Stonebwoy On Anloga Junction Album, South African Collaborations And Beyond

Stonebwoy / 32 / Artist, Performer & Composer

Describe Stonebwoy and the love for music?

Stonebwoy is an African from Ghana. A multi-international award-winning artist, a performer and composer. I am a very talented musical genius, blending Dancehall and Reggae styles with Afrobeats, it is termed ‘AfroDancehall’. Born Livingstone Etse Satekla, music is my life and I love my life.

You create Afropop, Reggae and Dancehall music, what’s your favourite genre to create and why?

My style is actually a combination of all the above mentioned, to form a single body, so I can confidently say my favourite thing is to create all 3-in-1, termed as AfroDancehall. All the genres of music beautifully intertwined, have the same roots which make them not so widely different.

You’ve worked with South African artists such as AKA, Nasty C and Cassper Nyovest, do you listen to SA music? If so, what’s your favourite thing about the music/artists?

South African music is smooth, with its naturally fast and mid tempos that come with a lot of very creative dances to match. I love to listen to music across Anglophone, Lusophone and Francophone lines, so I can easily relate SA music. My favourite thing about SA music is the swing it comes with, derived from the tone of languages and the artistes are unique in their styles. SA has a very diverse culture, which is beautiful.

Your new single ‘Bow Down’ sees you collaborating with Nasty C, what’s the story behind the collaboration?

Nasty C was the best choice for a rhythm like that, when I heard it I knew we could create some magical with the guidance of producer iPappi Beats from Ghana. The song was recorded at my home studio in Ghana, we made under 2 hours, from scratch! We are yet to put a video together after the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s a major project for the Anloga Junction album.

You’ve collaborated with top artists all over the world, how much personal and musical growth happens with each collaboration?

I’ve collaborated with great artists worldwide, personal musical connections have been brewed with each connect, with some relationships going beyond the music and turning into family and real friends. Like they say, real recognize real and the bond there off.

Why call your new album ‘Anloga Junction’?

The idea behind calling my album Anloga Junction is to give it identity as an African album from Ghana. The name of the town I hail from is Anloga, where Anlo is the dialect spoken and the same name defines my ethnicity.

How did the collaboration with Keri Hilson come about? Should we expect more collabs in the future?

The collaboration with Keri Hilson was meant to happen, it wasn’t planned though, only thought of and that’s why everything came together beautifully. A friend of mine met Keri on a flight and it all began there. We exchanged numbers and followed up when I went to the States for a tour. She invited me over to her studios, where the legendary award-winning producer, Andre Dre Harris was present. and we all made it happen. Yes there’s definitely a few more coming up.

How does it feel to be inducted into the Grammy Museum Sounds of Africa exhibit?

To be included in such a prestigious exhibition is proof that my hard work and contribution to the music scene is recognized globally.

What do you believe is the future of African music or Afrobeats?

The future of African music or Afrobeats is there for us the creative to speak about our history, our stories and spread the African agenda in our compositions. I’ve come to realize that this is lacking in our creative content and that is the future.

With not being able to travel due to the pandemic, what is the future looking like for you? What message do you have for your South African fans who were looking  forward to meeting you on tour in SA?

The future is still very bright, though there’s a lock down happening and the world is facing this global pandemic, I trust that there’s hope for the people of the world. Let’s turn to our maker in these times and let’s all keep to the protocols of keeping safe from this deadly virus.

Any live streaming performances for your fans during the lock down?

During this lock down I’ve done a few virtual charity concerts and pushed my store via merchandise and also pushing my album. I’ve continued to use social media to keep in touch with my fans.

How has lock down affected you as an artist?

Lock down has affected the whole world and we are finding newer means to keep pushing our work out and interacting with our fans.

 

Follow Stonebwoy!

Instagram: @stonebwoyb

Twitter: @stonebwoyb

Facebook: @stonebwoyburniton

YouTube: Stonebwoy

 

-Bridgette Makhela

Thabo & Thabiso On YoMzansi, Relevant Content And Social Media

Thabo Modiselle and Thabiso Modiselle / Content Creators at 5@2 Media & YoMzansi

Content is of the essence. How did YoMzansi begin?

