON 18

Contributing Writers Brian Ntuli Nomfundo Shabalala Wandile Dubula Mbuso Mufuyeka Mduduzi Nkosi Dudu Mkhize MduzaVanGogh Phumi NewJack Creative Director Phumi Vilakazi Production Manager Thubelihle Ncube Picture Manager Mbuso Mafuyeka

Sales Khethiwe Twala Nomfundo Shabalala

We would like to thank all those that helped to make the magazine what it is today and we would like to thank all contributors.

EDITORIAL I’m also excited about our photography feature, aptly named FRAMED, which showcases fresh, creative snapshots. We review movies, theatre shows, albums and the latest mixtapes on page 30- WE SAY.

TAKE THE

Our PIXELS page sums up television and film, and we explore décor on page 18- a piece called FROM THE INSIDE. Last but certainly not least, don’t get left behind as we give you the word on the street in our exciting FROM THE GROUND UP page. It was Mahatma Gandhi who said: “True art takes note not merely of form but also what lies behind.” That being said, we’d like to welcome you to Barcoded Magazine, your ground-breaking, futuristic passport into planet arts!

FIRST STEP IN Signing out Phumzile- Editor

ake the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.”- Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Faith, confidence, hunger for success, creativity, hard work, dedication and commitment are just a few ingredients that went into the production of Barcoded magazine. The team worked hard to deliver the best quality product for all you art lovers out there. So sit back and enjoy your maiden odyssey into the world of Barcoded magazine- Art meets Mainstream…

Get to know the team better on pages 12 and 13, where we have our first UNCOVERED feature. In our HANG SUITE we get up close and personal with a local artist. For those of you with an affinity towards the world of treble clefs, chords and bars, pages 8 and 9 present SOUND BOOTH. Gadget junkies can get their fix courtesy of our I.T. wizards on page 19. Our fashion fundi gives you the lowdown on the world of fashion in our double spread on pages 20 and 21. GET SKILLED on pages 28 and 29 is our tutorial feature aimed at empowering the artist in you, while our PURE ART page is dedicated to the scribes and theatre lovers out there.

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SOUNDBOOTH

COPY By Phumi New Jack

e are living in an era where music is a huge part of our lives an d music breaks boundaries. Sadly though, the music industry in South Africa and other African countries is not doing so well when it comes to high quality radio airplay. Most musicians, especially in the hip hop fraternity neglect setting aside a good budget allocated to mixing and mastering of their music. People think that if you get good content

you can afford to compromise on the quality, and that’s where people lose the plot. Good content should be

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complemented by good quality and they both need cash so that they can be sustainable in the market. America exports their music to our shores in high quality and it’s usually ready for airplay. Good planning and producing one high quality record sets you apart from musician “wanna-be’s” out there. Big record companies set aside a budget for recording, mixing and mastering of their records, so if only independent musicians would learn from that then the music industry in Africa would be of greater standards. Yes, in Africa we have a lot of talent in music but we still lack a lot and we are ignorant of music education. Personally, I think that we are used to low quality music, which makes us think that what we listen to on radio is of good quality. Musicians need to take their craft seriously and they need to realise that it’s also a business.Africans musos need to produce products that consumers

will appreciate and want to spend their cash on. Using the expertise of technically-trained sound engineers goes a long way in ensuring that quality music is produced, and for forming mutually beneficial professional relationships. Besides just the business aspect, musicians need to respect the art form and go the extra mile to preserve great artistry. Music is beautiful and its image shouldn’t be tainted by lack of insight or initiative…

SOUNDBOOTH

LOOK OUT SALUTE WE LOVE After bursting onto the music scene with her smash hit Hometown Glory in 2007, which she followed-up with the single Chasing Pavements in 2008, English singer-songwriter Adele achieved considerable success with her debut album 19. After appearing on an episode of Saturday Night Live in October 2008, the following day 19 topped the iTunes charts. In 2009 she won the Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Awards at the 51st Grammy Awards.

He brought us hit singles such as Aint no thing, Promise and I am. Soweto- raised wordsmith Morale composed a song in 2010 for one of his fans. He featured versatile kwaito artist Zola on the track called Ayamaah, named after the subject of the song. Morale received a message from a Durban based fan on

The remix of Hometown Glory was on high rotation on many South African radio stations, further endearing the raspy-voiced starlet to South African fans. In March 2011 her second studio album 21 debuted at number one in the United States and seven other countries. The album has also broken the record for the most UK digital downloads to date. She describes her musical style as “heartbroken soul” and the British press has dubbed her as the new Amy Winehouse.

Facebook, requesting he write a song or even a speech dedicated to Ayamaah, a 21 year old Pretoria based student. She was suffering from a blood condition which caused her to slip into a coma. He heeded the call and penned the track, which is dedicated to people suffering from anaemia and diabetes. Big ups to Morale for this kind gesture and for raising awareness about these conditions. Keep the hits coming. Barcoded salutes you!

Upon being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2003, Howard Mosese popularly known as Howza, decided to create more awareness about the condition. He launched the single I choose to live late in 2010, which featured Sabelo “Omen” Mzizi as well as the Grammy award winning Soweto gospel Choir. The pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk granted him their support. As a result, the vocalist, actor and kwaito artist had the opportunity to travel to Denmark to raise more awareness. We salute Howza for this great initiative!

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UNCOVERED

SCANNING TEAM BARCODED On our first cover we feature the brains behind what is soon going to be your ultimate bi-monthly magazine. Meet the team that uses enthusiasm, talent, skills, passion, education and street-smarts to bring you Barcoded Magazine! himself: “ I’m really not afraid to take calculated risks, in business or in life, because you only have one life. So why not?”

By Phumz

On our first cover we feature the brains behind what is soon going to be your ultimate bi-monthly magazine. Meet the team that uses enthusiasm, talent, skills, passion, education and street-smarts to bring you Barcoded Magazine! An arts magazine. When the founder, Phumi, mentions it to me, a surge of excitement and anticipation o v e rc o m e s m e a n d t h e w o rd “success” pops into my head. After reading the email he’s sent to me, it all makes sense. This is what’s been missing in the magazine market for a long time. A fresh, funky, eye-catchin g, informative magazine that encapsulates everything involving the arts. A magazine that connects to the inner artist in all of us. A magazine to which art lovers can refer, as a showcase of their talents. A magazine that connects with the skateboard-riding rappers, to the eclectic jegging-clad, twitter-crazy trendsetters of this world. Introducing: Barcoded magazineArt Meets Mainstream!

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It would be foolish of me to continue rambling on about how fabulous the magazine is without introducing the team, or the “A-Team” as the founder of prefers to call us. The visionary behind Barcoded Magazine is Phumelele Vilakazi, a.k.a. “Phumi”, a young entrepreneur born and raised in Meadowlands, Soweto. This 24-year-old multimedia designer, who has an extensive track record of print work, also co-owns a media company called WekaholikMedia. Even after having studied the art of making music and TV post production, graphic design remains his deepest passion. This dreadlocked talent believes that the magazine is another way of showing the world our talent as the youth of Mzansi. In the words of the man

Self-driven, ambitious and business-minded. Just a few words used by Brian Ntuli to describe himself. His alias, “Brian de I.T Wizard” says it all.A gaming fanatic, Brian studied information technology and later became a lecturer at MSC College. With a great amount of determination, hard work and focus, this former rapper has been able to hustle his way out of a poor background. Back in his emcee days, when he was known as “Shaolin”, he formed part of the local act “African Soil”. This technology lovers’ vision is to see

Barcoded Magazine as on of the best on the globe. Words to remember: “This is the beginning of greater heights. Watch this space as the new media giants take off.”

deep-seated love for film-making, especially those from across the African continent, it was only a natural progression for her to further her studies at some of the most prestigious higher education institutions, namely AFDA and Wits University, where she studied film and TV production and English and African literature studies respectively. Co-owner of Dark Tape productions, this lady is always interested in seeing the expression of art, whether through the stage, literature, film, music, or the written word. Khethiwe sees herself as a future Academy award winning film maker and she thrives in creative environments. Her vision for the magazine is for it to establish itself as a powerful commentary for South Africa’s artistic landscape. “I believe that this magazine will breathe a new and refreshing voice in our arts and media industries. And I’m so psyched to be part of it!”

