This Studio Of A Life
The life and times of the great South African hip hop producer, Nyambz,
Music
Pretoria’s Forgotten Hip-Hop Scene
In 2010, documentary filmmaker Sara Chitambo packed up five years’ worth of life in Cape Town
Noura Mint Seymali goes global
The meticulous engagement by Noura Mint Seymali with the history of her country Mauritania, the current global music landscape, and her own personal journey as a musician.
The World of Ridiculous Youtube Music Videos: First Bangs, then Ice JJ Fish, Kwality, now Berenice
Singing or rapping off key in an expensive or sometime low budget music video is now
The problem with mainstream hip hop
What does AKA adds to the conversation about rap music in South Africa?
You hardly hear about his country in Tumi’s music
Though hip-hop aficionados rate them as one of the best hip-hop outfits this country has ever produced, Tumi and the Volume are largely invsible in local media.
New Sounds from Mozambique
High school students, a women's choir, traditional instrumentalists, bands using hand-made instruments, and a tour guide whose nom de guerre is Harry Potter.
Discovering Prophets Of Da City
An interview with hip hop scholar, Adam Haupt, about hip hop pioneers P.O.C., the viral rappers Die Antwoord and the state of contemporary South African hip-hop.
The Rules of South African Hip Hop in 2014
South African hip-hop has become too safe. Cutting edge rappers are being sidelined in favour of tried-and-tested
The State Of African Hip Hop
Hip-hop in Africa is diverse—no single sound defines it. Electro-chaabi, mbalax-influenced rap, and house-sampling styles all reflect the continent’s broad musical scope.
South African Hip Hop–An Outsider’s Perspective
One evening while channel surfing at home, I stumbled upon what sounded like a rap cypher*
The World Of Ridiculous Internet Videos: Who is Kwality?
I wasn’t sure of how to react when I opened the Youtube link to Kwality’s “Official Lion King.”
Heart of a Lion
Cape Town singer Crosby is about to release his new album “Better Place.” Since I was
The Fader goes to Cape Town
A short profile of the music scene in Cape Town is dominated by white shows – with a lot of electrocentric music and flashy strobe lights.
Kickin’ It With Christian Tiger School
I arrive in Braamfontein twenty minutes early, at 6pm, for a meeting with Sebastiano Zenasi (or
Toto’s Africa–The Disco Edition
Came across this nice little disco edit of Toto’s “Africa.” Since we have a running series
Afrobeat, Brazilian Style
Brazilians may have produced the first ever afrobeat.
Why Is No One Else Talking About These Musicians?
I got the chance to be part of the Redbull Basscamp in Johannesburg during October 2013.
Rap Battle of the Week on Reddit: Johannesburg’s Tumi vs Atlanta’s Ness Lee
Two weeks ago, Club Zen in downtown Johannesburg got packed to its rafters with hip-hop afficionados
The music that changed my life
The Cape Town suburb of Observatory is known for being a small bohemian enclave, providing low