ART MEETS MAINSTREAM
MAY / JUNE 2013
LEGENDZ
ERNEST COLE KCAB TO THE CITY S.A COMES ALIVE ON FREEDOM DAY
STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM now we here!
May / June 2013
IS ‘STARTING FROM THE BOTTOM’ ALL IT’S MADE OUT TO 1BE?
CONTENTS
Publisher Infin8Media Editor in Chief Phumzile Twala @PHUMIT
LEGENDZ
Production Manager Mbuso Mafuyeka @youngbuu IT Mnager Brian Ntuli @Brian_DeITwiz Sales Nomfundo Shabalala @angelicShabs
TITLE
Khethiwe Twala @misskittyred Graphic Designer Mbuso Mafuyeka @youngbuu
REVIEW
Contributing Writers Mduza van Gough @MduzavanGough Devour @DevourKelrnyora Phumzile Twala @PHUMIT
FASHION
Photography Hazel Mphande
For general enquiries email info@barcodedmag.co.za For advertising enquries email sales@barcodedmag.co.za
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SOUNDBOOTH f : barcodedMag t: @BarcodedMag w: www.barcodedmag.co.za e: info@barcodedmag.co.za 2
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LEGENDZ
ERNEST COLE KCAB TO THE CITY S.A COMES ALIVE ON FREEDOM DAY
STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM now we here!
May / June 2013
IS ‘STARTING FROM THE BOTTOM’ ALL IT’S MADE OUT TO3BE?
EDITOR’S LETTER “The biggest problem with every art is by the use of appearance to create a loftier reality.”- Johann von Goethe. Our theme for this issue was quite a challenge. What I thought would be a walk in the park turned out to be a jog in the desert. I surprisingly found it challenging to get artists to celebrate their success. I guess it’s either a case of pure surprise or a super form of humility. But our cover story illustrates how the path of a life within the arts can veer towards great success, as opposed to the stereo-typical label of ‘struggling artist’ which artist’s are usually involuntarily ‘hash-tagged’ with. Uncovered Extra features two ladies who share their experiences of how they made it into their respective industries. A new addition to the Barcoded Mag fam, Devour gives us an exclusive one-on-one with a Kenyan femcee making waves in music circles- Xtatic (Soundbooth feature.) MduzavanGogh’s column gives his insight into the phenomenon of the ‘struggling artist versus the sell out.’(A great read I must say)
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Our Pure Art feature has some handy information about some interesting exhibitions currently on at two of the country’s most popular galleries. Fashionistas can get a dose of opportunities available (Off Ramp.) We also have a report back about this year’s Back to the City Festival, with some great shots by Hazel Mphande of Hazey J Photography. We round things up with some music news in Soundbooth as well as our featured Legend, Ernest Cole. Whatever your hustle is, remember that everything happens in its own time. A person who summed it up the best way for me is Thapelo “TTP” in an interview we did with him, when he said: “We can’t all speak at the same time.” So starting from the bottom could be a blessing in disguise, because it teaches one the value of hard work and gives a greater sense of appreciation for the success that follows.
Much love to everyone supporting our movement! Signing Out Phumi T 4
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LEGENDZ
IT’S COLE ELOC S’TI BLACK AND WHITE “Three hundred years of white supremacy in South Africa has placed us in bondage, stripped us of our dignity, robbed us of our self-esteem and surrounded us with hate.” The man who wrote these words is one Ernest Cole.
Cole left his country of birth in 1966- New York bound. Together with Magnum Photos he got a publishing deal for a book, called House of Bondage. The book was banned in South Africa.
Cole is an acclaimed photographer, whose work captured the essence of apartheid-showing it’s evils and social effects.
