Although not originally from Johannesburg; “the place of gold, the end of the road for broken souls… [place of] big cribs, small shacks, schemes that fall flat and dreams for more cash”, uSanele has been a part of the big decaying-with-human-touch-city’s creative scene for many years in counting now. Specifically, its artistic space of hip…
In the early days of Boyzn Bucks, I had the pleasure of interviewing some of the crew via Skype for the first print edition of Hypetrak (Hypebeast’s now defunct music publication). Back then, uSanele described himself as a DJ, and designer of fashion and graphics, but I’d heard from people who knew him in Durban…
If Mkay Frash were a comic book character, he would levitate in celestial space, straddling comets, in constant orbit between worlds. His hands cupped, as though in telepathy with the surrounding sky-scape. From his outstretched fingers, threads extend like webs, connecting disparate planets, weaving transcendental tapestries. This would be his superpower: his ability to draw…
Riky Rick’s Exodus is out online; the short film dropped on the rapper’s website today. It provides the finale for Family Values, visually exploring a story of struggle and redemption with intricate production and a stirring score. The film is 9 minutes, and takes the viewer on an emotional journey through reflecting historic rap themes of loss…
The Outfitters, a men’s fashion museum, is an urban institution for urban workers, a cultural and historical nexus dating back to Johannesburg in the 1920’s. A staple of the CBD, and originally run by Indian tailors, the aesthetic from these boutiques became ingrained in urban culture and observable throughout the country’s towns and cities. The influence of street cultures, in the form of…
The earliest existing use of the hashtag UMSWENKO can be found on a May. 31, 2012 photo posted by @1phiko (Phiko Mditshwa) a member of and digital co-ordinator for the rap crew Boyzn Bucks. The image posted was a screenshot of Siyabonga Ngwekazi aka “Scoop Makhathini” performing in Khaya “Bhubesii” Sibiya’s music video for the…