A creative head who is in love with art, our web master, Mbuso Mafuyeka, a.k.a. “Buu” was born in Nelspruit and raised in Pretoria. He studied advanced multimedia at Damelin Lowveld and fell in love with the web. Messing around with the paint brush and dabbling in a bit of poetry are activities he enjoys from time to time. A hard-worker and a driven go-getter, Mbuso has a goal of retiring comfortably by the time he turns 50 and he has a dream of seeing his face on the cover of Forbes magazine.His favourite quote: “No I didn’t grow up with it, had to go and get it “- Ross.

A product of the National School of the Arts, with the award for the best original screenplay for the 2004 Original Works Festival on her mantelpiece, Khethiwe Twala is someone who loves art. With a

With a big personality and an infectious laugh, Nomfundo Shabalala states that marketing and customer satisfaction are her game. A driven young woman who was raised by a single mother- the first

born co-owns a chicken business. The KZN-born lass moved to Joburg in 2008 and aims to continue digging until she leaves a legacy behind. Art fits into her life in the form of music, among other forms. A singer, who has also had an appearance in a movie alongside Leleti Khumalo, this beauty aims to build an empire. “I’m ready to make Barcoded reach infinite heights.”

Being tasked with editing a magazine may seem like a daunting task to many, but I choose to see it as a blessing. Phumzile Twala, the first born of two, I grew up with a strong work ethic and the will to succeed in everything I do. Growing up in Dobsonville and Rockville, Soweto, I was always interested in anything creative. Designing my own greeting cards and selling them to earn pocket money fostered my independent spirit at a young age, while giving me a creative outlet as well. Gifted with the pencil and pad, I also express my artistic abilities through sketching and designing a s a h o b b y. M y p a s s i o n f o r helping others pushed me towards studying industrial psychology (via correspondence) through UNISA,

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UNCOVERED while working full-time. A 22 yearold introverted extrovert, learning each and every day and music (of course) are what make me tick. My vision for Barcoded magazine is for it to empower artists in South Africa and around the world. I see this publication as a stepping stone for the team to become media moguls. “We’re taking over baby! Go big or go home!”

Now that you’ve met the crazy crew, we hope you enjoy the ride as Barcoded magazine takes you to unchartered territory and soars to new heights…

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LOOK OUT

THE SIDELINE STORY

ith 3 official mixtapes to his name and having worked with names such as Jay Z, Canadian rapper Drake and Wale, J.Cole’s star is rising rapidly. Born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1985, he moved to North Carolina, USA where he was raised by his mother from the age of 8 months. The rapper is the first artist to be signed to hip hop mogul Jay Z’s Roc Nation label. At the age of 15 he started writing his own lyrics and by age 17 he was posting his own songs on the internet as “Therapist.” He graduated Magna Cum Laude

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from St. Johns University and worked as a bill collector for a while. Blessed with a prolific story-telling ability, the rapper released his debut mixtape called The Come Up late in 2007, followed by The Warm Up two years later. Friday Night Lights is his latest release, and it was produced mainly by Cole, with contributions from Syience, Bink and L&X Music. Quite impressive considering that when he was 15 he used to make his own beats using a beat machine given as a present by his mother. The 2011 BET Best New Artist nominee stated that he didn’t want any high profile names in his album,

excluding his mentor Jay Z. He wants peers on his album- rappers he feels and he can relate to. The eagerly anticipated album, titled Cole World: The Sideline Story was released at the end of September. His first single from the album is a track called Work Out. The album features the likes of Missy Elliott and Trey Songz and sold in excess of 200 000 units within the first week of release in the US. At only 26 years old, he still has age on his side and judging from his work so far, it’s clearly evident that he’s one star to look out for.

HANG SUITE

ow did growing up in alexandra influence your musical style? By being exposed to different people, cultures and their styles and types of music. From house music, jazz, maskandi, gospel, choral & all traditional music.

THE REVOLUTION CONTINUES

What sort of upbringing did you guys have? We come from a simple and humble upbringing.

collaborating with other musicians anddjs.

Joseph: maduvha - afrika George: revolution-tribal journey

What career paths did you initially want to follow? We wanted to be pilots.

Did you ever have thoughts of giving up on your dream? Never!! Life’s real failure is when you don’t realize how close you are to success-when you give up.

Are you involved in any sort of charity work? Yes, we have a project that helps disadvantaged children pay for their school fees, and uniforms.

What other talents do you guys possess, that we don’t already know of? We play and collect traditional music instruments (e.G. Mbira, lekope, talking drums, sabaars etc.)

What message would you like to pass on to the barcoded readers? Thank you for supporting revolution, let us support the local music industry and make it grow. L a s t l y, w h a t i s y o u r definition of art? Art is anything that expresses the artists’ creativity or ideas in a way that generates a reaction in others.

How important is it to enhance your craft through education? Talent alone won’t make you succeed, you also need some form of education/ training in order to sustain your career and understand the business side of the industry. What inspires you guys? We are inspired by people & events happening around us. Who are your role–models in the music industry, locally and internationally? Wow! There are a lot of people, but we’ll name a few. Local: themba mkhize, don laka, pops mohamed, lindelani mkhize, oskido, etc. International: masters at work, quincy jones, herbie hancock, dr dre, etc. How do you keep the revolution brand relevant? By being original, experimenting,

W h a t advice can you give to artists who are just starting out in the music industry? Have patience, do your research, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t or won’t make it, knock on as many doors as you can, one will open. What music are you listening to in your cars right now?

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HANG SUITE

NUMBER ONE FRONT MAN This stage giant needs no introduction, he is one of South Africa’s under rated actors. We get to chill and have a chat with as he takes it in a journey of his career .

Tell us a bit more about yourself. Who is Zizi? Where did you grow up? Zizi is a simple man with big dreams… Born and raised in the beautiful Eastern Cape of South Africa, in a township called Zwelitsha and the small town, King William’s Town a.k.a. eQonce. When did the acting bug bite? At which point did you realise that this is what you love doing?

you? There are a number of them who inspired me but I would have to highlight Winston Ntshona, Vusi Kunene, and Fana Mokoena because of their versatility and honest way of portraying characters… Also, there are performers whom you can tell are doing this for the right reasons. They are all about the craft and give 100% passion and energy every time they work, no matter how small their role is in a production.

I’ve always been a quiet soul with a deep desire to be heard. As a result, since childhood I’ve felt a connection to artistic expression, so I started by writing songs, poems and scripts when I was 10 years old. As a teenager, my high school couldn’t afford a Drama Club for a long time but when they finally made it happen I joined and got a lead role in the first play, after the positive audience response and that feeling of freedom I knew my destiny was to tell stories through art.

What are some challenges you have faced as a young artist in South Africa thus far?

