It’s been almost a year since the duo Darkie Fiction burst onto the scene with their nostalgic, feel good single ‘Selula’. Produced by Stiff Pap’s Jakinda, Darkie Fiction’s Katt Daddy and Yoza Mnyanda didn’t expect the track to have such an impact. “It was honestly just experimenting, trying, seeing what we could be if we came together.” recalls Yoza.
The past year has seen the duo work hard in studio with like-minded producers to create their debut EP ‘Sobabini: A Mzantsi Evolution’. Meaning the two of us, the title is a reference to joining forces between rapper Katt Daddy and singer Yoza Mnyanda. Born out of frustration from hearing local music on commercial platforms that didn’t sound South African, the EP references a time when local sounds were dominating the airwaves. “We missed hearing Boom Shaka vibes and TKZee vibes. So we wanted to carry the baton from those kinds of people”. Yoza explains.
Featuring productions by Fosta, Original Swimming Party, DJ Mdubulo, Thor Rixon, Albany Lore, as well as Maloon the Boom, the duo were looking for producers eager to experiment with them, but who also had their own style. “We want to take these producers out of the alternative/leftfield boxes and bring them into mainstream along with us. To change the perception of how people consume music and what people perceive as South African music.” says Katt Daddy of the duo’s decision in choosing the right producers for the EP.
Stylistically the duo is similarly rooted in South African culture, with their photoshoots and videos referencing local culture heavily. The cover art for ‘Selula’ for example aims to portray the lives of Black South Africans during the 1970s & 80s that wasn’t documented or as Katt Daddy put it, “Black people were not seen in fancy houses with dinner tables and paintings on the wall.” Adds Yoza, “we wanted to say ‘hey, we grew up very nicely, [our parents] did their absolute best’”.
Aiming for a shift in the local music industry, the duo believe that there is an appetite for local sounding music, but a lack of commercial support for it. “You play TKZee in the club now and people go crazy. But it’s access, it’s not circulating on radio, it’s not played on television. That’s what drives us to get back to be circulated again because we hope that our names are the names they speak of when the wave of the South African music industry shifted one day.” Yoza explains.
Noting America’s dominance of media and culture, Katt Daddy also believes a major factor in the success of American sounding local music is due to an inferiority complex amongst black people thanks to apartheid’s legacy along with black South Africans admiration of black Americans who went through similar struggles during the Civil Rights Era. It is for this reason that Darkie Fiction is focusing on South African music for South Africans. “We’re not making music to be noticed in America and go to America, of course I’d like to be exposed to countries overseas, but it’s very important that we make music for South Africans as South Africans.” explains Katt Daddy.
With the EP still fresh, the duo is currently working hard on promoting it and will be releasing a video for ‘My Ntliziyo’ next. “It’s focusing on the title of the EP, because we are also in a romantic relationship and lots of people ask if we are in one or not, so this video is going to say yes we are.” shares Yoza of the treatment for the video. They do have new songs in the pipeline, but are giving their EP some time to breathe first.
Having played the likes of Design Indaba and Oppikoppi, the duo are no strangers to large stages and feel more comfortable in that environment. “It’s actually the smaller stages we find more challenging. We performed at Kitcheners and that was the smallest stage we’ve ever performed on. It’s challenging, intimate, very different vibe, not to say that we don’t enjoy it but we conceptualise our performances on big spaces.” explains Katt Daddy. “We watch a lot of how Boom Shaka used to perform. We have a lot of grievances with the music industry at the moment. Sometimes we go to shows just to see how people perform and it’s so boring. So we decided to actually put on a show. We sweat! The visuals, the music, the performances it all has to tie in together and when you see Darkie Fiction on stage you say yes that makes sense. Quality is very important for us.” continues Yoza.
Although Yoza and Katt Daddy aim to make music for South Africans they are acutely aware that in the current industry it is not sustainable as yet, still they believe artists shouldn’t be making music to be booked in certain places. “The ones that are making American sounding music are making the most money in South Africa and the ones that make South African music are the ones that get invited to Sweden or Switzerland to perform. It’s very funny. I think it’s possible and we as Darkie Fiction are advocating for that, that South Africans can be called to play overseas but you must not focus on making music so that you can perform overseas.” says Katt Daddy.
Yoza continues, “…if you’re not being appreciated at home you should go where you’re appreciated. But I don’t think people deliberately don’t want to make it at home, it’s just the way it is. Hopefully it changes tho!”