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Cole started taking photographs at a very young age after he was given a camera by a Roman Catholic Priest”
Born in 1940, Eesterust Pretoria, Cole started taking photographs at a very young age after he was given a camera by a Roman Catholic Priest in the 1950s. He was employed as assistant to Drum magazine’s chief photographer in 1958. No stranger to correspondence study, (he completed his matric this way) Cole enrolled with the New York Institute of Photography and did a course with them. His project of choice entailed recording the social effects of apartheid. Two years later, he became South Africa’s first black freelancer, by providing services for Drum, the Rand Daily, The World and Sunday Express. May / June 2013
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ole used his gift to document the full range of black people’s experiences under the apartheid regime. His photography represented what it was like to be black under apartheid. Some of his work has been exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (Photojournalism exhibition) and at the Apartheid Museum (Life Under Apartheid.) The photographs are evidence of Cole’s dedication towards showing theworld how much oppression his country of birth was facing. 6
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During his time in exile, Cole moved to Sweden, and took up film-making. He later died of cancer in New York on February 18 in 1990. Ernest Cole my have died in exile, but his work lives on. The Tate Museum in London exhibited his photographyColour this Whites Only, while the Johannesburg Art Gallery presented the largest retrospective of his work in 2010: Ernest Cole: Photographer.
he worked with while residing in Sweden, between 1969 and1975.
Ernest Cole’s work has been used extensively by the ANC government in their various publications over the years and continues to be exhibited for different generations. In 2012, and exhibition at the Barbican Centre in London contained some of Cole’s work which was long thought to be lost, but was rediscovered recently in Sweden. His work, which showed how he identified intimately with the struggles of black South Africans during a time of oppression continues to be celebrated, alongside that of A rare collection of Cole’s contemporaries such as Peter prints was donated to the Magubane , the late Alf KumHasselblad Foundation by alo and former colleague JurTio Fotografer, an association gen Schadeberg. By : Phumzile T
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A rare collection of Cole’s prints was donated to the Hasselblad Foundation by Tio Fotografer, an association he worked with while residing in Sweden, between 1969 and1975. May / June 2013
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COLUMNIST
Who Is Greater?
The Starving Artist VS The Sell-Out
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We all believe in love, right? Yes. And what do live a life of poverty in pursuit of success. That’s you love more, money or the euphoria of being pretty sweet don’t you think ladies? It makes you in love, whether it is with a person or an object wet doesn’t it? You’ve got to admit it evokes a or something? In today’s world we love money more than anything, am I right? Being a “Starving Artist” is cool; but dying Of course I am. (Why am I even asking?) Women of today love money more than from starvation isn’t cool. they love us and our gorgeous male appendages [laughs]. This isn’t bad at all- blame bit of a romantic and a mysterious feeling around the economy; but how do LOVE and MONEY af- it. Just imagine a young black guy, with a rugged fect the modern day artist? Artists normally have look and an unkempt beard, wearing clothes that a fear of selling out, they think that their art look like they were worn by his father in the 80s, wouldn’t be taken seriously anymore if they go wearing torn Basquiat-esque gloves and in his mainstream; which is true, but sad really if you deep voice he tells you that he came to Jo’burg think about it. Some talented individual would to pursue his dream as a painter/writer/guitarrather die broke and legendary than make money ist/ fashion designer/photographer or an illustrafrom their amazing work and enjoy it. tor and he won’t stop until he makes it. Don’t tell me that that doesn’t make your pink matter a bit The starving artist is someone who chooses to wet [laughs]. May / June 2013
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Being a “Starving Artist” is cool; but dying from starvation isn’t cool. Some of the greatest artists of yester year didn’t survive the fate of the starving artist...death. Vincent Van Gogh died broke- he’s a rich dead man though considering that his paintings have been sold for millions and millions over the years. In South Africa we know a lot of starving artists, musicians that die without a penny to their name, but that’s a discussion for another day. The starving artist has an arch-enemy, the sell-out or “the guy that made it.” The sell-out represents everything that the starving artist is against. The sell-out is that artist who has exhibitions all over and whose work is sought after and is sold/bought for exorbitant amounts of money, someone who has made his work a business, a very profitable business, while the starving artists frown upon him until he dies or until they (the starving artists) die from poverty. Who is to blame for this? Is it the media and pop culture? Well, the media, past and present portrayed artists in that way, so then the artists bought into that notion of the starving artists and started living impoverished lives and instead of pursuing fame and fortune.
