With its enchanting mountains and magnificent oceans, Cape Town, the city famed for its splendor, is a dream vacation destination for many. Growing up as a creative in this city has been an intriguing journey, battling with the inaccessibility of opportunities for a young self-taught artist from Gugulethu—a place that affords you many questions when you find yourself within the city’s cliquey creative spaces, being bombarded with questions like, “How did you get here?” from your counterparts. Confused by the absurdity, you wonder if it was a bird or a plane that got you here. And the most amusing part was noticing how there’s an air of discomfort with people you were getting along with five minutes ago – up until you mentioned where you’re really from. Yoh ha.a, this is not what Zozibini fought for.
As a child, you’re reminded that you are descended from legends like the Great Brenda Fassie, an icon who rose from the alleys of Langa to carry her voice and finesse to the globe. MaBrr had an unfathomable effect on us, even more so because she didn’t just look like us; she was one of us. I realized at this point that African art had a spiritual quality to it—something raw, untouchable, and magnificent. This city is home to many creative geniuses, whose creative prowess is inspired by many things like the trials and tribulations of growing up ekasi, like Anita Hlazo, the designer of AFROGRUNGE and one of the city’s most creative visionaries, has inspired a great wave for alternative black girls like myself to be audacious. Her brand promotes her black womanhood as well as her love for the grunge aesthetic, which has been previously misunderstood and ridiculed.
“Her brand promotes her black womanhood as well as her love for the grunge aesthetic, which has been previously misunderstood and ridiculed.”
— UNAM
Although there is a thin line between romanticizing our harsh childhood in the townships and realizing how much it has influenced our artistic practices, the hood undeniably produces some exceptional practitioners; like GREEK., whose work greatly inspires and impacts the city and larger South Africa’s cultural climate. Being behind songs like RHULUMENTE, RIP R MASHESHA, and CRUCIAL, this is an artist who gives meaning to the phrase “do what you can with what you have and do it well.”
GREEK’s sound is an arresting combination of melodies inspired and influenced by his upbringing in Gugulethu, posing a lyrical mastery that pulls together the kids from eKasi, while tipping his hat to the underdogs-amaRhuzu namaGintsa-and spreading this culture and wave across the country.
“do what you can with what you have and do it well”
— UNAM
GREEK
Listening to him feels like you’re reading a love letter to the culture. Much like his musical counterpart, Orish, a musician and producer behind masterpieces like SimulationRxps’ live from elokshini album, is forging the way and putting originality front and centre, with an intrinsic sound that’s an aching reminder of home and tastes like the musical influences we grew up with—you can smell an Orish production from afar. And, while they aren’t the first to do any of this, having been carried the torch by previous legends, there is something unique brewing right here and now.