In the end Katt Daddy and Yoza want their listeners to take positivity from their music. “Be South African. Remember where you come from. Always stay positive in any situation. Just know that things will work out.” exclaims Katt Daddy. “Feel good. Katt & I both struggle from mental illness, so our music comes from there. It comes from when we’re feeling shit, we make music because it makes us feel better. And in turn when people listen to it they say they feel good. I think it’s not necessarily an intention that we’re going to make feel good music, but because of the place that it comes from for us then it ends up translating that way. Which is awesome.” adds Yoza.
M.I.A will be performing for the first time in Africa in Cape Town and Johannesburg on the 7th and 8th of June, and some of South Africa’s best talent will be sharing the stage with her. The selection of DJs and performers bring together sonic and creative experiences that touch on South African genres and their evolution. K-$, Jakinda, and Angel-Ho, will inject SA flavour at the performance in Cape Town, passing the torch to Buli, DJ Doowap, Phatstoki and Dear Ribane the following evening in Johannesburg. I interviewed the supporting artists to find out about their connections to M.I.A’s work and what audiences can expect at the shows.
This will be the first time Cape Town will get to experience one of Angel-Ho’s live sets. When asked about the connection M.I.A’s fearlessness and determination and their own musical journey, they expressed that, “being fearless is something I grew into, being on stage my whole life, I developed a strong sense of self playing the roles of many characters. The same sensibility and comfort of performing is my greatest strength and I think that speaks to my journey to empower the voiceless.” Buli shared similar sentiments stating that, “I’ve always stayed true to my sound. I’ve never compromised my art for the purpose of trying to appeal to mainstream/commercial crowds. I think that’s the one thing I’ve always taken away from observing M.I.A as an artist. She always stays true to herself and sound; she never tries to compromise her music or herself.”
K-$ will be kicking off with a 2 hour set, taking the audience on a trip down memory lane, and then increasing momentum for a real jol. Jakinda will draw on his Afro-futurist and industrial sound, while allowing space for experimentation. Phatstoki’s appreciation of feeding off the crowd’s energy will be the guiding premise for the set. As someone who enjoys re-inventing herself through fashion and music, DJ Doowap will be mimicking her brightly coloured hair and striking clothing with bass tunes. Transcendental and futuristic will be the name of the game with Dear Ribane, while Buli brings together a mix of electronic and ambient elements backed up by hip-hop based/inspired drums.
With fearlessness, determination and an understanding of the connection between music and movement as the thread that is present in the journey’s and work of each performer, these shows are definitely not ones to miss.
Joburg-based M(x) Blouse might rap, but they don’t consider themselves a hip-hop artist. Born at the end of 2016 as a creative outlet for KZN-born Sandiso Ngubane, M(x) Blouse’s first release was “WTF(SQUARED)” in collaboration with Joni Blud. The release made an impact and led to a performance at Braam’s Pussy Party and which was followed in May 2017 by the release of their debut EP ‘Believe the Bloom’. Produced with a heavy boom-bap influence and a lot of mistakes along the way thanks to naiveté, the EP nevertheless was a valuable learning for M(x) Blouse. “I think it’s true what they say, if you wanna do something, just jump in and hope to swim. Because after that I started seeing more interest from other people saying let’s work.”
Fast-forward a year and the latest single from M(x) Blouse has sonically moved away from boom-bap, exploring areas such as kwaito and gqom. Produced by Thor Rixon, Stiff Pap’s Jakinda and Albany Lore, the track has helped M(x) Blouse push themselves as an artist. “It’s been amazing for me to just take a cue from them and how they do things and incorporating my rap into that. It’s opened up a huge scope for what I can do as an artist rather than trying to stick strictly to rapping in a hip-hop sense. So the growth has been crazy.” Another major growth-point for M(x) Blouse has been the switch to vernacular. “It just feels so comfortable, feels authentic, but I must add that I don’t necessarily feel like people rapping in English are not authentic. It would be a ridiculous notion to say that considering how much English is a part of our lives in South Africa. But for me specifically, writing in vernacular and mixing it with English just feels natural to me because that’s just how I speak.”