If you were an artist, what would you do? Would you stay true to your art and not sell-out? Or say %$#@ it, I’ll make my money and keep my art as real as possible? I was watching this movie the other day- it’s called The Words, starring Bradley Cooper (Yeah that guy from Limitless, my woman loves him too.) He’s a struggling writer in this movie and he has written an amazing book, but it’s too dark and sad for the market. So he accidentally gets hold of a manuscript of a book written by a war survivor while serving in Europe in the 2nd World War, rewrites this book and passes it off as his, and the book sells and he becomes a phenomenon. Basically what I’m saying is he kind of sold out in the worst way possible. But do you blame him, the man is probably faced with bills up to his pretty eyes (which I want to poke) and he doesn’t know what to do. He chose to sell out. Had he not published the old man’s book, he would’ve been broke, so broke that his wife would’ve left him. That’s what we fear the most as men. This goes way deep, but we have to decide who the better and greater man is. I feel sell-outs have played a bigger role in the world, the graphic designers, the illustrators, the photographers and the writers, the copy writers, have actually done more for the world, whether it’s good or bad, convincing you to buy something that’ll help you and vice-versa. But the starving artist teaches a lot as well depending on how you look at it: Not to live a life of mediocrity, not to do things or support things you don’t believe in and to be true to ourselves and live life to the fullest , money or no money . The sell-out has real men problems, whilst the starving artists “keeps it real” by spending recklessly, drinking with loose women and fellow broke artists, because money has no value to them, their art means more than money, whereas to the sell-out, Art equals money...in all currencies baby.
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Not to live a life of mediocrity, not to do things or support things you don’t believe in”
By: MduzavanGogh
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“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton
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Send your work to “submissions@barcodedmag.co.za with the subject line “we say” 12
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WE SAY Tabula Rasa (Blank Slate) In all my life I always wished that people could give me half a chance so I can fully express The poetry that burns inside me I increased the resolution and adjusted the contrast But no one really gets the picture Instead I’ve been cast down and they counted me out they said I’ll never be anything Without even having an ounce of doubt As bleak as it seemed I was prepared to listen to the demons that whisper in my ear And squander my dreams Until I heard a little voice screaming out inside of me telling me that even photons start small before they become laser beams I felt an electrified impulse out of human threshold flowing in my arteries with enough potential energy to recharge my Self-Esteem batteries and only then I realised That my future actually started yesterday, and I’m already late. I’ve been looking for reality yet, It is what I could make of it. My blank slate has always hungered to be written upon, now I’ll feed it with my raw talent because even Destiny decided to answer my call. Chronicle_Son Sisonke papu May / June 2013
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THEATRE
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MARKET THEATRE PRESENTS: THE MOUNTAINTOP Coming soon to Barney Simon, at the Market Theatre, is :”The Mountaintop”, a production that was crowned with the OLIVIER AWARD IN 2010 FOR BEST NEW PLAY on the London stage, and staged on Broadway with acting luminaries Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Basset. The South African staging of the play is directed by Warona Seane, and features powerhouse performances from acting veterans Sello Sebotsane and Mwenya Kabwe. Critics the world over have unanimously praised the production: “…Even before the first flash of lightning — and there will be plenty of that before evening’s end — an ominous electricity crackles through the opening moments of “The Mountaintop”… I felt a spark of Dr. King-like divinity in his rousing climactic oratory.” (New York Times). “… fearless… dizzying… prophetic….” (San Jose Mercury News). The Mountaintop will be staged at the Market Theatre from 12 June to 21 July 2013 for 6 weeks only. Visit www.markettheatre .co.za for more info about bookings.
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COVER STORY
IS ‘STARTING FROM THE BOTTOM’ ALL IT’S MADE OUT TO BE? How many times have you dreamt of the day you “make it?” The day you can look back and share your success with those who helped you on the way up... The day you get your own E! Hollywood Story... Or even better...the day your favourite director works on
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your biopic. The day your face is plastered on every weekly magazine worldwide... The day you get stalked by the paparazzi in the Karoo...The day you get to tell your story to aunty Oprah... The day... Okay, okay. Before my wild imagination gets carried away, let me
just say that I’ve always been fascinated by the phenomenon called fame. Not so much watching celebrities weaving through traffic to avoid being snapped by “scandal-hungry” paps. But more by the actual “come up.”
