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 […]
RIP Daniel Dumile: Remembering MF DOOM
The hip hop community stepped into the new year on a sombre note. On December 31st, 2020, just as the clock struck midnight – South African Standard Time, our collective Twitter timelines were inundated with news that broke a few minutes prior – MF DOOM had passed. It would later become apparent that MF DOOM […]
The Plug Lists our 25 Best Projects of 2020
This year has been characterized by chaos, destruction and regretfully, insurmountable loss. It was, however, a period where music carried us and kept us afloat, offering much-needed solace and escapism. Despite the lack of live shows, concerts and all-round interactive music events, most of us still managed to get lost in the magic of music […]
I’m not falling for the same old December memetry and Amapiano tricks
In the movie Falling Down (1993), Bill Foster (played by Michael Douglas) attempts to order breakfast in a fast-food restaurant at exactly 11:33 — the restaurant had just shifted to the lunch menu three minutes ago. “We stop serving breakfast at 11:30” the manager replied, Foster whipped out his Uzi and further persuaded both the teller and […]
Elements: TOBi’s Pocket Of Peace In The Tumult of 2020
When getting into an album, the first track is what sets the tone, elicits the sentiment out of listeners, and draws you into the imagination of the artist. TOBi’s Elements (Vol. 1) does exactly this with “Dollas and Cents” featuring Juls. Is it rap? Undeniably. Is it hip-hop? No doubt. But is it more? Unequivocally. […]
Molley And The Mountain: The Making Of An Album
Nobody expects a viral moment, it sort of just happens. Think back to Nicki Minaj’s Queen Radio episode that gave us the viral quote “TO FREEDOM”. Or more locally, recall J Molley’s first single on Soundcloud amassing over 10,000 streams in its first month. That was a viral moment that changed the rest of J […]
Nsikayesizwe: Nasty C
Nasty C’s new album opens with the line “This is how it feel like to be on top of the world.” His rise to the top of South Africa’s hip hop fraternity has been nothing short of a marvel to witness. Beyond the country’s borders, he has his eyes set on global domination. Beginning his […]
Opinion: Focalistic is a contender for 2020 MVP
This year has been one of the hardest to hit the entertainment industry in a while. Due to the national lockdown, some parts of the entertainment industry have been at a complete standstill. Many artists had to go without any income from performances and many hosted their own virtual shows as a result. Some were […]