The single, “Is’phukphuku”, Zulu for idiot, speaks of freedom and those that encroach on it, the idiot being those who restrict the freedoms of others trying to have a good time. “The beat to me just communicated a sense of freedom and I wasn’t necessarily thinking this is a song about freedom but that’s eventually what it came to be. In the second verse I talk about this dude who approaches a woman. She’s trying to have fun, he offers her a drink and she’s like ‘nah, I’m cool bra, but thanks’, but he takes that the wrong way and starts calling her a bitch. That to me is someone who is making a space unsafe for someone. That sort of became what the track is about, but it really didn’t start off that way, it just clicked in the end.”
The video that accompanies the single is a visual feast featuring M(x) Blouse in South African fashion from the likes of ALC Man, Nicholas Coutts, with jewellery by Stefany Roup and Lorne, while dancers and supporting cast can be seen rocking Nicola W35T, and Art Club & Friends, with headgear by Crystal Birch. “I identify as non-binary. So it was important for me to express that stylistically, so the styling very much communicates that I’m not bound by gender in terms of what I wear. When you dress how you feel it doesn’t matter how you express yourself in terms of fashion. People always raise an eyebrow. So I really wanted a video that expressed that kind of quirk, if I can call it that, and being in a space as someone who is different you always seem like a fish out of water. I wanted to find a space where me and the people that I’m with would just look like a bunch of weirdos in the space, so we ended up going to a fish and chip shop!”
An EP or album isn’t on the cards for the next year at least, but M(x) Bloue will be releasing music this year. “I do have one or two more singles that I want to put out before the end of the year, but there’s also the Thor Rixon collaboration which is a house track, I’m very excited about it.” They are also looking to perform more in 2018. “What I’ve been trying to do is, at least here in Joburg, gather like-minded artists and do our own shows. So I’m hoping that’s going to pan out real soon.”
Having found a way to touch on social issues much like their hip-hop idols such as Nas and Lauryn Hill, without boxing themselves within hip-hop, M(x) Blouse is able to push themselves creatively. “I don’t even know what genre to say I am doing at the moment, but I’m happy to be exploring the limits of what I have to offer.”
M.I.A fans will be happy to know that the visit includes the screenings of the critically acclaimed documentary MATANGI/MAYA/M.I.A. Following its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival in January, South African audiences will be able to be the first on the continent to engage with the documentary that offers colourful insight into the origins of M.I.A., from her journey as an immigrant teenager in London to becoming a global star. Directed by her former art school friend Steve Loveridge, it includes personal clips shot by M.I.A and her closest friends over the last 22 years. Fans will appreciate this raw, intimate invite into M.I.A’s world.
In addition to the screenings, M.I.A will have two live shows in Cape Town and Johannesburg on the 7th and 8th of June respectively. She will be teaming up with some of South Africa’s own musical and performance gems. This specially curated selection of South African dancers, artists and DJs radiate the same feeling of fearlessness and presence that Maya Arulpragasm has presented throughout her life. The Cape Town collaborators include Angel-Ho, K-$, and Jakinda. The Johannesburg artists are DJ Doowap, Phatstoki and Dear Ribane. This selection of artists represents various genres and perspectives on performance.
Tickets and more information for M.I.A.’s live shows are available on the Black Major Selects site.
Cape Town
Date: Thursday 7th June 2018
Venue: Old Biscuit Mill, 375 Albert Road, Woodstock
Johannesburg
Date: Friday 8th June 2018
Venue: Newtown Music Factory, 10 Henry Nxumalo Street, Newtown
Since dropping their debut EP ‘Based on A Qho Story’, Stiff Pap have consistently been thinking of different ways to push their sound and live performances, competing with previous versions of themselves. Their agility and future-oriented vision has seen their fan base growing exponentially, revealing how they are plugged into the direction fans want SA music to move.
Being at the forefront of a new genre, Future Kwaito, Stiff Pap appreciate and embrace its current amorphous nature. This open-ended framing of the genre restricts sonic inhibitions, meaning that global sounds and styles can be combined freely. This demonstrates their understanding of the global music context, with a grounding in South African associations of rhythm and lyrical storytelling. In this way their offering is something familiar yet different.
“I feel like we’ve gone beyond what people would traditionally understand not just as Kwaito, but even Future Kwaito…We took the sound in a different direction, it’s more industrial and dark,” one half of Stiif Pap, Jakinda explains.