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So when the Canadian wordsmith who calls himself Drake released a song called “Started from the Bottom,” the lyrics caught my attention. Simple, but catchy lyrics stating “Started from the bottom now we’re here/ Started from the bottom now my whole team fucking here/Started from the bottom now we’re here/Started from the bottom now the whole team here nigga.” On any day these lyrics could be understood to be nothing more than words that form a rhyme scheme, laid down on a hip hop beat. But the story that Drake is relating is one that many artists would love to tell.
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One man who has the privilege of telling such a story is Cirque du Soleil founder and President Guy Laliberte. The Canadian former street performer turned his passion into a billion dollar empire. He went from busking on the streets of Europe and Canada to owning one of the most successful modern circus acts of our time. His artistry ranged from entertaining people by walking on stilts, juggling, dancing and playing songs. He went on to form an acrobatic troupe that deviated from the norms of circus acts. His group integrated elements of dance, gymnastics and theatre into their performance. This caught the attention of casino mogul Steve Wynn, who brought the troupe to Las Vegas. The success of Cirque Du Soleil has amassed Laliberte an estimated 2.5 billion dollars. He’s been quoted as saying: “Business is difficult. But it could be approached two ways: Seriously, or with the same way you’re doing your job, with entertainment aspect, with pleasure, with fun. And we decided to try to make it as fun as we do our creativity.” Now Ion Barladeanu’s ‘rags to riches’ story is one that’s caught the art world’s attention. The Romanian was homeless since 1989 and is now an internationally acclaimed contemporary artist. While living in the garage room of a Bucharest tower and surviving on odd jobs, he worked with a collection of old magazines which he used to create clipped-out artwork on hand-painted backgrounds. His work was displayed as part of a show in 2008. The following year his work was exhibited at the prestigious Basel Art Fair. 2010 saw him exhibiting in a solo show in Paris. He’s also the subject of Emmy award-winning documentary “The World According to Ion B.”
Cirque du Soleil
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The lesson here is that we all have to start somewhere”
On a lighter note, (or heavier in this case), young South Africans have born witness to a new craze, called “twerking.” Well, it’s technically not so unique to them, since youngsters all over the world are going crazy over it. But what’s different in this case is that a local group of ladies who call themselves the “ProTwerkers” are making waves all over the social scene. The ladies have brought sexy back to being “bootyful.” They amassed even more attention after their performance at the Kanye West concert earlier this year. Their work seems to have gotten them attention from international artists- there’s speculation that they’re in negotiations with Busta Rhymes. Classic case of “started at the bottom” methinks. The lesson here is that we all have to start somewhere. In any profession- not just the arts. Becoming a great artist takes hard work and dedication, and that sometimes means having to ‘pay your dues.’ Hip hop mogul Diddy once said: ‘if I couldn’t do the little jobs, I could never get to the big jobs.” Starting from the bottom isn’t so bad after all huh?
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ENTERTAINMENT
INTERNATIONAL RIHANNA HEADING TO SOUTH AFRICA
International Pop Sensation Rihanna is bringing her Diamonds World Tour to South Africa this October. Big Concerts recently revealed that the Bajan pop princess will be performing at two shows in October. On the 13 she’ll be in Johannesburg and on the 16 he’ll be performing in Cape Town. Rihanna’s released seven albums under Island Def Jam, since bursting onto the scene with her hit single Pon De Replay. 6 Grammy Awards later, she’s also been named as Forbes’ number one Social Media Star. She’s also the top selling digital artist of all time and has a following of over 27 million people on Twitter. Tickets in Joburg range from R330 to R930, and in Cape Town from R275 to R820. Tickets are available from Computicket.
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POSTER MUSICIAN
AKA 20
www.trufm.co.za
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urbanfaith.com
POSTER Artist
Tribute
Author of All thing fall apart
Chinua Achebe 1930- 2013
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SOUNDBOOTH
NAIROBI
‘HITTING XTATIC-STYLE EM UP’ By: Devour KeLenyora
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To be quite honest with you, it baffles me when I come across an artist who is so magnificent at their craft that naturally, I’m inclined to asking-where the hell have you been all along? Xtatic is no exception to this inclination and I think I speak for all of us when I say WE WANT ANSWERS! Let’s hear what she has to say… DEVOUR: So, lady Xtatic, allow me to quickly get the obvious out the way by asking you to briefly let our readers know who you are, what you’re about and when your musical journey started.