Growing up, which local actors did you look up to? What made them particularly intriguing to

There is an abundance of talent out there but not a sufficient number of projects happening to sustain us all,

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It’s not a secret that our industry is still unstable and underrated. It’s very frustrating that it’s almost impossible to maintain a sustainable career as an Artist, partly because i n A f r i c a w e d o n ’t c o n s u m e enough of our own creations and also not enough investment from the” powers-that-be” and other industries.

therefore competition is fierce. I consider myself one of the lucky ones just for the few good jobs I’ve managed to secure so far. Who do you dream of working with in future? I want to be the best at what I do therefore I would like to collaborate with the best actors and directors, nationally and inter nationally, anyone who can challenge me to push myself further and deeper. And I’d also like to work opposite as many leading ladies as possible :-) What aspect of the South African acting industry would you love to see significant change in? I would love to see actors taking themselves more seriously as professionals, and the industry

taking us more seriously as workers who contribute to the economy. Media influence can have a great impact on that by shifting people’s perceptions of us. It’s sad and unfair that talent, skills and education don’t guarantee employment, instead many tend to hire who they know or whoever they believe has commercial appeal or the right looks.

Even though you’ve had a role in South Africa’s most viewed soapie, Generations, many viewers got to know you as Thabani in the successful, gripping drama, Home Affairs. How did that role change your life? Thabani was the first substantial role I had in my career, of course I was excited when I got that call, I didn’t understand why I was chosen

but I grabbed the opportunity. I finally had a platform to showcase my abilities as a performer, and the audience responded very well, my peers in the industry also took notice. It solidified me as a serious actor. What other projects are you currently involved in, in terms of acting?

quality work which inspires the next generation of performers and creators to never settle for mediocrity in everything they execute. Q15: What message would you like to pass on to our readers?

I recently finished a short film

On behalf of ALL South African artists I plead to you to support local movies, TV shows, stage-plays,

project starring as a love-struck Businessman, now I’m currently shooting a new season of the Afrikaans drama series, Erfsondes, in which I play an ambitious and funny but stubborn and hot-headed police investigator.

music productions and even visual and fine arts. We do what we do for YOU, we need your input in order to raise our standards and compete in the World Market. Let’s get involved and appreciate our own creativity and beauty!

Q14: What legacy would you like to leave in the entertainment industry?

Catch Zizi on the SABC 1Xhosa drama- Intsika, the SABC 2 Afrikaans drama Erfsondes as well as on etv’s Rhythm City.

I want to leave a strong legacy of

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NO.1 HUSTLER

remembe my first introduction to you. It was through a video that was on high-rotation on Soweto TV at the time, for one of your tracks from your mixtape. Then I started noticing all these colourful posters around Soweto.

the help of any record company or any big budget, just hard work and focus.

“From Ndofaya with Colour.” What inspired this movement?

It represents where a person comes from and what he’s all about. It motivates those who can relate to that specific art.

We l l , I w a n t e d t o c o m e u p with a Mixtape Title that would reflect, represent and symbolise where I come from, hence Ndofaya (which is slang for Meadowlands), and the colour part says that we are bright ,vibey and swaggnificent in the hood, not always poor and dirty as many people depict us to be.

What does Art represent to you?

I respect Amu a lot man....

You’re getting a lot of positive feedback from your peers in the industry for your “hustle.” What keeps you going? The fact that I managed to get where I am independently, without

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How did you get your big break? What advice would you pass on to someone with a dream just like you had? What basic steps would they have to take to get a foot in the door? Well, I started with a street team of 6 people, printed a 1000 copies of the Mixtape and 100 t-shirts and we shot all my music videos from

the sales of all these, have now sold almost 2000 copies and over 1000 t-shirts and have 5 videos from a Mixtape, the first in the country. My advice to all upcoming and hustling rappers out there is that it’s not only skill that will get u where u want to be, but also a plan, discipline, dedication, hard work and most importantly patience.

What do you value most in your life? The people that make me who I am, like my girlfriend, my family, my Greenlight Entertainment Team and how could I forget my fans.

Looking at the market you’re targeting, how do you make sure you stay relevant to current trends, but also remain innovative? I make sure that I am always out there, so I know what the people like and can relate to at that particular moment, and then I add a personal magic touch to it. You see? Lol What projects are you currently pursuing? Still pushing the mixtape until the end of December, have just dropped my fourth Video ‘BALLIN’ feat TEEPEE and my final single, which is the FEMALE VERSION of BONA RE ETSANG.Yeah. Look out for that What do you make o f A m u n i s h n ’s recent comments on the state of SA hip hop at the moment (specifically referring to him dissing one of Molly’s lines in your hit track Bona re Etsang remix?)

HIP HOP and I respect his opinion, but he must also acknowledge that Hip Hop has evolved and the New School Group of Rappers are bringing more fun to the Hip Hop Game. W h a t ’s y o u r success?

formula

for

A good product, a great plan, hard work, dedication, discipline, patience and a perfect execution plan. Open platform to push! Where can we catch you next? What upcoming projects should we keep an eye out for? Well, most of October, I will be performing alongside 985 in the Free State. I am currently fading out my Mixtape so I will be performing tracks from there and throw in one or two from my album. Facebook: Kay-E 1852 & Kay E Ndofaya Twitter: @KayE1852 Website: http://www.reverbnation. com/KayE1852 Blogs: YouTube channel KAYEEZY1 Contact details: Manager 074 407 4778

Honestly speaking, I heard someone talking about that, but I didn’t hear Amu say it. I respect Amu a lot man and he is part of the reason why I and most other rappers are doing Hip Hop in the country right n o w. H i s i s t h e GODFATHER of SA

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WE SAY

’ve been in existence for two decades and ever since I was a kid, music from our iPods, mp3 players and has been part of my life. I’ve seen the evolution of music and of how computers...just a download away we listen and experience music. From when my uncle’s record player and I’m listening to my favourite and records became my favourite toys, to when dubbing the latest album. track on the radio on a cassette tape and bragging to my friends. Being a kid from the hood having CDs or a disc-man(walk-man) was sort of As a South African, I love our music, like a luxury, so I never really messed with CDs until I was like 12 years but the financial situation of our artists is old and it was a whole new experience on a whole new level in terms sad, most are still broke. The reason they of quality and I loved it. Soon enough technology was to change are broke isn’t because they release crap how we experience and share music. The launch of Napster and and call it music, they actually have amazing the spawn of the great late Steve Jobs -the iPod changed albums. The way their music is presented to us the world of music forever. is what I’m not happy with. The music labels and organisations haven’t discovered a way to With the birth of the iPod and put local music on the web the same various other digital devices way the rest of the world has that played songs in mp3 done. The music on the internet format and the establishment from Mzansi artists is very over of websites that allowed the priced I must say. Sometimes, general public to download especially with genres like Afro music for free, this meant that pop or kwaito and gospel, the revolutionary Compact Disc had you find out that you only like been infected by a cancerous disease one song from the whole album, by the name of digital music in the name of mp3, but the option to buy the single isn’t which left the compact Disc fighting a losing battle. available...if it is, it’s either free or ridiculously over -priced. Which will later leave very painful and financially I wonder why these major labels don’t collaborate to create a crippled family members; the record labels and website which will allow us to download albums or our favourite distributors. Well, the Compact Disc isn’t dead South African singles at a reasonable price. yet, but all the turmoil can be avoided if the plug is pulled on the Compact disc. The CD is dying out, how long are they going to keep feeding on Majority of music lovers these days are gospel albums (gospel is the best selling genre in SA)? When are the youth and only a few percent of the they going to realise that people don’t really play music through their youth are actually buying albums now (I Hi-Fis or CD changers anymore? International artists are getting a lot don’t have the stats for you because of money from singles and I think local musicians should have that too. I’m a writer, not a statistician). We Let’s move with the times and prepare to bury the CD and let’s all hail play music from our cellphones now, the digital music revolution.