With their sonic roots in Kwaito, they manage to seamlessly combine this with hip hop and electronic sounds. “We [are] trying to take something which is abstract and European and make it ours. We call it Kwaito instead of hip hop because Kwaito is basically the Southern African version of hip hop. It is a perfect description of what we [are] doing right now, but we don’t want to be boxed [in],” Ayema explains.
Stiff Pap look to past and present musical history to reinvent the familiar. Their injection into the industry opens up a new avenue of progress for hip hop and Kwaito. “Changing the scene and breaking boundaries is really important to us, we see ourselves as a beacon of hope for all the kids who want to do alternative music.”
Drawing on the varied sounds of Kanye West, Christian Tiger School, Schoolboy Q, Vince Staples, Teargas and the gqom wave, collectively they continuously attempt to disrupt the musical status quo. “Production-wise, I listen to more electronica than hip hop. I don’t actually know how to make hip hop beats, but in a way we are hip hop artists. So I think we’re showing people that hip hop is a much broader genre than they thought, especially when it comes to South African hip hop,” Jakinda explains, “We’re showing that you don’t have to rap in English to be international. You don’t have to sound American.”
Style and image play a role in how this is translated for audiences. “A lot of people really like us because they feel like we represent them. We’re young black kids doing left field electronic music. We basically represent the black kids that are weird and different and trying to find themselves.”
As a duo Stiff Pap represent how disruption can arrive through simplicity.
Cape Town has been described as a union of culture, cuisine, and landscapes. “There’s nowhere quite like Cape Town, a singularly beautiful city crowned by the magnificent Table Mountain National Park. Human creativity is also self-evident here – it’s one of the things that made the city a World Design Capital in 2014. From the brightly painted facades of the Bo-Kaap and the bathing chalets of Muizenberg to the Afro-chic decor of its restaurants and bars and the striking street art and innovation incubators of the East City and Woodstock, this is one great-looking metropolis. The informal settlements of the Cape Flats are a sobering counterpoint, but these townships also have enterprising projects that put food from organic market gardens on tables, or stock gift shops with attractive souvenirs” reads a description of the city on lonelyplanet.com. The Cape Town creative dynamic is one which holds a lot of weight and to get a clearer idea of how this vista functions I spoke to a number of up and coming artists on the scene to get some insight. Taking into account what I have been told from a number of interviews it is clear to me that there is still underrepresentation within the city, it is still a space in which black and brown bodies often times feel excluded and a grueling hustle to make money takes place within the picturesque city that is usually painted as an idyllic space. Read more to find out what their opinions are.
Sara Lagardien is a young creative from Cape Town that first came to my attention when she modeled for adidas NMD. After this, she did an editorial for adidas Originals at AREA3 sharing the shutter release with Haneem Christian and owning her first editorial with carefully considered styling choices. She explains the editorial in the following words, “Through this body of work I aimed to challenge the perceptions that people have of young Muslims of colour and their Islamic identity which is often viewed through a very narrow and linear lens. I aimed to allow a space where young brown Muslims could exist in the context of Islam and mainstream discourses surrounding Islam and Islamic identity – where their identities and narratives are often erased, denied or delegitimized. Muslims that do not subscribe to the conventional and often conservative mold of Islam exist and we are here to stay.”
adidas Originals Editorial by Sara Lagardien | AREA3
At AREA3 Sara built a lasting bond with other young creatives that worked in the space and conceptualized Takeover: Bree Street that she shared the Creative Director role with Haneem Christian for. Now Sara has a lot to say about Cape Town and I would urge you to take note. When I asked Sara if she has seen any change within the scene and who she believes the leaders of the drive is she tells me that recently a vast amount of coloured and black creatives are taking ownership of their stories and showing it within their creative practices. “I think that this representation is extremely important in informing the way that young and aspiring creatives of colour choose to navigate through Cape Town’s creative scene.” Sara expresses that Dope Saint Jude, Imraan Christian, K-$ and Jabu Newman represent a shared reality in their work that she finds deeply empowering. She feels that there has been a shift in artistic direction for Capetonian artists and calls it a space of reclamation and the amplification of representation. She accredits this to young creatives of colour who are actively working towards change.
“It’s easy to say that the new creative wave in Cape Town is more representative of all the voices and people from various backgrounds when your voice is part of that new wave, but in reality – while progress has been made – we still have a long way to go. When we totalise the creative scene in Cape Town as being a definite group of specific people, it becomes easy to neglect so many young creatives out there – on the Cape Flats, in townships and in communities where people haven’t been afforded the access to opportunities and resources that I have been afforded and equipped with to aid me in changing the landscape of Cape Town’s creative scene.” In Sara’s opinion, young voices are being heard more than before but she states that it is a very selective group of people who are being heard.
