Topics

1

Hip Hop Events / KoolAID at Zakwe Edition of KOL this Friday

« on: July 10, 2012, 10:03:13 PM »

KoolAID is the social responsibility arm of Kool Out Entertainment.(KOL)
This  Friday 13th please  bring non-perishable food, bring clothing, soap, sanitary towels or books and toys for our #KoolAID box at KOL, Shikisha.



Get a free shooter when you donate.

All proceeds will be donated for Mandela Day at Bienvenu Shelter in Bertrams on Saturday 21st July. Come through  and help with painting their dining room, taking part in the  life skills program or making lunch for the children who live there.

We can all do something to change the world.

For more info: @kool_out or @iNaturelle

2

General Discussion / RIP Mack aka Captain Schti

« on: April 03, 2012, 08:49:54 AM »

Mothers and fathers wish that it wasn't this hard.
Mothers will let you hide between their long summer dresses and petticoats from that relative who gives sloppy kiss.
Fathers will smack the back of your head to build up your tolerance to the hard hits that you will experience later on in life.

It feels perverse that these scrapes, cries and f***-its are there to build you.
That ultimately you being broken, then moulded only to become just another brick in the wall of human advancement.
And that's only if you get it right.
And to do that you have to get it wrong.
A lot of times.           

Your mother and your father will watch you as you grow.
And they'll fight with you because they think you are making it harder on yourself.

By falling in love with that boy from the parallel tracks.
By believing in the poetry of your time.
By having you heart broken so hard that you cry until you lose your breath and sound like a vacuum cleaner whose pipe gets stepped on again and again.

They will say, "Does she not know that she can get another one?"
"He was never good enough anyway"           

In life, you will be asked a lot of questions.
That's what life is about- not experiences.
They come after the questions like,
"Have you smoked this before?"
"It's okay, if you promise to pull out "

The questions will become harder.
And mothers will ask why are you not like your sister.
Father will curse themselves for not smacking you harder. 

It's hard.
And when something comes against something hard, it breaks.
Especially people.
You will find them in the next office.
At the till at Pick n Pay
On the other side of the bed.
People who find it so hard it hurts just thinking about it.
To steel themselves they will create things and hates.
And run to churches.

But when they talk about love, they talk about its rot.
When they talk of flowers it's at a graveyard.
When they talk about life, it's not.

At the bottom you will find those who never want it to be hard.
These people create nothing.
Love nothing. Achieve nothing.
And run away from everything.

In the middle are those who believe that the gods have it in for them.
They cry and then laugh.
Embrace them. Love these people.
They make great babysitters.

It's hard and it will break you.
Let it break you. Go on let it go on with it. 
And one day people will come up to you and say, "We never knew you were this beautiful"             
                           

3

Media / Photos you take

« on: October 07, 2010, 06:26:09 PM »

Post pix of things you click, snap, flash at as you go about your life.  Only your own photos are allowed.

4

Politics / Obama hosts Africa's future leaders at white house

« on: October 06, 2010, 10:29:09 PM »

Everyone has a plan for Africa. But Africa needs to have plans from Africans for Africa. ( Graca Machel at TEDxChange talk http://www.gatesfoundation.org/foundationnotes/pages/katharine-kreis-100923-on-graca-machel.aspx
Two months ago President Obeezy held a forum and hosted young African leaders for 2 days to coincide with the 50th Independence celebrations of several African  states. Yes no centinery independence parties just yet, most African countries only been independent not any longer our parentts or ourselves have been alive. Not a very long time.
(The points below have been right clicked,copy and pasted read full article here: http://macjordangh.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/obama-met-young-african-leaders-what-you-missed

Objectives of the Young Leaders Forum

• Learn from young African leaders in civil society and business how they are motivating youth, while highlighting for global audiences a new generation of Africans who will shape sub-Saharan Africa's next 50 years.

• Emphasize the Administration's priority of mutual responsibility as the foundation of the U.S.-Africa partnership and reinforce the U.S. commitment to supporting African solutions to Africa's challenges.

• Help build networks between young American and African leaders that will lead to lasting partnerships.

Africans Building Their Own Futures

The President's Forum with Young African Leaders presents the U.S. Government and American "friends of Africa" with an unprecedented opportunity to meet with a broad cross-section of Africa's next generation of leaders and learn more about their roles as motivators for transformational change and new growth in their societies.

Mutual Responsibility and Civic Engagement

The Forum's core messages will be:

• Mutual responsibility and respect as the foundation of the relationship between and among African countries and between Africa and the United States.