Artist name: Xtatic Real names: Gloria Edna Mecheo XTATIC: I’m 21, a rapper, singer, songwriter and poet. I started rapping at 13 in a group of 3 in school where two of them would sing and back me up when we would perform. I loved singing, in fact, I used to sing more than I could rap but I considered rapping after seeing a gap in the industry for female rappers (not that there weren’t any) and I felt that there was not enough being done. So at 16 I began writing down my raps in the form of poetry while looking for studios. She’s faced different struggles coming up, from not getting quality studio time to being turned down when she knocked on doors. This made her take some time out to do a bit of research on hip hop, music and to work on herself as an artist, which ultimately armed her with knowledge and a better polished craft.
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many female rappers- especially in Africa- come up too fast and stop learning the art since they believe they are greater with what they are doing She thought doing so was particularly important because she believes that “many female rappersespecially in Africa- come up too fast and stop learning the art since they believe they are greater with what they are doing and end up not knowing what to do next.” So yes it was a struggle coming up and the prep track (which got me signed by the way) was almost the last track I wanted to put out to see if people will accept this new redefined me. And more fortunately than surprisingly they did. May / June 2013
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DEVOUR: Sony BMG, that’s quite a move. Congratulations on getting signed to them! Has being a signed artist lived up to your expectations? XTATIC:Thank you. Being signed is different, especially in what to expect since before getting signed. I had close to no idea how it works especially when it is a huge label like Sony, since we are used to just getting songs out there and hoping for shows, let alone endorsements. So when I was called about getting signed I had all these theories, thoughts and of course expectations that were just too big to be real; but you know later I found out I was just building a house with no foundation. Everything has to have a systematic way with how it happens, a strategy and not just immediate products without follow ups. After being signed, I learned a lot that will most definitely help me in the future and is helping me now.” “We’re convinced that Xtatic has the kind of standout talent that will take her into many different markets and are thrilled to welcome her into the Sony recording family.”- RCA Africa Director, Spiro Damaskinos. DEVOUR: What have you found to be the biggest misconception about the industry thus far? XTATIC: THE BIGGEST, HUGEST misconception is how female emcees are treated in the industry and it is sad that, in Africa we take second place. Here is why; a female rapper could be good enough to take out male rappers but there will always be this backward and close minded (unfortunately it’s the majority) crowd that feel the presence of a male rapper is still greater than the skill of a female rapper. I fuss about this daily. DEVOUR: Your latest single Hit Em Up features Priddy Ugly and AKA. Is there a specific reason why you went with South African cats on a song that would be single material for you? XTATIC: I get that a lot, especially from my country. Here is the thing; I felt the single needed a stronger opponent, someone who would not necessarily take it anywhere but someone who would know how to run with the beat and to me. I had loved and been a fan of AKA’s lyrical ability and the way he has so much character in his singles so I felt he was best for that song. It didn’t matter that he was South African, coz at first I did not know which country he was from; I just knew I loved his music and delivery.Then came Priddy Ugly, a very talented rapper whom I wanted to work with … Popped by studio to say hi to his friends ‘the Fahrenheitz’ (my producers) and he came up with a chorus that I felt gave the song a proper mood.
DEVOUR: What went down in the studio when you recorded Hit Em Up? Take usthrough your best moments of that process. XTATIC: Hit em up was recorded on two separate days. The first was with AKA; hecame through to the studio during the daytime and he had such a cool vibe with him plus he loved the beat. It was my first day to have the pleasure of meeting such an awesome rapper, but since he had a show later on he said he would drop by after the show with his bars ready. He came through at around 11pm and from the moment I heard him record I knew he was there to slay the beat. I mean he was so calm when he was out the booth but when he was in there, he came out live and loud like a different person and that’s really cool. The hook took some time before we recorded it. When Priddy came through to the studio, he loved the beat so much he had a verse for it, but it was already gone and done with. I wanted a separate song with only me and him in it however. After hours of talking music we played the beat once again for me to think of a chorus and ‘baaam!’ there Priddy goes humming some dead ass hook which I felt would be great for the chorus.