‘Takeover: Bree Street’ – Photography by Haneem Christian
Justin February was the next young creative I spoke to that came into the public eye by modeling for labels such as Sol-Sol Menswear. Fast forward a bit into the future and we see Justin taking on photography and creative directing with his adidas Originals Editorial produced with AREA3. Justin expresses that he became mesmerized by Cape Town’s creative scene when street wear brands such as Young and Lazy; Sol-Sol Menswear and 2Bop came into his context. He expresses that the creatives leading the way for the youngins are people like Mathew Kieser, Anees Peterson, and Anthony Smith.
Justin, in agreement with Sara, feels that Cape Town creatives are creating work that speaks about their own realities with an intent to inform their viewers of realities that have previously been disregarded. “I think that shift that I’m talking about is because people are sick of not being heard and have found a great way to let people hear them.” Sara, however, feels that many marginalized groups within Cape Town are still not being heard or receiving fair representation in contrast with Justin’s statement that more people are heard through social media.
adidas Originals Editorial by Justin February | AREA3
Darkie Fiction is a relatively new musical duo who recently released their first single ‘Selula’ produced by Jakinda of Siff Pap. The group formed in Cape Town consists of rapper Katt Daddy and singer and cinematographer Yoza Mnyanda.
When asked about ‘Selula’ the group tells me, “Selula is a song about moving forward. It’s a challenge to look at life from a different perspective and realise that although you may not have everything you want, you still have some things. We made the song at a time where we needed that gentle reminder. It also speaks to how people place so much importance on things that don’t actually really matter. The song literally says that all it takes is cell phones, cigarettes, and champagne to make people happy.”
Their collective journey began at the start of 2016 at The Waiting Room where they were both preforming that night. They express that after some failed endeavours as solo artists, they united their talents in May 2017. The story behind the title of their group is one that I thoroughly enjoy. They tell me that the producer of ‘Selula’, Jakinda once said: “doccie fiction” referring to documentary fiction. The two musicians, in fact, heard “darkie fiction” and it was a name that really resonated with them. After growing into the name, it made sense to them as it speaks of a shared frustration with the South African music industry.
“The word ‘Darkie’ has derogatory connotations. What we want to do is reclaim the word and help to bring light to what it really means to be a young, black and proudly South African creative in the 23-year-old South Africa. We want to celebrate the things that nobody really talks about, the little things that make us darkies.”
Valuing their insights, I decided to find out what their views are on the Cape Town creative scene. The duo expresses that the creative scene in Cape Town has changed in recent years and that there is more integrated racially and socio-economically. They feel that more people are finding a voice and challenging various constructs as Justin suggested. They do however state that there isn’t much of a music “industry” within the city and that the only game changers really are visual artists.
In their opinion that correlates with Justin, young voices are being heard more than ever but they attribute it to the digital age and express that is not a phenomenon that is specific to Cape Town. “The days of making meaningless music or taking meaningless images are coming to an end.”
Photography by Hana Sho
Hana Sho is a young 18-year-old model, photographer and freelance creative from Cape Town. I spoke to her to get her thoughts on the scene. Hana as most of the creatives I have interviewed believes that there is a change in the character of the scene due to social media. She expresses that social media interaction is leading to more collaboration among creatives and that now, more so than before, established artists on the scene are willing to share their knowledge and collaborate with young emerging artists.
When asked about her if she believed that young voices are being heard within this space, Hana leaves me with this “Yes I do, you gotta listen to the kids, cause we know what’s good!” Hana speaks about the shift in artistic direction within the metropolis in terms of young creatives no longer focusing on a niche but instead pushing their creative talents into all of the platforms they wish to explore. She believes that this is aiding in bending certain norms.
“Because of this huge wave of new young creatives in Cape Town, there are more people speaking for those who are yet to discover their voices, and for those who can’t be heard. For that reason, I would hope that there is representation for everyone.” Unfortunately, as Sara noted there are still many artists who do not get to raise their voices due to the lack of opportunities awarded to them.