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T N

LEGENDZ

TRUE TALENT NEVER DIES

TRUE TALENT TRUE TALE NEVER DIES NEVER DIE

leven stab wounds later, he found himself hospitalised. All of this for the love of art. Dr John Kani caused a lot of controversy after his performance in the play “Miss Julie” at the Baxter theatre in Cape Town in 1982. This is after he kissed his white co-star on stage. With a career spanning more than four decades, this legendary actor, playwright and chairman of the National Arts Council of South Africa has rightfully earned the title of “icon.” Born in 1943 in New Brighton, Kani joined a group called The Serpent Players in Port Elizabeth in 1965. In the 1970’s he co-wrote Sizwe Banzi is dead with Athol Fugard and Winston Ntshona. This play won

him and Ntshona a Tony Award in 1975, in New York, U.S.A. With a body of work that includes plays such as Master Harold and the boys, Saturday Night at the Palace, The Island, Sizwe Banzi is Dead and My Children! MyAfrica!, for which he received an Olivier nomination, it came as no surprise when he was awarded an honorary doctorate y the University of Cape Town in 2006. In 2002, Kani debuted his first work as a sole playwright- Nothing but the Truth, which was first performed at the Market Theatre. This play was a tribute to his younger brother who was shot dead by the police in 1985, while reciting a poem at the funeral of a nine year old girl who was killed during riots. Affirming Dr Kani’s brilliance, the play won the 2003 Fleur du Cap Awards for best actor and best new South African play. It

was adapted for the big screen in 2008. Dr Kani is a respected, worldrenowned actor, playwright and director who also founded the Market Theatre Laboratory. He also serves as the chairman of the National Arts Council of South Africa. During a lecture at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama, Dr Kani’s theme was ubuntu, the South African philosophy of the spirit of togetherness and humility. “As artists, we have a responsibility” he said. H e a d v i s e d , “ We m u s t n o t perpetuate lies, nor should we be driven solely by profitability. Rather, we must strive to make social responsibility the centre of the work we do.”

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SPOT ON

IT’S GRIFF HERE It’s a Friday evening when I meet up with Kgomotso Segathle, better known by his moniker Griffy Griff at one of his recording sessions in his neighbourhood Meadowlands, aka Ndofaya, the 1852.

itting in on his recording session is interesting as I observe him bring the character “Griffy Griff” to life on the microphone. His producer gives him a few pointers on how to improve his technique and I watch as he imbibes the advice and gets on the mic... I ask him when he fell in love with hip hop. Some time in Primary school-I saw a Busta Rhymes video on (the now defunct) Bop TV. I saw it and loved it. Who are your hip hop icons locally and internationally? Tibz, because I admire and respect his management and business acumen. H H P

because of his career as a DJ, Slikour because of his management style, Proverb because of his career. Basically, I feel like you have to diversify yourself to be regarded as an icon. I want to be in parliament. I want to model. Music is the portal to getting into other careers. I want longevity,

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I want to go model in Istanbul and come back and record a hit track. Longevity is important. He gets on the mic, puts on the headphones and starts the track with his tag-line: It’s Griff Here... Looking at the SA hip hop industry at the moment, do you think it’s better signing to a record label or being independent? The minute people get deals they get lazy, I believe being independent is a good kind of pressure; it

makes you a better rapper. Even internationally artists are embracing the independent route as it makes getting music out easier.

Watching how he pays attention to every aspect of the recording, its’ evident how much passion he has for his career.... Of all the tracks you’ve recorded so far, which one is your favourite? Closer G-mix. At this point I witness him get excited about the way he records over RnB tracks. Sentences are laced with confident praises of how he records over RnB tracks... If you had the chance to improve at least one aspect of the hip hop industry locally, what would it be, and how would you go about it? I would put money in peoples’ hands, host shows differently, market mixtapes differently. No-one really invests time, educating artists more, so I’d put more money into their hands. Yo u r e l e a s e d a

HANG SUITE mixtape earlier this year. Tell us a bit more about that project? It actually scared me –my first project was rushed and I wasn’t ready. I have a long way to go to being a better artist. With this mixtape, the timing is right. The Second project is remastered and reworked, and I’d like to send a special thank you to everyone that downloaded.

You’ve worked with the likes of Gemini, Etcetera, AbyFab, Devour and MduzavanGogh. What’s your take on hip hop artists collaborating on tracks? Is there any sense of unity in the game? Everybo dy is looking out for themselves; I think most rappers are short-sighted. When people don’t have plans that resonate with what I want to achieve, it turns me off.

In between takes, he mentions that gents don’t buy music, that its’ mostly ladies who buy. This leads me to ask him my next question: Who do you make music for? I make music that relates to everyone, music that speaks about things that happen daily-people dealing with their kids’ deaths (he refers to his sons passing); my music tells stories about how I live my life at the moment. I watch him go through his verses to a Trey Songz instrumental....he zones out...

My next question starts an interesting comparison of artists... Big Sean or Lupe Fiasco? Big Sean all day, every day! Big Sean is new school- his music is about: let’s get stupid, let’s go drink, let’s have fun. What projects are you currently working on? Young black and hungry 1.2 is dropping October 31st; I have a n o t h e r m i x t a p e d ro p p i n g i n December, and Golden Year July 23rd –“the end of my Golden year.”

Where do you see your career in the next 2 years? I’ll be dropping my album, I’ll have a TV show, I’ll be hosting events, I’ll be a brand ambassador, I’ll have my own clothing line, I’ll have a world tour, the best year of my life. At this point, the look on his face gets reflective and he oozes confidence as he lists what he wants to achieve.... Signature GrIff style... If you could inspire someone, what would you tell them? How would you tell them to be a better person? There’s more to be done. Someone else should do it bigger. The new breed of rappers needs to be more truthful, sharper. They need to do things differently. Open platform to push: Twitter: @griffygriff11 Facebook: Griffy Griff Or Kgomotso Segathle Reverbnation/GriffyGriff Love him or hate him,driven, passionate, confident, bold and daring, Griffy Griff is going places. “It’s Griff Here”

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SPOT ON

s the progression of technology destroying our lives? Well that topic is debatable because technology is both good and bad. Anyway, that’s a topic for another day. Today however, we pay tribute to Justo Faison. I know you’re probably scratching your head asking yourself what my question has to do with the topic at hand. The answer to that question is quite easy though. In this day and age of instant technology, hip hop was dealt a huge blow at the death of Justo Faison, founder of the Annual Justo Mixtape awards, an individual who really knew the meaning of art. Remember the days when it took a whole lot of hard work to produce a record? Or even a beat for that matter. It’s quite hard to when you consider that these days it takes five

ANNUAL JUSTO MIXTAPE AWARDS minutes to produce a beat, using a computer with a working mouse and some fancy software. We all love and appreciate real artists who put real work into making real art. “Give a moment of silence. If you’re wearing a Fiddy cap take it off, if you’re driving, pull over to the side of the road. We lost n underground legend.”-The Game. Justo Faison founded the Mixtape Awards in 1996 with the aim of helping to highlight and reward a rather unrecognized but very important part of the music industry. “Took it out from his pocket, he did it with his grace, to honor the DJ’s and rappers-artists who spit great.”-Papoose. The Mixtape Awards have since

grown from strength to strength, standing as the only body that acknowledges the mixtape world, which plays a very big role in building artists. One can’t help but notice how drastically the mixtape game has changed and evolved, affording more and more artists the chance of getting their work on the streets. Personally I think it killed the stigma around underground musicthat underground music belongs just there and only a few can reach it. It’s more accessible now, giving anyone a chance of learning more about the particular artist. Justo realised that there was a lack of exposure for artists who worked on mixtapes. He took it upon himself to be innovative by awarding these artists’ hard work. We salute the work of Justo Faison, who added an immeasurable amount of value to the world of art.