YMZ began as a hobby at a time when we were messing around with computers and coding. And since we were attached to the entertainment industry, we figured we’d create our own blog which would talk about the latest news in entertainment, music and digital trends. This was back in 2008 and we named the blog 5@2 News Network. Then in 2010, we decided to re brand to YoMzansi and make it a solid passion project, because people were enjoying our content and wanted more. Today, YoMzansi is a platform that focuses on current pop culture and documenting it. We also curate our own original content through dope collaborations with different brands.

Describe a typical day at the office…

Weekdays we kick start the day at 8am, the plan is to keep our mornings very easy so we can achieve a lot more within those hours. The first hour we go through our To-Do list and figure out deadlines and the content list. Between that and midday, we’re on our laptops putting up content on the blog and social media, while getting on those morning calls and E-mailing potential clients and brands. At times we use some hours to put together proposals and share ideas with certain brands we’re keen on working with, so this is a team effort. Same morning we get package deliveries from brands that have booked editorials and shoots. Lunchtime we hit the drawing board together with the team to come up with killer ideas for editorial shoots. Once we have implemented the key ideas and plan, we spend most afternoon hours putting together the shoot at the studio. We try as much to stay away from meetings, unless it’s critical. We wrap up our day after receiving a bunch of invites to attend launches, events, press conferences, etc (not all of them pay). We then decide which ones would be great to attend, where it will be beneficial to network and get dope content.

You guys are twins, how does working together pan out?

It has honestly made things a bit smoother in terms of building and getting the work done, because we can multi-task. We have spent time together since day one, and have shared our passion since, so our work relationship has become a lot easier. But also, this comes with a lot of arguments because as much as we’re twins, our tastes differ, so at times when we have to put out a final product, you find that we have to choose what is best and it’s not always easy. But through the years we’ve managed to overcome challenges like that, because we share the same vision and our work ethic is on a thousand.

What’s the secret to always producing fresh, relevant and visually captivating content on your blog? 

When we started the blog, most times, the question was what type of content would we (personally) want to consume and read daily. From that, we started looking at trendy, fresh and youthful content that any millennial would enjoy and want to subscribe to. Picture it: when you’re hanging with your friends, what would you talk about? The ‘IT’ Fashion item everyone has, money, cars, music, the coolest restaurant in Melville and so forth. So it’s not really a secret but more of daily stuff that attracts millennials.

2019, what’s the goal?

Building and building. There is much to be done, but the focus for this year is content. We are expanding our current podcast #YMZTechTalk and want to launch two more and produce more video content focused on South African pop culture. We also plan on expanding our portfolio in terms of collaborating with different brands that appeal to our audience.

What do you think South African Bloggers, Influencers and Content Creators still need to figure out?

It’s definitely the ‘storytelling’ part, that’s the key thing, many Influencers new and old still think it’s about the massive following, trending and clout. Creators and Influencers need to focus on telling beautiful and honest stories about whatever subject/topic they are covering. We need more Creators who are reliable when it comes to their word and work. Remember all this has to come with an audience that relies on your word, and that easily makes you stand out. Also for the ‘longevity’ part, can a kid in the next 10 years reference your piece, work, review or photograph? Also, it’s important to ‘stay away’ from the cycle of doing what others are doing, the usual things. It will be so dope to see new Creators and Influencers coming into the industry with their own taste, impact, style and just authentic new cool.

Think we’ll ever see the end of social media?

As long as we have the internet, social media will never die. Besides the celebrity life, slay queens, etc, social media is about connecting people, communicating and sharing information, and you have to think about this ‘world wide’. These days people rely on social media for information, latest news, advice and so on. Platforms are always going to be there for people to access such. Social media has to be the biggest thing that has ever happened to the internet itself, we honestly don’t think that today the internet would be fun without the social media part of it (Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram).

What are you guys looking forward to the most this year?

What is important to us is taking a step closer to the big goal. So even if it’s just one step we take this year, that will be dope for us. We are on a journey of building a media network with YoMzansi, have our own digital network, TV shows and expanding the brand into a lifestyle.

What does YoMzansi do for the culture?

Currently, we’re focused on documenting all the important stories and events that are happening within the music, fashion, art, film and lifestyle industry. We also tell stories about individuals who are pushing the envelope within those categories. This is so that the upcoming generation can have an authentic and honest reference about what was going on 5 to 10 years ago. We’re in the digital era, they should be able to read that, watch it or stream.