Photography by Hana Sho
When asked about the unity that seems to persist within the Capetonian creative vista the up and comers tell me that the scene has a tendency to revolve around cliques. Darkie Fiction expresses that it’s about finding your closed network and working together to reap benefits. “The clique thing needs to be dismantled because if we all, truly, worked together the city would stretch way further.” They express that there is a lot of support and competitiveness within the space, a sentiment that Hana and Sara both share. Justin says that people within the space become like a family and do “a lot of cute shit” together. Sara expresses that having her group makes the space more accessible and less intimidating.
I asked these young artists to explain the immense versatility among Cape Town creatives who seem to be able to delve into various creative disciplines. To this Darkie Fiction expresses that due to the space being so small you are always faced with its versatile creativity. They describe it as mixed veg as many people from various origins settle within its parameters. “It’s a very inspiring place to be, there’s a lot to take in all at once.”
Darkie Fiction – photography by Giorgi Young
Sara tells me the following on the topic, “The immense versatility amongst Cape Town creatives is also something that has been cultivated and encouraged by the pioneers of the scene and those who are now mentoring the younger generation of creatives. I also believe that it is our responsibility to do justice to the efforts of those who came before us by allowing our own paths to be informed by the knowledge and lessons gained from their paths.” Justin is in agreement with Sara and expresses that as young creatives they are exposed to a variety of creative outlets that they try and master and make their own. It seems to be a case of fascination and intrigue that turns playful exploration into a more serious art form within this space. Hana expresses that it originates from a DIY mentality that evolves into becoming good at various facets of creativity in agreement with the statements above.
When I came to a question formulated from observation regarding why it seems that creatives within the vista cultivate their careers as models I received some interesting replies. Sara expresses “While I can’t speak on behalf of other Cape Town creatives because I don’t believe that everyone’s creative careers start off as being a model, I can speak about and from my experience. For me, entering the creative scene in Cape Town as a model allowed me to enter a multidisciplinary world that I had never had prior exposure to. Modelling allows one access to the worlds of photography, styling, art direction, makeup artistry, set design and the like. It was in this space – being exposed to a broad creative world – that my creative journey and aspirations were birthed.”
adidas Originals Editorial by Sara Lagardien | AREA3
Justin feels that it comes from name and face association which aids creatives in already having been heard of by the time that they might feel so inclined to pick up another artistic outlet. Hana again tells me that it is something she has not given a lot of thought to but for her, learning both sides of the lens has thought her a lot and her modeling undertakings help her pay for her camera addiction tendencies. Modelling within this space can be seen as a foot in the door and perhaps not so difficult with brands such as Sol-Sol who scouts young creatives as well as the fact that My Friend Ned is based within the vicinity.
I asked the group about opportunities for creatives within the city and Darkie Fiction tells me that there are not enough and that you can only go so far within that space. “There’s a cap, especially as a black creative.” Sara expresses that opportunities exist in Cape Town but that it is a case of who you know to “get in”. Justin and Hana feel that young creatives should create their own opportunities. I agree and half disagree with the statements received for this question as I can easily believe that there aren’t enough opportunities for young creatives within this space. I do however feel like there are more than before with spaces like AREA3 that is aiding young creatives in their paths and yes, you can make your own opportunities but taking into account what I have been told, I believe that the scene is in favour of visual artists more so than musicians.
adidas Originals Editorial by Justin February | AREA3adidas Originals Editorial by Justin February | AREA3
Influence matters, not so much the marketing strategy, more the effect the art we like has on the art we make. It’s pretty cool to be living in a time period where crop after crop of South African musicians are drawing inspiration from those who came before them, continually reinventing the sound of the time, and pushing new waves forward. Sure, some sketchy cats are using sample packs to dominate the radio, and we have more than a few versions of our own Drake, but afro-centric and afro-futuristic sounds have made their way from bedrooms, back-rooms, garages and studios to clubs, pubs, shebeens, festivals, and radio stations around the world. Not only are young South African musicians inspired by Kanye, they draw influence from Spoek Mathambo, Boyz N Bucks or Petite Noir too. With solid foundations being laid by the forerunners, and ease of access to information about making and releasing music, the stage is set for a new wave inspired by the current guard.
Stiff Pap plan on being a big part of that new wave. They call themselves a “future electronic kwaito” duo, which, if you’ve heard them, sounds about right. “I was raised around a lot of Zakwe, Abdus and the Durban kasi rap scene.” AyemaProbllem, the rapper of the duo, tells me about his influences, also mentioning the likes of Kanye West, Schoolboy Q, Okmalumkoolkat and TKZee. On the production side of things, Jakinda takes a huge influence from Christian Tiger School, LV, Dj Lag, Rudeboyz and Kanye West (specifically Yeezus). Together, they sound like a 2017 version of Dirty Paraffin washed with gqom.