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FROM THE INSIDE

TAKING IT

BACK IN THE DAY

few weeks ago I received an email that I found very amusing. It was about stereotypical township homes. Of all the things mentioned, there was one in particular that caught my attentionit referred to plastic-covered sofas and grandma’s doilies. Growing up in various townships during the 1990’s, one was often exposed to different households. One thing that remained constant though, is how similar the décor was in each house. Starting with the doilies, most households had them on their plastic-covered couches, which had a matching coffee table, usually placed in the centre of the lounge. Because most houses were fourroomed (a legacy of the apartheid matchbox housing system)dining rooms doubled-up as sitting rooms, which meant that there had to be a room-divider, usually adorned with family photos and ceramic dogs. Ofcourse the finest china sets, (which were only used when there were special visitors) would also be on display.From the Gumedes at the corner house, to the Mokoenas next door, each house definitely had one of those portraits of a gorgeous African woman embracing a beautiful mocha-skinned baby. Taking up a lot of kitchen space

would be the coal stove, which also functioned as a geyser and oven, believe it or not. Almost every house had one of those long sausage dog

forget the monotonous wedding portraits with the rounded frames? From those plastic-covered couches, which your legs would stick to if you sat on them for too long, to elegant leather couches and innovatively designed retro coffee tables, I would like to think that interior décor in township homes has improved quite a lot over the years.

township dwellers aren’t afraid to experiment......

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door stoppers that had permanent residence behind the front door. Most walls were also decorated with a picture of a black woman with one tear coming down her face, alongside the customary portrait of the blue-eyed Caucasian male with the long brown hair, white robes and outstretched arms. And who can

Gone are the days when mothers would teach their daughters how to hang curtains up in the lounge. These days having custom-made blinds is the norm, along with wooden floors instead of carpeting. Personally, I think interior design should remain subjective; adding your own touch to a space gives it character.

BREAKING I.T DOWN

K L A T T R SMA

e live in a fast-paced, technology driven world, with new products being created on a daily basis. South Africa has kept up to date with technological advancements and has a growing market in the mobile technology sector. From the introduction of the Nokia “brick phone”, all the way to the latest touch-screen phones, people have always been debating and comparing different handsets including the latest pads out there.

The Samsung galaxy tab P1000 is by no doubt the favourite tablet and a good one to have, but the Huawei S7 poses a good challenge. Technology is based on mobility, but these days mobility doesn’t say it all. It also comes with the processing power of the device, the applications, the features and how user friendly the Operating System of the device is. Let’s compare the two... The Huawei slim S7 runs on android froyo 2.2, which makes it easier to work and navigate on apps. The touch screen and menu buttons also assist with this function. For entertainment purposes, social networks, news feeds, push email and video streaming on You Tube is good. The free Skype calls also come as an advantage. The S7 is also capable of taking a sim card and can be used as a phone, which

gives it an edge over the Blackberry Playbook and the Ipad.As we played around the S7 we noticed it’s a good entry level- especially if you’re into gaming, music, video streaming, watching movies on the go, working on office documents like your Word editor and spreadsheets. The instant chat is a definite winner, and the hardware is quite good compared to the Samsung P1000. For example, it has an HDMI port, which the

latter lacks. it supports HD, and the picture quality is average, with the 3MP camera. Both devices have a 1GHz processor and maximum storage memory of 32GB.

The Samsung Galaxy tablet has upped the game on tablet computing. The Galaxy brings an easy, fast and user-friendly environment, with simple navigation on apps, good gaming and the android 2.2 froyo operating System. The apps from the android market store are so powerful with a variety to choose from. Internet connection is fast, and this tab features office applications, so even if you’re travelling in a bus you can still have your office tools with you. One can set up email on the device, with the push email available on the device. Samsung are undoubtedly market leaders with the launch of these new tablets. If you’re buying a tablet based on brand name, you will obviously go for the better-known Samsung, but the reality is that the underdog in this case- the Huawei is one of the leading communication brands in the market and shouldn’t be disregarded. As to which tablet wins? We’ll leave that to you to decide.

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PROJEKT 101

NDOTO TANZANIAN DREAM

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Take a look at photography by Aernout Overbeeke on his trip through Tanzania. These images are profound and haunting. However the images didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go to far beyond what photographers from abroad stereotypically choose to capture. Africa is intoxicating and mired in mystery and mysticism and Overbeekeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photography demonstrates his own timeless version of his dream( Ndoto) of Africa .

BarcodedMag 25

GET SKILLED

DAYONE

FROM

get SKILLED

ILLUSTRATOR >> RETRO CAR VECTORS All you need is Illustrator, some inks and some brushes to turn a photograph of a car into a vector illustration. John Kelly of Joke Art talks you through the process

t’s surprisingly easy to create a sharp clean attention-grabbing vector graphic based on a photograph,whether it’s a pet, a person, a motorbike or a car. And because it’s a vector graphic, you’ll be able to resizeit without any loss of quality. There are other benefi ts too. Vector based images make for smaller files,and smaller files are easier for your computer to open, close and print out. The final Illustrator file from this tutorial is only 5MB, compared with 50MB for a 300dpi Photoshop file of the same dimensions. Because the vector image is an Illustrator file, it’s easy for you to change the colours of the illustration if for example you want to use it again and again for different clients. It’s just a question of selecting each of the shapes in the graphic and applying a new colour. Finally, and arguably best of all, the print quality of the final illustration will be second to none. In this tutorial I’ll explain how to go about

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creating a vector illustration from a photograph of a car and how you can use your artistic judgment and discretion to make it look great without slavishly copying every detail. You will also learn how to use a set of custom brushes.

Open the Tutorials\automotive folder on the CD and choose the Joke Art Brushes Illustrator file. Save these brushes to your Brush Library. Some are for drawing the car, while the large brush strokes are for the background which we will use later.

Launch Illustrator and create a new file. Specify an Artboard that is the same size as your photo. Go to File>Place to place your photo. Once thephoto is in place, double-click Layer 1 and change its name to Original, and set the image’s opacity to 50 per cent in the Transparency palette.

Lock the Original layer in the Layers palette, and create a new one called Line Work. Choose any brush you like. Select the Pen tool and draw the outer edge of the car. You don’t have to copy the outer edge perfectly – you’ll get a pleasing hand-drawn look from any inaccuracy.

windows, start drawing the underside of the car – the tyres, around the wheel arches and the shadow underneath the car. Make sure you leave some bits clear for the tyre detail.

While working on the details around the windows, draw the basic shapes from inside the car as solid black, so you’re drawing the shapes for the seats and the outline for the windows on the opposite side of the car.

Make a new layer and call it Windows. Draw the windows in a solid black shape and repeat what you did in step seven. Make sure you draw the windows precisely, as it’s much easier to do it correctly now rather than rush it and make corrections later

When you have traced the outer edge of the car you may find that the line has some kinks in it. With the line selected, choose the Pen tool and change it to the Convert Anchor Point tool. Click the anchor point that’s causing a problem and adjust the handles until it’s corrected.

Draw another solid black shape for the windows on the opposite side of the car and send it to the back. While this shape is still selected, go to the Transparency palette and change its transparency to 65 per cent. Then choose the Gradient tool. Adjust the angle to 70 degrees, and adjust the blend from white to black accordingly.

Start drawing the contours of the car. Begin with the boldest and work yourway down to the fainter ones, varying the thickness of the lines so that the bolder contours are the thickest. Rather than copy the details of the windows, just draw them in solid shapes with the Pen tool.