• Civic engagement as a catalyst for opportunity and building a better future.

My question really is, what do you see your role as being as a young person in Africa? Does Africa belong to you? What does Africa mean to you? Does globalisation taint or enhance that meaning?

5

Politics / The Truth vs Charles Taylor

« on: August 15, 2010, 07:18:20 PM »

I'm asking. When will we use the truth for good? When will we learn from history and not repeat it?

I've been obsessed with Thomas Sankara for years. If you don't know about him, he was ahead of his time for some of the revolutionary steps he took during the 80s, a statesman and leader that should be emulated. A man who banned mercs from governmental fleets, a man who changed the name of his country to a phrase that means, the land of upright people. Ask our friend Google about him, you won't regret it.

But this is not about him, it's about  the case against Charles Taylor currently underway in The Hague.
I've known about it since he was indicted, he was such a celebrity president, hard to ignore. An handsome charismatic man with a relentless penchant for power. But I never really followed why exactly he was being tried or what has been happening till I read last week that he may have had a hand in Sankara's a**asination. Not to mention my shameful interest in Naomi Campbell and her implication with Taylor giving her apparent blood diamonds while at a dinner at the Mandela residence.

What I find most difficult to accept about the case against Charles Taylor is that no one is blatantly speaking out against his atrocities not only in his native LIberia but also his role in funding rebel leaders in Sierra Leone that lead to the most brutal civil war in that has scarred the people off that land nor about his escaping a  jail in the states. ( The U.S actually pardoned him and backed his presidential race even though he was guilty of embezzling their money, being jailed for it and escaping  a U.S jail- I will never understand how/why the Yanks continue to back the most evil men in history and still claim righteousness)
How can  people protect Charles Taylor? He who ordered the murder of anyone he thought was a rival to his power, he who funded and approved the burning of villages, chopping of limbs, rape of grils and women and ordered children as young as nine to kill their parents and become his soldiers?
How can there even be a doubt that he is responsible?
Issa ha**an Sesay is already serving a 50 year term. he will prolly die behind bars and yet he will not say anything against Taylor.
When will the truth ever come out> Do the people left without left limbs, the people who lost their families, the people who killed themselves in fear of what may come, teh people of free Liberia, and Free Sierra Leone, do they not deserve the truth?
Will Taylor never have to admit that he was wrong? That he did bad things? Why has his remorse ( if he is capable of it)  been allowed to be private for so long?
I really hope Sesay crumbles under pressure during the trial tomorrow and gives evidence that will enable Taylor to be prosecuted finally. I don't think anybody will take pleasure in seeing an old man go to jail, but if there is any justice in the justice system, he must pay for his crimes.

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Media / So... Mizi quit Hypemag

« on: June 21, 2010, 08:49:30 PM »

Thoughts?
What direction do you think this much in need-of-resuscitation publication will take?
That being said except for a typo on the cover  the June/July issue was actually quite a good read.
Articles from our own Scott Williams and the layout wasn't as shoddy as previous editions.

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General Discussion / Woman is the nigger of the World

« on: June 20, 2010, 02:40:09 PM »

Gender Woes
John Lennon has a song called “Woman is the nigger of the world” released in 1972. Looking around, things haven’t changed much.
Take this incident with a colleague at work a few weeks ago. I was at one end of the room and he wanted to say something to me. He motioned me with his head, tilting it to the side, meaning e tla kwano. I pretend not to notice that he was signalling to me. Why should I have to go to where he is, when he is the one who wants something from me? Why can’t he walk over to me? ...then without moving as little as an inch he whistled and added, hey S, tla hier!
I decided to walk out of the room fast as I could at that moment, else I would have ended up slapping him. I heard him giggling and calling me a feminist to the other colleagues left in the room.
In my experience  both in personal life and at work, I find that generally most men have a very entitled attitude in the presence of women and when other men are bearing witness.  I’m a man, you are a woman. Play your position. Dish out for me, clear up after me. You exist to serve and please me.  You should be subservient to me. It's a given. No question.
I would like to understand where this lack of respect comes from. Why is it that men feel they may treat us  and address us in any way they please? This particular colleague does this type of thing with all the women including and more senior  personnel. I feel sorry for his girlfriend.
I used to date a guy who once said something along the lines of, “when you are around, I don’t worry about anything in the house. I know you’ve got it covered”
I guess he meant it as a compliment  but the way it made me feel was nothing near flattered.
We women wear many hats and can brag about being able to juggle 10 things at once as if we related to the Octopus.
We multi-task happily taking chore after chore in our stride with the attitude of if I don’t do it, it won’t get done.
Now, I’m not saying all men sit back and read the paper while their ladies are barefoot and worrying about her late period in the kitchen. I know responsible men who go the extra mile to show their partner that they take equal responsibility for all aspects the relationship. However this isn’t the common scenario in most households.
I strongly believe that our roles  as human beings are intrinsic by nature. Caveman provided and cave woman nurtured. I find that most men today perpetuate stereotypical gender roles to get away with doing very little/having less responsibility as a whole.
Women have had a raw deal for a while. Restricted  negotiation powers (be it our demure physical stature, societal expectations..what have you) have meant  we’ve had to accept that the enormous responsibility of taking care of the holistic needs family rests on us.
Women’s “emancipation “ did little to change this tipped scale. Economic factors, absent fathers, women’s lib  gave us the opportunity to enter the  professional working world and escape the boredom  of the daily routine of house chores, soapies and gossip. We have been contributing to the household income  but the task of making sure dinner is served and the children have what they need for school tomorrow still rests on us. Whether it is directly by us having to do it ourselves after  a full day at work  or making sure a cousin from the village or a helper is at hand to do it properly.