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DEVOUR: I am such a fan of your work (yes that needs to be known). Should we expect an album from you anytime soon? XTATIC: Yeah, most definitely. I can’t let the year end without an Xtatic album. That would be so unfair, wouldn’t it?[Watch me nod like a geeked- out retard.] DEVOUR: Every artist I know wants to leave a legacy behind. What do you wantyours to be?
XTATIC: Mine would definitely be when you feel like you have a passion to do something, let people be convinced and believe that you are not playing around with a hobby.
DEVOUR: How are you hoping to change the face of hip hop in Nairobi? XTATIC: I just need hip-hop artists to stop putting themselves in a box and start working for their music. Sometimes artists are so used to seeing hip hop not grow as much that they stop working for their music. I believe if we work hard with our genre of music and that includes lyrically and showing effort of change from being dark and underground, people will see that and start accepting the genre more.
DEVOUR: There must be something you hunger to achieve the most in your career… Would you please share that with us?
XTATIC: More than a Grammy, I just want to be that lady who changed the close minded perspective of putting women in second place all the time, because we don’t even notice when we do it to ourselves. DEVOUR: Lastly, it would be absolutely silly of me to let you go without asking this for all my hopeful African brothers out there; is there a Mr. Xtatic out there somewhere or are you single to mingle? No cow-dung please Xtatic, we demand the truth!
XTATIC: UNFORTUNATELY (but fortunately for me) there is a Mr. Man who has been there as a best friend, advisor and soul mate. Sorry guys.
Follow: @XtaticSamz on twitter And get some of her music here: http://www.reverbnation.com/xtatic
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BACK TO THE CITY 2013 By : HAZEL MPHANDE
HAZEL MPHANDE SHARES HER PHOTOGRAPHY TALENTS AT BACK TO THE CITY 2013
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REVIEWS
SPACEMUNNA PRESENTS: THE LIMPHOP DOCUMENTARY
From when the first track kicks in, and the opening credits pop on to the screen, one gets a sense that SpaceMunna’s story is going to be an interesting ride. After all he is the first emcee/producer from Limpopo to document the state of the province’s hip hop scene... Diau Madisha lives up to his moniker Spaceman by taking the viewer on a journey far beyond expectations with this offering. Joining him on a trek to Limpopo, the viewer’s introduced to how it all began and merges into a collection of intros from various Limphopsters. You can’t help but laugh when EJ proudly states which city he’s representing (pause-no village.) We’re introduced to natives of the Bolobedo region, new skool Tzaneen cats and veterans like Hoodlum(rapper and producer) who takes us back to his birth in Pietersburg (that’s Polokwane for all the Born Frees.) The mini geography lesson that follows is quite helpful in giving outsiders a better idea of the province. The next few minutes are dedicated to an anthem called “Limpopo Rise.” This is the first of a few videos featuring local artists, shot in the area. They serve as a condiment to the plate of Limpopo served for the viewer to nibble at for nearly two hours.
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In one of the few moments that show the lack of progression in certain areas of the province, Space is seen setting up a mobile studio, so he can record Iceman’s verse. Sadly a stereotype plays itself out when the lanky fellow mentions that he’s never recorded in a studio. This doesn’t take away from the confidence he exudes regardless. “Hip Hop is an art; it’s a passion,” he says. He goes on to pull a tape out of his pocket, while Space shares that his first tape in high school was also a cassette tape. Language is tackled next. ”Music is not defined by language.”Beatmaker A commendable aspect of the documentary is the variation in industry stakeholders, whose opinion were sought. Radio DJ Lingo shares her sentiments on her appreciation of language in hip hop. Lakeflow explains his mission of incorporating his mother tongue, Xitsonga, into his rhymes, in an effort to promote this language, while also getting his message across as an artist. Cutting to scenes where Space is on the road, talking about scenery in different places- and actually getting to see the lush green hills is re-
freshing. In contrast to stereotypes about the province, Space moves on to a freestyle by ninja-esque Nawty P, who draws the viewer in to listen to what he has to say with his rhyme skill. Killah B invites Space into his home and the viewer is given a glimpse of the wide reach and influence of the country’s most popular hip hop publication, Hype magazine. His style of rap fuses different languages so he can get his message across. Aspirant producers should take a closer look when Space shows how he constructs a beat from scratch. Or rather, from bass drum... So as to remind the viewer that the documentary is about Limpopo Hip Hop, Space attempts to include most aspects of the culture. (There’s some nice footage of dance group Chemical Reaction in the footage.) Consulting with one of the local radio deejays reveals the current state of the movement at ground level, within the communities. Visuals of youth participating in some of the events, in between the interviews adds some form of encouraging factor regarding progress in the movement, while most of the visual effects are entertaining and quite cool.
