The first time I actively looked up the term ‘industry plant’ was in 2018 when I heard the song Ocean Eyes by the artist Billie Eilish. I had heard the phrase in passing before, years prior, but my active fascination with it grew more and more once I started researching who this artist is. The…
Zu. or Nozuko Mapoma is one of the most recognisable figures in the alternative funk-jazz scene. As the frontwoman of the Zuko Collective and through her solo projects, she has become known for her husky voice and soul-infused sounds. Her highly acclaimed 2019 EP, Ndim Nani, earned her a SAMA nomination for Best Alternative Album….
Since the mid-‘00s, Earl Simmons’ (DMX) career had been in decline. He had a string of legal problems, struggled with drug addiction and was jailed for various reasons. Prior to his death from an apparent drug overdose this April, he was set on a comeback trail. Today his album, Exodus, comes out in his absence….
Amapiano unequivocally has an iron-clad stronghold on South African dance floors. The genre dominates the airwaves and it rules South Africa’s streaming market. More so, the potent drum lines and rhythms of Amapiano are no longer confined within the country’s borders. For the past two to three years, the genre has travelled to Nigeria where…
“With this video, I wanted to channel the energy that comes from being unapologetically me, my idea of what it means to be a Black African woman and a rock star; the perfect blend of divine feminine and masculine energy. I worked with the amazing director Aidan Zamiri to create very powerful and sexy imagery”,…
As the media world over, we’ve written extensively about music and the stories behind “viral” moments in music. From social media apps to individual moments that have sparked global conversations and change, popular music makes history every day. With every century and decade comes a new invention that alters the future, temporarily or permanently. Not…
The labyrinth landscape of our music scene and industry is laden with underrated gems, creating sonic tapestries that push the boundaries of genre and bring closer together in sound and expiration our modern and traditional cultural worlds. Ikati Esengxoweni — self described as an urban, traditional, indie-folk world music band — is one such underrated…
Melo B Jones established herself with her distinct sound of boom bap R&B. She first burst onto the scene in the late 2010s with a series of acapella hip hop covers. Since then, she has graduated to making music and released her first body of work with her 2017 EP, The Start. Three years later,…
It has been over three years since Shekhinah came out with her certified gold debut, Rose Gold. After a long hiatus and high anticipation from her fans, Shekhinah returns with her career-defining album, Trouble in Paradise. The 12 track album is a musical journey into declarations of love and the heartbreak of break-ups; showing the…
Released on Bandcamp this past Friday, May 7th, You’re Not Crying We Are, is SWAK CATALOG’S latest two-track EP offering and “K-Hole Dramapiano for the kids”. A record label based in Cape Town, South Africa — SWAK is run by Aryu Jassika (Shaheen Jacobs) and Jumping Back Slash (Gareth Jones), “motivated by failure and fuelled…
The United Kingdom’s mainstream culture has captured the imagination of the world. The underground scene is just as impactful as it has spread far and wide. KEYAH/BLU is a representation of the eclectic and dynamic group of young artists pushing boundaries and making a mark. After multiple collaborations with the likes of Denzel Himself and…
When Bongeziwe Mabandla opened his latest album, iimini (2020), with mini esadibana ngayo (#001), he gently ushered us onto the path of his journey with love found and love lost, and how even when the love is lost, it is never really astray. Unpacking the magnitude of a love so grand and moving was a…