What am trying to say is, where are the good old family values on which we used to rely? No really...I would like some answers. What’s going on? Where do these perceptions stem from and why do we let them prevail?

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General Discussion / R.I.P Busi Mhlongo

« on: June 16, 2010, 08:47:34 AM »

9

Hip Hop Events / Back to the City 2010

« on: April 18, 2010, 04:06:42 PM »

10

General Discussion / Internetlessness

« on: March 15, 2010, 09:58:30 PM »

This is so random, it's disgusting but anyway.
Yesterday after a day of pretty much being analogue I decide I want a surf on the  good ol doubleyoudoubleyoudoubleyou. ya know, nothing much, quick, just check on this or that just quickly. and maybe google that thing Nox and I were having a converstaion about earlier. I forgot to google it earlier I'm telling you google is like the cheapest and most reliable research a**istant. Compact too. Real convinient.
Put latop on,powers in less that 60 seconds, wireless network detected press enter, it recalls your name and pa**word sweet now here we go, I'm about to get my fix, knowledge, stimulation,inspiration, escape, adrenalin, awe all at the click of a button, this thing is better than drugs, or is that even better when you on drugs.
So yeah i'm waiting for that familiar interface of my ingenious new age research a**istant and it's just not there.Grey and white screen with blue text. Wait this is like the upside down smile emoticon. This is like an upsidedown smiley.*silent scream* That alertsyou that this is bad news. My head can't take it, my curiosity is killing me, satisfy my enquiry or I'll haunt you to your quick sad death in 15 minutes. I'm counting,the countdown to depression starts now. This thing is like a ruthless drug dealer who you know recognises you as a strong person with an unbreakable sense of pride but who also knows your weakness and keeps you hooked and still you'll do anything.
So you hope and pray, quick restart should fix it rite, of course. Lemme try that, tap fingers, grab a drink from fridge, press enter, smile on face as computer remembers you and logs you in. wow this thing really simplfies my life now i can stand here and use that effort to woulda used to type to pick my nose instead.
There ya go done, wireless newtwork ta------da greenorange red, wait what  the, ?*/? why can't I connect.That's not favourable. Red=bad. uhm. i rebooted. Tilt head to side....The dongle thinga majig  is flashingreenoranrrrrredSHYT. urhm, refresh.urhmmm still the colours of rain not sun.storms not calm.war not peace.men not women.
phUCk i start to realise the internet can break, did i just say that? Nah we can't live with that possiblility there's gotta be something we haven't tried, the internet just doesn't quit on us unthinkable we think like the captain of the titanic who believed it was unsinkable. So reboot again this time try network data cable and combination of explorer and firfox and see. maybe that's it. maybe teh red light means nothing should still be connected somehow. RIED twice, blew into data cable socket and insert data cable again. nada.Oh but wait maybe it's just our network temporarily, in the meanwhile lemme try next doors... they'll neverknow that it's me who eats into their precious fast realiable bandwith everymonth.... if I haven't been caught by now, once more quickly since i'm not even gonna be logged on for that long anyway surely what will it hurt.
 Here i go adaduummm deeeda, log onto katymoose69 what kind of name is that for a network ? hmm i don't even want to start deciphering....oh well, hurr we go connnecting, round and round we go, takin a bit long, but it always does, missimpatient, hmm a tune read cute sms from that special somebody hmmm, yeah look up, little green icon going round and round still,, there's hope. lalilialalala, hit replyon mobile phone start composing a text, hey i really oh lemme open the online thesaurus so i can  quickly check for synonyms  for the word like. hit dock hit firefox icon,  comes up no. way katymoose69  isn't working rite now either. that was my last resort. what's going on, why the phuck does nothing work in thsi country. I knew i shoulda gone for iburst and not this cheap crap. why did i fall for this bloody deal iburst woulda been a 150 bucks more but at least i would have been online like an hour ago when i started tryna connect to this shyt. can't believe it's been down an hour. what the phuck am I supposed to do while the internetdown, the internet is supposed to waste time for me!shyt.look at me, I'm like a junkie. how can i be so dependent on this piece of shyt connection to the world? don't i have a life? calm down, it's part of life and now i'm so accustomed to it why can't i access when i feel i need it? This is depressing. I'm depressed coz I can't connect to the internet. OMG! I'm actually down, I could cry. I have feelings for the internet, I can't live without the internet. I love the internet. OMG. The internet has an aura. I can personify it. It's an almagamation of all the information that makes me, me. in every aspect almost even scientifically even from the point of view that this will be documented retropect in the future.
I give in. Let me restore some normacy and element of control. I'm able to distract and not destruct myself, as in keep my mind in the real world instead of escape it.  I turn of the computer. I pick up a book. It's almost like an insult, everything in and about this book, this lounge this house is on the internet and MORE, this immediate room is but a lonlely i in a line of letters, I have a portal to the origins of worlds, never mind the minimal tangible...this..., it's not enough anymore....not by far. I'm a sponge made up of memory banks wanting to be soaked way up past saturation point. Keep pumpimg me with the 411 hun.