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LIMPOPO HIP HOP Space succeeds in tackling most issues in Limpopo Hip Hop. Cue Raymond, who has to travel over 20 kilometres (no typo) just to get to an internet cafe. The artist also keeps his monologues in between interviews minimal, and informative. Getting into the nitty gritties of challenges facing the industry, with local veterans adds an eye-opening element to the doccie. Simple conversation that points out issues, but also offers viable solutions should hopefully show Limpopo artists the potential they have. If anything, the documentary gives a wellrounded view of Limpopo Hip Hop. Spacemunna succeeds in getting the viewer to re-think previous misconceptions about the industry in the north. Another important aspect that’s brought up is African culture within the Hip Hop culture. Some valid points raised here! The Limpopo Hip Hop Documentary is a stellar effort by one of the country’s innovative minds. Safe to say Limpopo can Salute Spacemunna as King of Limphop doccies! “The credits might go up,v but the story’s not over...”Spacemunna Check out: www.Spacemunna.com Email: info@spacemunna.com Twitter: @SpaceMunnaMusic
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FASHION
PEN & INK= DIRTY COLLECTIVE Dirty Collective is an online concept store representing and selling local clothing brands. The store celebrates the work of local designers and artists. Their own project is titled Pen& Ink, which is a limited edition artist series. The series’ focus is on the raw aspects of illustration: hand-generated and paying homage to imagination. For this series, 5 young artists were chosen to answer the brief: Ninjabreadboy- Cape Town Based illustrator and street artist. Skullboy- Durban based illustrator and artist Bruce Mackay- Cape Town based illustrator and artist Lee Herbert- Cape Town based tattoo artist representing sins of style tattoo parlour R!OT- Joburg based illustrator and graffiti artist The artists were asked to illustrate on an A3 page and their designs were silkscreened at the exact sizes. The limited edition includes 30 T-shirts from each artist. Buy them online here: www.dirtycollective.co.za
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INTERN WANTED:
LITERATURE RESEARCH- JOHANNESBURG
The Bag Factory Artist’s studios is writing and publishing a book on informal arts organizations in South Africa, in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. The Bag Factory is seeking an intern to assist the writers and editors with the compilation of information to this end. The project is expected to run from May to October 2013. The applicant would be required to work from the Bag factory Artist’s Studios (Mahlatini street Fordsburg, Johannesburg) Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm. In order to apply the applicant must send the following documents to info@bagfactoryart.org.za by 11 May 2013: CV Letter of Motivation as to why you should be selected for the project A Copy of your ID or passport. The selected applicant will be notified by 25 May 2013 and must be available to work on the project from the 01 June 2013. Background info: The book aims to include first-hand accounts from the people who worked in organizations such as the Johannesburg Art Foundation, Thupelo Artists Workshops, FUBA and the Bag Factory. The texts will be a collection of personal experiences of the artists, intellectuals, and activists who were able to organize themselves into informal collectives to develop the arts for themselves and other aspiring artists and to provide an arts education for ordinary young people from the townships who had no access to the arts.