Jakinda, who has also been making waves as a producer on his ace, with both of his solo EP releases, Afrika 3000 and I Can’t Sleep, getting love from the critics, explains about how the duo got together, “We met last year in the dining hall at the UCT residence we were both staying at. Ayema had heard a beat of mine on Soundcloud and recognised my face on the profile, so he approached me in the dining hall and asked if he could rap on it. That beat eventually became the first Stiff Pap song, Dlala. Once we made Dlala we knew that we had great potential as a duo and we became Stiff Pap.” From there, the 2 started working on their debut EP, Based on a Qho Story. “We started working on the project back around August 2016. Each time I made a really interesting beat that I thought would go on my own solo EP, I played it for Ayema and we ended up using the beats for Stiff Pap. I think that was a good decision, because each of those beats were always missing something or they were just too weird alone, but with Ayema’s raps, everything came together.”
I notice they’re wearing Sol-Sol in their press shots so I ask if repping local brands is intentional. “We feel like our sound represents South Africa,” explains Jakinda “so we wanted a local brand that matches our style and their clothing is amazing. We also wore Two Bop shirts and Converse shoes. To us that was the prefect combination, with some help from our friend Dada Khanyisa who styled the shoot.” Style and image are important to Stiff Pap. “It’s so important!” exclaims Jakinda, “We both care a lot about the way we look and dress, it’s an important part of who we are as Stiff Pap, there’s an aesthetic which we are trying to express through our art.” Ayema followed up with “The best quote I’ve ever heard has to be “You have to dress good, in order to feel good, in order to do good.” It’s so important for us, as upcoming artists, to have our own look. So this is probably the most important thing for us outside of the music.”
When it comes to the music though, Stiff Pap, want “to give people an outer body experience, make them feel a rush of ecstasy.” According to Ayema. “At the same time, we wanted to raise the SA Hip Hop scene, try to push more of an authentic sound.” Stiff Pap are confident that that’s exactly what they’ll do, so much so that when asked what they want people to take away from Based on a Qho Story, Jakinda, all cool and calm, replies with “This is what South African Hip Hop will sound like in the next 5 years.”
Give it a listen below and see if you agree.
Credits:
Photographer: Micha Serraf
Stylist: Dada Khanyisa
Models: Jakinda & AyemaProbllem (Stiff Pap)
Videographer (Behind The Scenes): Larah Fisher
Creative Assistants: Christian Mpazayabo and Vuyo Vannucci Ndifor
The first time I opened the Soundcloud link to Jakinda’sAfrika 3000, I felt a powerful surge of the uncanny. And by uncanny, I don’t just mean mysterious. Rather it was the sense of what Freud famously called ‘ the unheimliche’. That is the sensation of a strange familiarity, the jolt of déjà vu. Or, as Jack Nicolson put it before the Overlook Hotel drives him insane in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining ‘When I came up here for my interview it was as though I’d been here before. I mean … It was almost as though I knew what was going to be around every corner’.
Indeed, the epic Intro reminded me of the cosmic soundtrack of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey– both disconcerting and awe-inspiring. After bursts of ambient noise the track naturally takes a turn into driving gqom and trap inspired beats. The following three songs deepen this epic vision. As with Dokta Spizee’s Gemeni mixtape, it’s as if the grimy intensity of SA electronic music is being broadcast out to some alien civilization.
The artwork for the EP highlights the Pyramids against a sea of stars, against people in majestic robes and face paint. A pure distillation of the aesthetics of Afrofuturism. The vast body of Afrofuturist literature, music and visual art mixes Science Fiction with historical reality to explore the experience of the African diaspora, through metaphors of alien invasion and technological shock. The mixing of the ancient and the futuristic has an important utopian component, a yearning to both redeem and escape from the horrors of history. As jazz great Sun Ra once put it ` I`m playing dark history. It`s beyond black. I`m dealing with the dark things of the cosmos’.
Afrika 3000 cosmic focus speaks to a broader futurism within contemporary dance music. Artists like Gaika and Fatima Al Qadiri have focused on the dystopian sounds of today, making beats out of bullets and broken glass. Jakinda holds things down for the utopian end, using the cosmos as symbol of future freedom and possibility. His music hums with a palpable yearning to storm the heavens.