 

Follow Thabo & Thabiso! 

Twitter: @ThaboThabiso

Instagram: @ThaboThabiso

Facebook: @ThaboThabiso Modiselle

 

–Bridgette Makhela

Naledi Sibisi On Content, The Throne And The Mobb

Naledi Sibisi / 26 / Editor-in-Chief at The Throne Agency

Content, what does this mean to you?

Quality, value, tact and reception. Beyond how you carry and pass on information, I think content (creation and marketing) has more to do with how much you captivate and keep your target audience. The people behind the content have to be in the know; research, be on top of trends, understand what is happening in their industries and address or influence their audience through that knowledge. I think that really great content has more to do with the audience than the creator or marketer in the end. Your audience is ultimately who keeps determining what content is and how it translates.

It took you how many years to get to this point?

In theory, eight years. In practice, I would say about three years.

The Throne & The Mobb are dope, give a synopsis…

They feed each other but they also stand alone. Both The Throne and The Mobb explore entertainment, fashion, art and culture in a South African context. The agencies study cultural insights and influencer relations in order to serve as a voice for the contemporary urban and creative landscape. Most importantly, they are 100% Black female owned – aiming to reshape and rethink the creative industry and dynamic for the generation coming on board in the future.

What’s an Influencer to you?

Someone who has the ability to affect how you think and feel about products or services and can ultimately control your purchase power as a result. It goes beyond the surface level and pretty pictures on social media. An influencer is someone who has built up a following based on who they are, what they know and has identified their niche. As a result, brands can use this knowledge and audience loyalty to collaborate with them for marketing purposes to achieve their specific objectives. Influencers are assets.

Writing, it’s either you have it or you don’t. Agree?

Yes and no. I think as with any creative field it’s part ‘gift’, part passion and equal parts practice. You have to constantly study and practice your craft as much as you are passionate about it. You can have a natural flair for writing but if you are not pushing yourself, studying other writers and researching, you don’t have it.

South African social media platforms that praise and promote females, do we have enough?

More than enough. We need to keep promoting and praising them more. Above that, we need to keep putting more women in influential positions and positions of power. The gatekeepers of said platforms are still predominantly male. Life is about balance, it needs to apply in quite simple and complex contexts.

They say the hustle never stops, do you ever stop working and just chill?

I think that when you love what you do, you become a workaholic by default. It’s always important to take time out. I make it a point to not check work related things after a certain point. If it’s urgent, it can find me at 5AM lol.

How would you want to change another person’s life through the work you do?

To keep being a source of inspiration or reference on a large scale. In the near future when I feel I have established myself, I’d definitely like to take a group under my wing; I suppose like a mentorship. I think that knowledge is best when it is shared. I want young people specifically to be able to enjoy the fruits of my labour and pass that on.

Where can everyone find your movement, handles?

Instagram: @thethronesa / @themobb_sa

Twitter: @TheThroneSA / @TheMobbSA

Website: www.thethrone.co.za / https://www.thethrone.co.za/the-mobb/

 

–Bridgette Makhela 

C’Funk On New ‘In The City’ EP And All The Hours He Put In

Nhlakanipho Ndlovu C’Funk aka “Mission wabantwana” / 27 / Singer & Production Engineer

‘Time In The City’ EP is out, break it down track by track…

 

Time in the City is about my time in Johannesburg, I’m from Durban originally. I came to Johannesburg in October 2011 and never looked back. My experience within that time is partly depicted in the EP. Most of my experiences involve women, either than the fact that I love them, my experiences with women have left a lasting impression. If I had to name them all we’d be here all day long.

Track 1: Cobain The thing about this song is it’s the second to last track in terms of the order I wrote these songs. I had just finished speaking to my mother, every time I speak to her she always asks me when I’m coming home and I always have to reassure her that all is well and that I’ll be home soon. I usually end up speaking with my father as well, him and I are always discussing soccer, so I decided to write this intro just to show the current state of things. As you begin this EP, you’ll hear Smash Afrika’s voice, shout out to Smash Afrika, we’re both from out of town so his words really complimented the intro.

 

Track 2: Dubane This song came about after my homies and I hit the club, I forgot which club it was but it’s in Sandton next to a News Cafe, Taboo I think is the name. We ran into girls we know from Durban and I remember they were rollin’ with OKMalumkoolkat. That experience inspired the song and no, nothing happened between us and them, like I said, they came with people, the song was just my version of events.