I got depressed and sulky and sad coz I couldn't get get online.  It's like being thirsty only for cold water, nothing fancy, nothing gimmicky, just the real good ish that is natural and is a rite. See what I'm saying? a right? It feels like a basic right. Like a primal need 2.0.
 

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General Discussion / Best Hiphop Nominees SAMA

« on: March 05, 2010, 02:50:28 PM »

The nominees have been announced. What do you think?

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Politics / How I harnessed the wind

« on: March 04, 2010, 08:40:08 PM »

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General Discussion / Next Lifetime

« on: February 15, 2010, 02:58:00 PM »

You know the song, Next Lifetime by Erykah Badu? Has it ever happened to you? What did you do?

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Hip Hop Events / Cape Town Jazz Festival 2010

« on: February 10, 2010, 12:09:00 PM »

The confirmed lineup looks like this so far:

Jonathan Butler with special guests RICK BRAUN and Richard Elliott (RnR)
Vusi Mahlasela
Rachelle Ferrell
Selaelo Selota
Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet
Judith Sephuma
Lira
George Benson: “Greatest Hits” & “An Unforgettable Tribute to Nat King Cole.” With a 28 piece orchestra
Mezzoforte
Musa Manzini
The Glenn Robertson Jazz Band
Stix Hojeng
REGINA CARTER’S “REVERSE THREAD”
The Gauteng Jazz Orchestra
Delft Youth Big Band conducted By Ian Smith
Ronny Jordan Organ Trio
Hanjin
Paulo Flores
Sammy Hartman Project feat Robbie Jansen and Ezra Ngcukana
Toots Thielemans
McCoy Tyner with special guest GARY BARTZ
Charles Lloyd New Quartet featuring Jason Moran, Reuben Rogers, and Eric Harland
MiKANiC with special guests Zolani Mahola and Buddy Wells
Mervyn Africa 'Kaapse Finale'
Brooklyn Funk Essentials
IRIDIUM PROJECT
BLK JKS
TKZee
SOIL & "PIMP" Sessions
Guru's Jazzmatazz feat Solar & The 7 Grand Players
MiKANiC with special guests Zolani Mahola and Buddy Wells
Kesivan and the Lights feat. Feya Faku, Prof. Adrian Mears, Martin Sjöstedt, Johan Horlen
The Bokani Dyer Trio
Tete Mbambisa
Amanda Tiffin
The Bad Plus
Marcus Wyatt and Language 12
Jason Moran and the Bandwagon

15

Hip Hop Events / John Robinson live

« on: February 01, 2010, 06:35:21 PM »

The boys who shut down Zula with People Under the Stairs are at it again.