Tony X’s Rising Star
The tale of the musician who began performing in church and graduated to the bright lights of the secular music industry is one as old as time. Their voices usually enhanced by the discipline and training required by the church choir, this is the back story to one of Punchline’s finest; Tony X. “My parents […]
Luna Florentino’s road to music redemption
Luna Florentino excites me. Whether its listening to him freestyle around words that Queen Azizzar throws out at him during a Massiv Metro interview, or taking in Fresh Prince of Rustenburg one song/week at a time; there’s an ease around the mic that Koketso Ramafuthula embodies that’s difficult to ignore. Narrating his life story as […]
Manu Worldstar’s new frontier
To many people, finding the distinction between a South African expression of a culture of Bronx, New York origin seems a natural progression. To others, that differentiation skirts a blasphemous line of diversion from the altar of hip hop foundations. Manu Worldstar is losing his religion in musical exploration and blurring every line that comes […]
Punchline Season
In choosing the the creative direction for the group cover, we wanted to pay homage to the one of the greatest hip hop covers of all time; the Vibe Death Row Cover of 1996. 96 was an iconic year for hip hop. Referencing that cover meant showing – just like Death Row at the time […]
Imraan Christian: The Storyteller
Meeting Imraan Christian, the person, is foreshadowed by the idea of Imraan Christian, the artist. Ours was an encounter at a vegan restaurant, surrounded by the fruit orchard and vegetable garden that supplies the farm-to-table establishment. Robed in a white long-sleeved linen shirt and a similarly slacked bottom, the idea of his ‘son of the […]
YoungstaCPT: The King
For any artist, the debut album is a fabled thing. An introduction to a mass audience, a culmination of past work, and a distinct declaration of an artist’s current creative space, the debut is a significant and infinite threshold. For an artist like YoungstaCPT, this milestone comes at the perfect time and most importantly, on […]
Rolo Rozay: The Hustler
The gatekeeper exists within every subculture. In social terms, a gatekeeper is an individual who upholds certain ideals and values that are critical to the behaviour of a particular group or society. Sneaker culture is no different. By virtue of that fact, the gatekeepers in sneaker culture or more commonly known as OGs, are those […]
Hayden Manuel – The Connect
Hip hop and urban culture isn’t averse to the concept of the powerbroker. Where artists tend to get the lions’ share of the spotlight and attention in an industry that favours the flamboyant, the role of the “connect” is one that is largely overlooked. Hayden Manuel is one such role-player that has kept the cogs […]
Zaid Osman – The Architect
Zaid Osman is quietly unassuming. His modest demeanour a stark contrast to the magnitude of his entrepreneurial achievements at age 25, Zaid is the founder of the Lost Property Store, Sneaker Exchange in South Africa and his newest streetwear venture, Grade Africa. On how he got into sneaker culture, he says “Almost feel like I […]
The Cape Crusaders
Moonchild Sanelly – A Dream Chaser
Sanelisiwe Twisha sits cross-legged on the floor of her apartment, looking up as she speaks to me. While her physical demeanour in the moment is seemingly diminutive and antithetical to the large personality that’s a hallmark of her brand, in that moment, there’s nothing about her that doesn’t exude power. There’s a joie de vivre […]
Cassper Nyovest – Still Striving
It’s been 3 years since South Africa watched on as an ambitious young maverick challenged deep-rooted perceptions and filled an arena previously dominated by some of the biggest names in music globally. Twenty thousand people were in the audience at The Dome as Cassper Nyovest (real name, Refiloe Phoolo) joined elite company and took to […]