Ten Life Lessons I Learned From Stogie T For His 40th Birthday
“I make lines speak to the heart of the darkness, everything’s hidden, unless you’re listening with your conscious, take and revisit them lyrics to feel the content.” The greatest emcee from Africa turns 40 years old today. Boitumelo Molekane was born on 16 August 1981 in Tanzania where his parents were exiled. Since then, the […]
Hersh Is Finding Peace Of Mind Somewhere In Cape Town
If someone tweeted a candle emoji next to the words “Cape Town,” it would be well understood that being in the Mother City would be a dream come true. For singer and songwriter Hersh, creating music in Cape Town, celebrating the talent of his city, and the love he shares in his relationship have informed […]
Ranking The 30 Best Khuli Chana Songs
Khuli Chana is enjoying a second act of sorts. All within the first half of 2021, he has had two pivotal moments already. His towering performance on Stino Le Thenny’s “Mshimane 2.0” alongside K.O. as well as the release and subsequent success of his latest single “Buyile” Ft. TylerICU, Stino Le Thwenny & Lady Du. […]
Farewell, the great Village Pope
Tsepo Tshola, the Lesotho master musician whose music underscored our celebratory times and offered a warmth of solace in our periods of grief has died. “I’m a son of a preacher and a prayer woman. They got married on stage. I’ve got all of this love of music and love of God from my parents. […]
Remembering PRO: Where Mortality Meets Legend
“I know I’m a ghetto superhero, fede nami ngina ma phutha, but I’m more Steve Biko for my people, than I am Martin Luther…” – PRO, ‘Makasana’ Linda ‘Pro’ Mkhize is a once in a lifetime talent. An emcee so rare that even past his prime, his enduring impact and legacy has lived through the […]
Balancing Hope With Struggle in Motivational Music
A good story always seeks to strike balance the sunshine and the darkness and sometimes the good story is woven out of the darkness itself. Most great works of art aren’t all sweet, hopeful and funny. From books to films, to comedy, good artists always balance the bright and cheerful with darkness in some way. […]
I love both Nas and Jay-Z dearly but I don’t ever want to hear another collaboration from them again. Sorry, not sorry.
Two days ago, the internet was abuzz with a confirmed new Nas and Jay-Z collaboration on the upcoming DJ Khaled album, Khaled Khaled. Once again, Khaled was praised for pulling off a rare fixture on a song – something he’s built a reputation for achieving numerous times. I was also excited. Nas and JAY-Z are […]
4+20 Songs to Roll Up and Blaze To on 4/20
Today is 4/20! Man, who would’ve known that the exploits and escapades of five high scholars from California in the 70s would start a worldwide “holiday” observed by multitudes of weed aficionados the world over? Well, I’m pretty sure half of you reading this are already levitating off the high and aren’t interested in thinking […]
10 Best Soundtracks of Films Now Showing On Showmax
From Straight Outta Compton to The Photograph, these are 10 of the best film soundtracks of films now showing on Showmax, in our humble opinion… A major talking point soon after the release of the Fred Hampton biopic, Judas and The Black Messiah (2021), on 12 February 2021, was the soundtrack that accompanied the film. […]
God of the Game. AKA for The Showmax Issue
Kiernan Forbes begins his Showmax documentary, Orchestra on the Square, saying “Excellence to me is a mind state. The gift that I’ve been given, I believe is a gift from God, and God is the perfect example of excellence. God is excellence. And I consider myself the god of the game.” In Greek mythology extreme […]
Her Majesty, The Queen. Busiswa for The Showmax Issue
At the apex of an artist’s creativity lies licence. Definitively, poetic licence is “the freedom an artist or writer has to change details, distort facts, or ignore the usual rules.” This doesn’t necessarily mean that lies are being shared; consider, rather, that conventions of storytelling are shifted to meet the vision of the storyteller. Bending […]
Elements: A Look At The New Generation of SA R&B
There’s been a new dawn in South African R&B. Since 2015 the scene has been steadily growing with Ayanda Jiya, Tshego, KLY, Kimosabe, ThandoNje, Tellaman and Shekhinah being a few of the key players. However, in the past year or two, we’ve witnessed a wave of young and unapologetic musicians burst onto the scene. During […]