I’m standing in the garden area of an undisclosed town house in Vredehoek, Cape Town, with a sticker of a crude but charmingly-drawn house on my shoulder. The picture of the house had been fashioned out of three letters that Cape Town nightlife had come to know well over the years: YOH.
If this sticker was stuck somewhere on your body, that meant that you were allowed to walk through the front door of the first instalment of YOH Experiences – “a series of irregular, curated sonic and visual experiences at different, unusual venues to broaden your horizons – brought to you by YOH”. For one night, Patrick Visser’s team and their arsenal of glitter, balloons and other novelty party-store supplies had taken over someone’s home (assumedly with their consent) to throw the YOH House Party.
Dangerously-mixed drinks, damaged property and potentially bruised reputations are some of the typical tropes of a house party that have been established by numerous American teen movies. But this house party had something that set it apart from all the others that had attempted to replicate that same debauched formula: a killer lineup of DJs that included newcomers yoyo and Jakinda; veteran disk jockey and record collector Pierre-Estienne; and the headliner of the evening: Olugbenga.
In the garden where I had stepped out to cool off from an exceptionally burning set executed by Pierre-Estienne, Olugbenga is hanging out and getting acquainted with some of the characters of the Cape Town club scene. I didn’t see a sticker anywhere on him, but (as the bass player for the Mercury Award-nominated electronic indie giants Metronomy and an acclaimed songwriter/producer in his own right who assisted with some of the writing on Solange’s recent Billboard chart-topping album A Seat At The Table) he certainly has enough credentials to allow him to saunter into any house party without any questions being asked.
However, I did have a few questions that I wanted to ask him. I wanted to know when the last time he played at a house party was. I also wanted to know if his return to his home in Lagos, Nigeria, to shoot the video for his single “Silver Pixie, Iyawo Mi” in 2013 (the first time he had visited Lagos since he moved to the UK when he was 16, which was about 15 years prior to shooting of the video) had sparked his intrigue to visit other African countries such as South Africa. I also wondered if there were any plans to incorporate any more indigenous sounds that he might pick up for any future projects – similar to his work with Africa Express, for which he had produced a track entitled “Wade In The Water” that featured backing vocals from Brian Eno and Damon Albarn.
However, as I finally get a chance to speak with Olugbenga, the conversation instead veers into talking about all of the touristy stuff that he’s done upon first arriving in Cape Town earlier that day and the barber shop that he had visited to freshen up before the gig. Before I can subtly try to slip a few of my prepped questions into the conversation, Olugbenga is quickly whisked away to begin preparing for his set.
As Olugbenga leaves the garden, a guy who had been smelling the palms of his hands for a suspiciously long time approaches me and hands me a piece of lavender that he had picked from a bush that had been growing nearby. Noticing my disappointment in my failed interview attempt, he gives me a set of instructions before departing to the dance floor:
“Rub this in your hands – it will help you.”
I’m not entirely sure how this will help me come up with content for the article that I’m supposed to write but I oblige my new friend by lathering the lavender into my palms and giving them a good sniff. It didn’t really change anything, but my hands did smell almost as fresh as Olugbenga’s haircut. However, the absurdity of this interaction did make me realise that no one comes to a house party to focus on work – they come to just have fun, meet new people and sniff the miscellaneous substances that they are kindly willing to share with you. By which, of course, I mean lavender from the garden.
With my freshly perfumed palms, I set off to the dance floor to check out Olugbenga’s set that had just started. The lights had dimmed, the speakers were throbbing with ‘Gbenga’s set – ranging from Beyonce anthems to obscure Tame Impala remixes – and all of the YOH decorations were being euphorically trampled on by destructive dancing feet. And that’s all the analysis that I need to do. I decide to just enjoy the rest of Olugbenga’s set for the remainder of the evening and fully immerse myself in the YOH experience.
At around 02:00 AM, when the everyone was being ushered out of the party so that the inevitable post-house party cleanup can begin, I see Olugbenga again and make no mention of the questions that I had prepared. Instead, I congratulate him on a tremendous set and wish him the best for his next two shows tomorrow. I then make my way out of the house to find the Uber that I had ordered – my palms still smelling of lavender and my sticker still on my shoulder.