Once you have drawn the d e t a i l e d b i t s ro u n d t h e

Create a new layer and call it Colour.Place the layer under Line Work. Once that is done, go to the Colour palette and choose C = 0, M = 5, Y = 10 and K = 0. This will give you your first colour. Now get the Pen tool and roughly draw the shape that appears to be the lightest tone.

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GET SKILLED

In the Colour palette, change the colour to C = 0, M = 10, Y = 15 and K = 0. Select the Pen tool. Draw your next set of shapes that suit this tone, then send them to the back. Be sure to draw round the windows â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want bodywork showing through the glass later.

Repeat steps 10 and 11 until the top half of the bodywork is complete. Limit yourself to about 10 colours for the top half of the VW Camper, as you will use different colour tones for the bottom half. Do the colour tones for the tyres, as this will make the next step much easier..

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On the same layer, select the Colour palette and set the colour to C = 90, M = 55, Y = 0 and K = 0. This will provide the darkest colour tones for the next stage. Start from the bottom of the VW this time and work your way up to meet in the middle, while remembering to send the new shapes to the back.

Select the Pen tool and draw your first new shapes with this colour. When you have done that, decrease each CMYK value by 5 per cent (so the next colour will be C = 85, M = 50, Y = 0 and K = 0). Keep doing this for every colour tone until all the bodywork is covered. This will give a two-tone VW Camper bodywork.

Make a new layer above C o l o u r. C a l l t h i s l a y e r Chrome. Now carefully draw the chrome strips that go from the back to the front of the camper. Make sure they are separate as you will be colouring them in with the Gradient tool.

Select one of the shapes for the chrome strips and choose the Gradient tool. In the palette click the midpoint between the two sliders and a third one will be created. Set this middle slider to white, and the right-hand side will be a darker blue-grey compared with the left-hand side. Step and repeat this for each chrome strip.

When creating the colours for the alloy wheels, limit yourself to between six and eight colours for the chrome, as it often gives better results.You will notice that the chrome on the wheel picks up a lot of refl ections, so you will have to adjust the colours to what youthink is right in the Colour palette.

Staying on the Chrome layer, draw the other chrome sections of the VW Camper – the mirror, the lights and the door handles. Use the tip on the opposite page about the Eyedropper tool to get the best result for the chrome.

Clean up your vector illustration by making a Correction layer on top of all the other layers. This will give you the option to zoom in and fi x any ugly shapes and spurs. While on this layer, draw the windscreen wipers using the Pen tool.

Make a new layer and call it Background. Position it above the Original photograph layer in the Layers palette. Now use some of my Joke Art Brushes and experiment with tones colours and transparency. Make sure that the finished background complements the illustration.

Create a new layer and call it Alloy Wheels. Make sure that it’s below the Colour layer.

Here’s the finished product. Remember that the techniques I’ve outlined can be used for creating a vector illustration from any kind of photograph, not just cars. You should also experiment with creating your own brushes.

FINISHED PRODUCT

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PURE ART

THE TOUCH We get up close and personal with one of Nigerian’s finest graphic artist Kosoko Adekunle. Seeing the work he has done in his short industry career he is sure going to win prestigious awards by the age of 25.

ell me who is Kosoko Adekunle? Kosoko Adekunle is a young Graphic artist and photographer. He is adekunleGOLD, because his orientation is that “you can’t substitute anything for Gold” not because it’s in Vogue to have gold as a suffix. He is one of the few Nigeria’s finest graphic artist whose designs and ideas are simply amazing. adekunleGOLD is”one man like an agency” How did you get into graphics? Have always had a strong love for ART.I have always known I could

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do it like really well…I decided to study ART in school…graduated from LAGOS STATE POLYTCHNIC with HND(GRAPHICS) and finished as the BEST student of the graphics class of ’09. i started graphics really in 2007 Do you think that you have reached your ultimate level with regards to your work? No i have not. Although, i have done alot of work for a lot people...I’ve handled a lot of projects. My work has gone out to many countries, and i have plenty clients in different countries.i am definitely going

somewhere much greater... Do you think that Africans are playing a major role in changing the inter national advertising standards? To an extent i’d say yes. our skill in advertising is gradually becoming impressive. Please break down for me your process of approaching a design job Every great thing starts from the mind.just upon a quick scan on ‘a brief’, i already have an idea of what i want to do.i write my ideas down

and tell it to my computer and...the design comes Up.

Who do you want to work with internationally & locally?

What is you best marketing tool do you use to build you brand?

Well...I’d love to work with Kelechi Amadi,He’s a great photographer. I respect him a whole lot.

Social networks(facebook and twitter) To you which one comes first, profit or brand sustainability? Brand sustainability Who do you think gives you stiff competition in Nigeria and why? I Dont have competition of any sort. my designs are unique and original

dont stop believing! be Golden. And how can people contact you? www.facebook.com/ adekunleGOLD, www.twitter.com/adekunleGOLD

And lastly any words to they youth out there who want to get in the industry? Put God first.! you want to be a successful artist? be sure you are artistically inclined. Dont copy people’s work, study their designs instead and you’d make great work when its time to do yours. as much as possible be unassuming and

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PURE ART Pic: courtesy of the Reps

RUNNING WITH THE REPS By Young Buu Whether it’s “popping and locking” or even “ingwazi or twalatza”, nobody does it better than the Repertoires. Having worked with names like Akon, Chris Brown and our very own Jozi just to mention a few, it’s not hard to tell why this bunch of young go-getters is a force to be reckoned with. Penetrating the dance scene a few years ago with a dance style that was to soon change South African dance forever, this crew is creating a lot of buzz in the industry. Young Buu meets up with the crew in Johannesburg.

arch 31st marks a rather interesting day for me. Not knowing what to expect and feeling a little nervous, I head straight up to Sandton to meet up with the Repertoires. I’d be lying if I said the mood was laid back- one could feel their energy bouncing everywhere as soon as they entered the room. But behind all the energy and liveliness one can’t help but notice the brotherhood within the crew. I suppose that’s what makes them who they are.

Charmza. This is what went down… Buu: Starting from the beginning, tell us about the birth of the crewwhere you guys come from and how you came about.

It’s before their week’s shoot of Running with the Reps and I get a chance to chill with Larry and

Buu: So how many Reps are there in total and what exactly do you do?

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Reps: It was just guys from anywhere and everywhere. We have guys from the North, some of us are from the east and pretty much anywhere, coming together with the same passion, which is what brought us together. We decided to start something and as they say, the rest is history.

Reps: We currently have eight dancers and four DJ’s. You see, we are not just a dance crew, we started as one but now we are a business and we’re turning the Repertoires into a business. Buu: Being one of the first crews of your kind, how was the reception when you guys came out and how hard was it getting your brand through to the public? Reps: It was pretty hard, as at the time no-one was doing what we were trying to introduce and very few understood what it was. Many had different perspectives; some looked at us as trying to be

American. So before anything else what we had to do was showcase to people what we really are and we could only do that by being original and putting our own personalities in the whole thing. At the end of the day dance is dance and dance is global. For us it wasn’t just dancing, it was actually a culture which very few have been exposed to. Buu: Describe how you would label or class your style of dance. Reps: ENTERTAINMENT! We’re entertainers. One minute we could be “popping and locking” and out of nowhere just break into “ispantsula” or “i-twalatza.” That’s what makes us different- we do whatever we want and we do what our audience would relate to at that specific time. So it’s really hard to try and label our style, because that would then limit us as a crew and as entertainers. Buu: What is your contribution to South African dance and the Arts as a whole? Reps: We’ve sort of started the culture within the culture itself. Now everywhere you go there’s a crew or two in every block and you’re either with the big boys or you’re trying to rock with them. So in a way we have pioneered the movement and not just in dance. We have DJ’s and we also make music amongst other things. So that’s how we’re keeping the hip hop culture alive in South Africa and hip hop has grown to be a huge contributor to South African art. Buu: How has the culture changed since you guys first came about and now? Reps: It has grown massively and

it’s still growing. People now understand the culture better. Buu: So with the culture growing at the rate it’s growing, one can’t help but notice that it’s maledominated. Do you have female dancers in the crew? Reps: Daaaaaayyyyyymmmm! Females have issues (giggles). Joking, but on the real though, we initially did have females in the crew. They add that femininity to the whole thing and there are certain things we guys can’t do which females can get away with. But due to some factors we currently don’t have female dancers. That doesn’t mean we won‘t have any in the future though.

