According to Wikipedia “‘Mahraganat is a combination of popular chaabi music played at weddings and electronic dance music. DJ Filo made the genre more well-known’”. Chaabi music is an Arabic form of traditional music which has more buzz in countries like Algeria and Egypt. Apparently, the Mahraganat genre was a rebellious counterpart to the Egyptian…
Pietermaritzburg born Xenlaii is more than a rapper, with the multiskilled artist having dipped his toes in design as well. However, it is his sonic diversity that shines through brightest on the ‘Surf: Am EP’. Sounds range from LoFi beat loops, Trap bangers and production that sounds distinctly West Coast. Thematically as one may assume,…
Ngola ticks all the boxes for someone who is poised to break into the public consciousness. He’s a multifaceted creative who is certainly a go-getter. The Umlazi-born actor and musician is someone who seems to be constantly making moves and putting work into their career, with each step they take helping them build a long-term…
There is nothing more immaculately soothing than soulful music that transcends time to allow for immersion and possibility to take place. KAJAMA remains the catalyst for the best when it comes to alternative soul music in the country. Their artistry displays a strong and powerful bond between two black women who are deeply connected through…
Inspired by the likes of, ASA, Amy Winehouse and Hiatus Kaiyote, Italian born Francesca Biancoli is a songstress that freely expresses herself with the necessary tools that are verified by her soul. Her experimental methods offer a style of gypsy-jazz and neo-soul, through her guitar and the help she gets from her producers allows her…
I’ve always been envious of people who have always known what they want to do with their lives. I only really figured out what my dreams were in my 20s, so I’ve always felt a step behind my peers who were working on their crafts since they were kids. Kimberleigh Venty is a 22 year…
Untangling Lights is hFACTOR’s community outreach programme and the heart and soul of how we operate. It was created primarily to identify the needs of the Lagos Island community and respond by using a social enterprise model to foster business models that use creative approaches to solving problems and generating revenues. It is named eponymously to…
Flare frames a face, a neck. A clouded sky becomes a solid area of both possibility and pain. A voice of longing. Intimacy. A cinematic dream. “Love and Leave” is a music video created by an all-womxn team of creatives. I had the opportunity to speak to director Amy-Leigh Braaf and songstress Hee Young about…
Johannesburg-born, Cape Town-based rapper and producer Laudable is back with a brand new tape featuring 8 tracks entitled ‘The Great Sensitivity’. Having got his start releasing music at 15 as Parenthemis, a made-up name, 2015 would see the birth of Laudable and the release of his first mixtape, ‘Survivor’s Guilt’, under that moniker. “I played…
Treasure will always ignite the inner-longing of unfulfilled desires. This makes the quest for treasure all so important, creating a drive within one’s heart that’s capable of doing anything and everything to get that glory. But when glory means sharing love from the perspective of a black femme which does not comprise an exclusivity but…
Discourse surrounding the figure of the witch and what this figure means to modern society has become increasingly prevalent. It’s not hard to see why as the symbol of the witch has far deeper roots than the evil, twisted figures we were presented as children. It seems that this stereotype was purposefully created in an…
When I first clicked play on Nalu Luvdust’s debut mixtape ‘Tacenda’ I thought I was in for a cute release about love. Then she absolutely floored me with “You know when you’re with somebody who makes you feel the whole damn universe? Well I don’t. It seems like a joke.” Right there on the opening track….