 

Track 3: Chocolate Cinderella Is just and ode to my love for dark-skinned girls. I met thee idea dark-skinned girl at the time and the beat is what lead me into the theme because of the party bounce. The song is about enjoying her presence in any setting, even at a party setting, as you may know some guys don’t like hitting the club with their respective partners, using terms like “how you gonna bring sand to the beach”, and that’s the story of this song.

 

Track 4: Smoke Sum This song is my, what’s the word, “flex song”. I’m just talking that talk, when I made the beat I was feeling cheeky and carried that sentiment in the words. I can’t explain it to you, you have to hear it to understand.

 

Track 5: For Sure Is a love song, it’s not inspired by anything in particular. It’s the song I wrote when I decided to start taking singing seriously. I’d like to believe I was in love at this time, but since I can’t remember it. that must not have been the case. The thing I like about it though is that when I hear it now it resonates with my current relationship, which leads me to believe even a regular listener will be able to relate. 

 

Track 6: Comet My current favourite, this song came about in the final stages of the EP. I wrote it on Women’s Day, it was supposed to be an interlude but as I wrote the song, it started to have legs. Soon I had added a clip of me and an old flame in our drunk state, it’s inspired by her, she’s been a huge fan of mine since way back when, that’s why the opening line is “pitching tents for cute honeys I’m a silly mother toucher everything is good cause she likes me to Usher”.

 

Track 7: Time In The City Well this is the song that wraps up the EP, it puts everything into prospective in terms of where I started to where I am right now in this city. Big shout out to my boy Sandile Radebe, who added that dope verse that complimented what I was trying to say.

 

Bonus track: Clap For You This song is for the ladies, it features my homie J.Smallz, we just appreciating the ladies…WE GOT A VIDEO COMING SOON!

 

PS, the interludes that are in between certain songs are there to make a smooth transition for the songs on the EP, they all occurred after I wrote ‘Comet’. The story developed then, I mean yes I do understand that I come off as a “fuck boy”, claiming to be in love with this Dubane/Chocolate Cinderella girl but sharing intimacies with another young lady. I felt like it would make for a more compelling story.

When did you decide to take the music route seriously?

It all happened in 2015, a good friend of mine named Phindile Ziqubu aka ‘The Boss Lady’ encouraged me to do so, her belief made me believe and the rest is history.

As a vocalist, any challenges you faced while putting the EP together?

 

Hell yeah! When I started all I had was a singing voice and a book full of songs, how to sing was something I didn’t know would be the problem. Singing is not a game, even now I’m still learning. that’s why the EP took almost two years to make. I had a lot of help from friends and even family at some point, that to me was the biggest road block. The rest didn’t affect me enough to be mentioned.

 

You’ve already released some singles from the EP, how have they been received so far?

Dubane, my first single, was received very well, it was even number one at some point on Khutso Theledi’s R&B Chart on YFM, shout out to Khutso. The second single from how I see not so much but the third one did the damn thing, shout out to J.Smallz for jumping on the song, we even got a video coming soon for that track.

What’s the next step for you since releasing your EP?

 

Pushing it is my biggest goal, I want people to believe in the local R&B scene and I’m going to be performing every chance I get until I drop the next one I guess. Part of this you must understand is to feed my hunger to sing, when I wasn’t pursuing this I would sing everywhere, after a while people even started encouraging me to try out Idols.

 

You’re performed at YFM this past Friday on ‘Live n ReYired, how did your fans receive it?

I had a live band, with the ever so talented Delicious Keys aka Josh directing the music. It was dope! I’ll be performing songs off of the EP as well as two new songs just to round it off.

How many hours go into rehearsal?

 

A lot! I can’t really tell at this point because I’m singing most of the time.

C’Funk as an artist, how much have you grown since your musical journey began?

Immensely vocally, my pen has always been lit so at this point whether it’s to grow or not, it’s hard to tell.

What genre would you describe your music as?

 

I’d describe it as R&B, that’s my aim, I might shift a bit here and there but at the end of the day, the focus will be R&B.

Follow C’Funk!

Instagram: @funknificent

Twitter: @TheRealCFunk

Facebook: C’funk

–Bridgette Makhela