Buu: How often do you guys practice? Reps: It depends on our schedule. We’re really controlled by performances and bookings, so it all depends on how our diaries look. But mostly it’s 3-4 times a week.

Buu: Still on practices and schedules, how hard is it when it comes to keeping organized with the number of members you have and with all the different personalities you all have? Reps: We’re all young, we understand each other, we all share the same vision and know where we want to be as a group, so we make it our responsibility to be responsible at all times. We also have a very strong management team that makes sure everything always runs smoothly. Our different personalities are what make us who we are; they complement each other.

Buu: Is it only “The Repertoires” you guys do, or do you have your 9 to 5’s? Reps: We have our 9 to 5’s. As we said earlier, we are not just dancers, we’re actually a business. So “The Repertoires “is also a 9 to 5 for some of us. Buu: So how do you maintain balance with your 9 to 5’s and ensuring that your work is the right quality? Reps: We try to accommodate everyone as best as we can. That’s why you find us practising even late at night to accommodate everyone, because aside from 9 to 5ers, we also have scholars amongst us. So it’s less sleep for us and more work but we are not really complaining because it really pays off. Buu: One of the most recognisable faces from the crew was Nthato. How has his departure affected the crew- business-wise and within the crew itself? Has it changed anything? Reps: We are not at liberty to comment on that one as yet (giggles) Buu: How do you guys deal with all the pressure? Reps: What pressure? We are the pressure! (Rolling eyes)… We talk man-communication is vital. We are a strong team and we pull together and that really helps. Interesting! It was nice getting to know the crew better. We shall chat to the crew in future to see how how are things looking up, till next time keep it moving

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PURE ART

PANTSULA RULES THE

nB superstar Beyonce recently released her first single from her topselling album, titled “4.” The single called Run the World made its video premiere in May this year. What makes this particular video interesting is that “Bey” performs the pantsula dance with a Mozambican kwaito dance group called Tofo Tofo. Born in the 1950’s in Alexandra Township, pantsula became a form of entertainment for the youth of that era, at a time when the dress code was heavily influenced by American film and music.Seeing the dance performed by an artist of Beyonce’s calibre bodes well for the

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WORLD!

art of dance as a whole as well as the African continent. Clad in the “typical pantsula” regalia of Converse “All Star” sneakers, the Tofo Tofo dancers can be seen giving their best in the video, representing the African continent impressively. The video had social networks abuzz with mixed reactions from fans and critics alike. Facebookers had their news feeds flooded by comments on the video, while twitter fanatics went a step further by making it a trending topic. And ofcourse “Bey” performs every move with expert precision and flair, showing off her natural talent. We hope to see more of this in the near future!

PURE ART

Knowing your roots is as important as knowing your indigenous art. Its something no one can take away from you no matter where you are in the world

ot many people know that South Africa possesses over 15000 known rock art sites. The city of Kimberley in the Northern Cape is home to over 400 rock engravings situated at a sacred hill at Wildebeest Kull. These artworks are believed to be the creative work of the ancestors of the nomadic tribe known as the San, who were known as the Xan. They are over 1000 years old and are believed to have religious significance. Just thinking about the work that went into creating these artworks should show that creativity comes in so many unique formsusing a pointed stone, the hard rock was chipped to form engravings that have lasted scores of decades. We still have the opportunity to take

some time out to explore the beauty of South Africa and the gems she holds in her bosom. While exploring Mzansi, one should take advantage of the existence of the beadwork of the Ndebele c u l t u r a l g ro u p , b a s e d i n t h e Northern regions. A hundred and

fifty year old art among the Ndebele, beadwork plays an integral part in the traditions and customs, however, it is a dying artform. Much of the culture has been affected by Western civilisation,

but beadwork has remained alive. Intricate and impressive pieces of beadwork are created to be worn almost exclusively by women and they are known to take up to 3 years to complete. A lot of craftsmanship, skill and patience is required to make a Ndebele beaded garment. Imagine having a garment with over 300Â 000 individually strung beads. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a figment of my imagination- some garments have half a million beads worked into the design! With vibrant use of colour, the beads are the history books and story tellers of the Ndebele and the artform continues to evolve even today, with various infusions into the designs. We can not let our indigenous art parish, its a legacy to keep.

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FRAMED

Barcoded recently had a chat with American photographer Jason Neil. He lets us in on his thoughts, future plans and ideas on his craft.

ho he is, where he’s originally from and what makes him different. Born and raised in Flint, Michigan, USA, I’m an actor, model and p h o t o g r a p h e r. I s t a r t e d o u t modelling and acting, but didn’t find any concrete work. I had a bunch of modelling agencies that were trying to rip me off and the only gigs that I got were being an extra in a few movies. I figured I could become a better actor and model by learning how to be a photographer- that way I could know and understand what a photographer looks for in a model. I recently just signed with IAMEYE Photography. I think every photographer has his/ her perspective on how they see things which is what makes them unique. Usually when I look at someone in the streets and I see what they are wearing, I will already have a vision of what kind of shot I would do if I were to do a photo shoot with them. It’s just a vision in my head. Any photographer that knows what they are doing serves as competition in my book. There are some greats that I have much respect for like Derek Blancs, Robert Oscar Night and Nick Saglembini.

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PERSONAL I guess it really depends on the kind of photography that they do too. Which photographers he thinks are underrated in the USA and how the USA market is accepting his work in comparison with international markets. I don’t feel that there are any underrated photographers out there. The only reason why a photographer may be underrated is because they are not marketing themselves like they should be. Everyone has their style of pictures that they want done, so it just depends on the type of photography that you do. Some photographers do really well in sports or weddings and others might excel at glamour or beauty shots. Photography is in great demand and if you market yourself to the right crowd you can be very successful. Everyone has a different style regardless of where they are

from. So I take what they are trying to convey and put my own personal touch to it. On what makes a good photographer besides a good eye and on working with themes. A good eye always helps… (Laughs out loud), but to really know your craft and know what you’re doing and how to express yourself and what you want the viewer to see. But I would have to say the biggest thing would be creativity. Try to think of something that no-one has ever done before. It’s always great to just sit and ponder on ideas and write them down so that you don’t forget them. Great photographers should do a series of photos and have a specific name for them and the photos are done a specific way. For instance, Derek Blancs with the “alter ego” photos; He thought outside of the box but he put his

RETOUCHING name on that art so now when you think of an alter ego photo, you have to think of Derek Blancs. That’s how you catch the eye of celebrity clients because it’s something new and if your name is on it, they will definitely come to you for a shoot because it’s your product.