TELL SOMEBODY! May / June 2013
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HOW IT ALL STARTED VUYO LUTSEKE MEDIA& COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER AT NELSON MANDELA CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL TRUST My First job… I won’t count the job where I worked for my dad at his pharmacy - I was just cheap labour! My first real job was while at university, working at Exclusive Books at the V&A Waterfront as a sales assistant. What it meant to me at the time… Well... MONEY! I earned it and I could spend it however I wanted! Also, I’m obsessed with books so to work in a place that encouraged staff to read - and gave staff discounts - was great! What I learned… • It’s possible to have a job that fulfils your passion! • I learnt what good service is. When you understand the behindthe-scenes stuff, you know to demand good service when you’re the customer. • I also remember that staff was treated well there, and we didn’t have to deal with snooty, rude customers if we didn’t want to! • Finally, being rich doesn’t mean people aren’t going to try get a discount wherever they can! It’s shocking the number of times people tried to negotiate prices down - like it was my mama’s shop!
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HOW IT ALL STARTED SIHLE HLOPHE FILMMAKER
My First Job… Today I am an independent filmmaker and storyliner/scriptwriter for one of eTV’s daily soaps’ ‘Scandal’ but the first job I had was as a videographer and video editor at Dhlamini Multimedia Solutions in Nelspruit back in 2006. I worked for this production company during the school holidays because I was still a student at the University of the Witwatersrand where I was completing my BA in the Dramatic Arts majoring in Television Production and Scriptwriting. The job entailed covering live events such as funerals, weddings, concerts and government events in different parts of Mpumalanga.
What I learned along the way… Although I didn’t get paid much and the job was strenuous and tedious at times, I learnt a great deal about team work and the discipline that is needed in the production sector. At times, we would be up at 4 in the morning and shoot until midnight but it was quite a rewarding experience; not only did I get to meet different people from all walks of life, I also got to explore parts of Mpumalanga that I had not encountered before. Where I am today… It has been five years since I left that job but I have been blessed with countless opportunities to do so many other interesting things on my journey as a filmmaker. I’ve been an exchange student in Europe, I’ve screened my documentaries on SABC 1 and at several film festivals, I’ve worked on two children’s shows, one of them has seen me shooting in exotic locations such as the Kalahari desert; I’m shooting my first short fiction film with the NFVF in Mpumalanga this year and right now, I have the privilege of working with some of the best writers in the country at ‘Scandal’. What you need to know… Things have not always been easy; I had to fight to stay in school, fight to get employment, fight to build my confidence, fight to refine my craft, fight to get along with people from different backgrounds and fight to claim my place in this fickle industry. If you’re not passionate about your craft, you can forget about making it in this industry. You need to be self-motivated, you need to have drive, focus, discipline… it’s not all about the glamour, celebrities and awards, it’s all about the passion. When you’ve got passion, hard work becomes second nature because you love what you do so much that it doesn’t matter how hard you need to work in order to get the job done. Push, hustle, work yourself to the bone, get your name out there, don’t compromise on quality, seek spiritual balance, spread the love, keep the passion alive and nothing and no one can stand in your way.
Brain Matter Media
May / June 2013
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SOUNDBOOTH EXTRA ZONKE SET TO RECORD LIVE DVD: “GIVE AND TAKE”
Award-winning Afro-Soul songstress Zonke Dikana will be recording a Live DVD this June. The Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City, Johannesburg will host Zonke, who’ll be accompanied by a 20-piece- band.“Give and Take” will be her first release under her label, Leely Music.The show will be on the 2 nd of June 2013 Tickets are available at Computicket.
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PROTWERKERS GOING GLOBAL? The SA ProTwerkers might be jetting off to the US to work with international rap superstar Busta Rhymes. Speculation became rife, following Busta’s tweet: “@ProTwerkers u ladies need 2 be a part of my #TWERKIT Movement. #LETSGOOOOLadies” Their management is currently in talks with Rhymes’ people.
PROTWERKERS
BONGZ BONGANI FASSIE’S ‘RISE’
Universal Music South Africa is proud to announce the release of Bongani Fassie’s new album, “Rise.” “We are extremely proud to continue the Fassie Legacy at Universal Music South Africa,” said Lindelani Mkhize, Universal music South Africa’s Group Executive director (SA and Sub-Sahara Africa) including A&R. The 29-year-old star is a multi-instrumentalist, who plays piano, drums, guitar and congas. “Bongz” as he’s affectionately known, is also an accoplished dancer, rapper and producer. “Rise” features the likes of Snegga, J lawless and Pro Kid.
May / June 2013
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