“He was always taking pictures and it got on my nerves” I can work with most themes or concepts. Usually as soon as I hear an idea or concept for a photo shoot I will already have about 4-5 ideas as far as what I want it to look like. The

beautiful thing is you get to use your imagination and add your spunk to it as long as you’re meeting the needs of the client. Sheer luck or true talent? Funny thing is my step-dad was a photographer and I hated it. He was always taking pictures and it got on my nerves, but as I got older I would take pictures with camera phones and Kodak cameras and then I would try to edit them trying to get the photos to look like they were done in a professional; studio. I would move house lamps around trying to mimic certain lighting. So I became fascinated with photography and retouching and eventually I worked myself up to some decent equipment and now I’m able to take some great photos. The importance of education. In my opinion, the only education that is required is that of the craft or

that of the task. For instance, when an actor or actress lands a role in a film, 6 times out of 10 they know nothing about the part, so they’ll research it so that they can relate better to the part and portray that character in its best form. It’s the same thing with photography. You don’t have to have a college degree to be able to use a camera and take some shots, but if you find that you like the craft and you want to pursue it, then learn more about it. On working internationally and where people can view his work and how to contact him. No current plans right now, but I’m always open to doing international work or any kind of work that requires travel as long as the expenses are paid…(laughs out loud.) Right now the best place to view my work is facebook (Jason Neil) and www.modelmayhem.com/ jasonneilphotos.

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PIXELS composer is the only musician in Africa to be nominated twice for the Oscar Awards. He was nominated for the film Cry Freedom (1987) for original song and score in 1987 and 1988. His friend Caiphus Semenya also bagged a nomination for the African music he composed for Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple. Music and sound are just as important in film as acting, script and other elements of film-making. Can you imagine the opening of the film The last King of Scotland (2006) with Westlife playing in the background? Nothing said welcome to Africa more than that opening African music. Anyway all I am saying is that there is more to film-making than directing and acting.

BY DUDU MKHIZE

n F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 1 t h e 8 3 rd Academy Awards were held in Hollywood. What struck most people was the fact that not a single black man or woman was nominated in any category. A British newspaper commented that the awards were “hideously white.” This lack of representation became a cause for concern for critics and people of colour at large. Last year a black film, Precious garnered nine nominations at the Academy Awards, giving a lot of hope about the possibility of black movies becoming mainstream.

films have been shot. The National Film and Video Foundation could have submitted any of these films. Another bone of contention is the fact that all the films submitted by the NFVF are from white directors. There are great black directors in the country and one that quickly comes to mind is Ntshaveni wa Luruli. His film The Wooden Camera (2003) is a multi dimensional film and has the depth that is lacking in most local movies.

Anyway, why focus on Hollywood when we have our own problems? Up to date South Africa has submitted seven entries for Oscar nominations. They usually skip some years and it is unclear why. For the past few years the local film industry has been growing rapidly and a lot of

It deserved to be sent by the NFVF for Oscar nomination. Before Tsotsi (2006) I never knew that any South African had ever been nominated in the Oscars. Not only one but two South Africans were nominated for Oscars in the music category. Jonas Gwangwa, a prolific music

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“...the local film industry has been growing rapidly ....”

There are more ways to get nominated in the Oscars. An Academy Award is the ultimate prize in the film industry. As Whoopi Goldberg puts it, “When you win an Academy award, that’s part of what you’ve done, your legacy. I will always be Academy Award winner Whoopi Goldberg.” Even Academy award nominee still sounds good. Actually, forget the Oscars, look at the Nigerians. They’re making billions from their film industry and to my knowledge they have never won an Oscar. It’s time to make good films. Films like Madluphuthu and Bhuti Madlisa will never go anywhere in terms of awards but they have the potential to make money. So whatever your challenges are pick up your camera or even your phone and start shooting and remember the first black person to win an Oscar in any category, Hattie McDaniel had to sit in the segregated section of the theatre on that night. Seventy years later you have the chance to sit in the main gallery or at least make millions…

HANG GROUND SUITE UP

BRONZE ART NABBED FROM JOHANNESBURG ART GALLERY

ost of us are familiar with daily reports of copper cable theft all over the world, but it’s disturbing to realise the lengths that some individuals will take to get their hands on this element. Thieves are currently targeting bronze art that costs thousands or even millions of rands and it is feared they are selling it at scrap yards for mere peanuts. “I understand that art will be stolen,” said Noah Charney, who founded a think tank called the Association f o r R e s e a rc h i n t o C r i m e s Against Art. “But I get very upset when art is destroyed... that is an irrevocable attack on beauty, culture and civilisation.” Bronze Sculptures are only the latest target in South Africa: At the Johannesburg Art Gallery, home to Picassos, van Goghs and Rodins, thieves stole a figure of a woman in mourning by South African master sculptor Sydney Kumalo. The Kumalo is one of a total of four bronzes

taken in a robbery in January and another in September at the cityowned gallery. A small bronze titled “A chair, a boat and a vase” by well-known South African sculptor Barend De Wet was wrenched from the facade of the national art museum in Cape Town in May this year.“There’s a lot of very sophisticated (security) systems internationally that, unfortunately, we can’t afford,” said Antoinette Murdoch, chief curator of the Johannesburg Art Gallery. Murdoch said the city has promised her 1 million rand (about $125,000) to upgrade security, and she is seeking more from donors. Bernard Maguire, spokesman for the Metal Recyclers Association, said his industry group alerts scrap dealers across South Africa when a theft, whether of copper wire or a bronze statue is reported. “If they are caught with it, they can’t say that they didn’t know,” he said. Art galleries can barely afford to keep staff and fix their premises, so it is understandable that they cannot afford top of the range security systems.

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OFF RAMP

ALL HAIL THE STREET QUEEN

ell me, who is Nontsikelelo Mazwai? A multi-faceted individual. I have a lot of colourful personalities. I’m fun and crazy sometimes, at other times i’m quiet and in my own world. I’m 30 and loving it. Growing up in the urban streets of joburg, did you ever know you were going to be a house hold designer? Nope....I thought I was quite a nerd actually. How did you break into the fashion industry, and advance to where your designs are at nowadays? I just picked up the first bead and the rest was history. I didn’t plan to be in the fashion industry, it is something that kinda just happened. I still have a long way to where i am

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By Wandi 1ndi Dubula going. But yes, step by step. What does a single bead represent to you? Life, love, growth, creativity, good vibrations. Do you think fashion as an art is growing in south africa, and do you see a long term future for your bead work in the global market? I definately think my work is more relevant on a global market because it is so representative of south african youth culture. I want beadwork to be seen as more than just a craft but as an artform. Tell me about your recent showcase that you had? The Ntsiki Mazwai experience is a show i do regularly where i “show

off” my beadwork, my poetry and my music. It is an opportunity for the audience to get to know the different dynamics to me. (Lol!) Artists cannot always rely on the media to write about how good they are.... Sometimes we must ‘show dem!’ What have some of the challenges as a young designer that you have came across been to date? Shoo many! There aren’t support structures for artists in S.A. We all kinda just have to hustle- which makes it really hard for an artist to focus on their creativity. There also isn’t a set of rules in the industry, so anything goes....You can get bitten by sharks. Fashion is brewing so many novices every day, how do you keep up with that

hungry new talent? I’m not really competitive when it comes to my beadwork; i’m just doing my thing. I need the beadwork to balance my spirit. My energy can be quite all over the show sometimes so the beadwork centres me. As a poet and a writer how do you balance your fashion business in this fast paced media platform? I need all my talents to balance different parts of me. For me, it’s more about actually having a platform to do my art, than focusing on the media element. I suppose the tabloids have made me weary and sceptical.

Absolutely. Gigs dont just bring themselves-they are usually blessings from people. Yep, you need people! Can we expect your brand to branch out to other sub sections of fashion like, make- up, cell phones and energy drinks? I’m not in a rush to build my empire. I expect to live long so there are many possibilities. For me the focus is on putting out work that will pass through the generations. What are your future plans? Another album and dvd. Getting my beadwork in boutiques Travel, travel, travel!

How relevant is networking in your brand or your life?

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