This is a conversation that is happening in my head right now ...

Im inlove with her, but she is crazy but im inloooove with her but she is crazy ... sigh - im onlove with her but... she...is....crazy!

One of those days, when I have nothing to say ... Chelsea Ciara is something new in the video vixen world - check her out.

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This month of love and pretty red things, we’re going to shine a red light of love on local boys. South African men whose being just complements the great weather, the ones who are prettier than a Jozi sunset but as fascinating as Durban South Coast beach on New Year’s Day, the fellas who make living in Mzansi more than a great joy. (It’s February, I’m allowed clichés.) dudes we can run into and or stalk. 

Photography: Desiree

When I think of South African men I immediately think of soccer players! I’m a sad cliché and I will send a letter of apology soon. So, no soccer players, what are we left with?Boardroom masters? Given Mkhari, Patrice Motsepe, Thebe Ikalafeng. The stylish ones? Mukheli brothers, Janez Vermeiren Wordsmiths? The Scribbler? Who is the The Scribbler? Vus? James Dean? Ndumiso Ngcobo? The national monuments? Trevor Manuel? Jimmy Manyi? Sexy editors? Hello GG. Politicians? Uhm…maybe not. The ones who make us put on our dancing heels - Black Coffee, AKA, HHP?

Four weeks of “Men of the South”, the good, the astounding, the wonderful and maybe some we’ll stumble upon accidentally. Does anyone know what Dali Tambo is up to these days?

So it's Black History and I decided to invite Steve Biko and my late grandfather to a nice lunch at this great spot in Cape Town. For a reason that I'm still to understand, Shaka Zulu rocked up. I had figured that the best way to understand my black history was to talk to some of those that I believe helped shape what I believe is the black identity today. However things did not go according to plan.

There are many more that I could have invited to this lunch but, come on, a chat about history, politics, culture and identity with, uhm, the dearly departed? I'd rather keep neat and tidy. First to arrive was grandad, looking dapper with that jelled up, parted afro and the three piece get up. Biko came and sat silently observing the eating place. I gathered by the commotion and gasps emanating from the door that Mr. Senzangakhona had arrived, short spear, shield and leather loin cloth.

I went straight into it, although I wasn't sure how to begin. I greeted, shook granddad's hand. I thought it would be symbolic to give Biko a fist bump because, you know, black power, fist in the air...he just stared and ordered his spirits on boulders. I was not going anywhere near Shaka and his spear.

I introduced myself and gave a brief history. I was in the middle of my "I am not Xhosa I am South Africa..." speech when my grandfather knifed through my rhetoric;
"Kwedini, do you know your clan name?"
"Yeah, I know my clan, I'm down with Wu-Tang. I'm on that 36 Chambers...it's a joke, I was...never mind"
"What do you know about the Mpondo, Mpondomise, Bomvana, Xesibe and Thembu? Do you know what happened during the Mfecane?"
Old man had me on the ropes. He was right in his rhetorical questions. But I've watched Ali and I know what a rope-a-dope is.
"You are right, Tata, I don't know much about that stuff. But do you know why I don't know? YOU! You left my father when he was a toddler and you took any connection to the Xhosa nation with you. So how was I supposed to know?" VUS, BUMAYE!!! I hear Biko crunch his ice.

It begs the question of; if one does not grow up surrounded by the elements that are supposed to help you define yourself within that particular identity does that you cannot identify with that identity? Like if a black boy is raised by a white family, does he not qualify as black? What happens if he only begins to learn about his black family in his adulthood? Is his blackness redeemed?

I look at my grandfather and marvel at his pride in his heritage. Yet I can't shake the feeling of irony in the whole thing. The Xhosa nation only came fully into being around the 15/1600's. Before then the Nguni people could be traced back to East Africa. Why is it then should I draw the line with amaXhosa and not acknowledge the rest of my Bantu roots? I want to marvel at the fact that Swahili is so similar to isiZulu. I want my chest to rise as much when I think about Hintsa the Great as when I think about the possibility that I could be related to King Kashta of the Kushites who came out of Egypt.

Throughout history's timeline the black identity will come to be constituted of many different elements. It seems there's a difference between being black and having a black identity.
"Being black is not a matter of pigmentation - being black is a reflection of a mental attitude", Biko says, swapping his empty glass for a fresh one from the waiter. As he says this, Mshoza comes on on the eating joint's speakers, she's talking about someone in a hat. At this point I knew things could only get more interesting....

Words & Poster: Vus (@JustVus)

As a designer this is the ultimate challenge for it directly involves the suitability of its form to the end function…to sit COMFORTABLY.

In a period of time where design has gone from…

• less is more to
• more or less,
• and less is a bore, …chair design has evolved with the times.

Less is a bore

More or less                                                                           

More to less

To be quite frank, I’m a less is more kind of designer, but I can appreciate how in the 21^st century a return to form in it’s albeit minimalistic (what I’d like to call silhouette) form is a win.

The idea of sitting down for a drink, a lick of gossip or a curl up in front of a TV truly depends on the chair. Personally I feel that chairs are a work of art and show the character of the owner whilst also serving as a conversation piece and an ode to its designer.

A spray painted leather chair, a bench with chair backs, or a moulded silhouette of a renaissance style chair all tickle my design fancy, and I  hope to see such daring, quirky, once off pieces in our homes, restaurants and office lobby’s.

The true test of a designer though, would be the design of a less intimidating dentist chair …any takers?

O boy!

I'll let the posters do the explaining, i just found these too flipping creative not to share.

Ilustrations by: http://www.leagasdelaney.de

Here you are in this new environment, wiping the anxious sweat off your brow because you secured yourself a seat in one of the country’s finest institutions; and it dawns on you that the excitement of being away from home has certainly died down [killed by the drone of lecturers].

You are feeling something, you are not quite sure what it is what is certain is that you are feeling like a caged animal and you just want to bolt at the next available opportunity. After the Orientation and Induction process, institutions of higher learning lose their shine ∙ their lustre fades you realise that you are stuck! [shamepies].

Fear not, for you might just be suffering from Commitment Phobia. Your issue is not just the institution, or that grey lecturer whose voice is the sound of a knife trying to saw through a wooden plank. Are you in the right place? 

If you have made it past Orientation, I hate to break it to you: you have begun a committed-partnership relationship with yourself and your lecturers that will lead to you becoming a practitioner in your chosen field. We can call this the study-partnership relationship; and like any other kind of relationship commitment issues will cause problems in your relationships with your studies. 

Perhaps you have never been in a position to be committed to a study-partnership relationship before, or that you were more devoted than you were ever rewarded marks for in the past.  Regardless of your perceived devotion, chances are that the relationship did not grow (or yield your desired results) to become something meaningful (aka marks). No relationship can grow solidly or healthily if the level of commitment is unbalanced. The only way to have a healthy relationship is for both partners to be equally committed.

Committing yourself to your studies can be a powerful and rewarding experience. You are fusing your life with an idea (a career), for better or worse. And make no mistake that commitment is a risk you take despite the possibilities of the end results. Every big decision in life is not made without some anxiety, or a fair amount of doubt.  Allow the anxiety to come through you not over you.  Anxiety and doubt are what make the decision real.   

Commitment is beyond the act itself (paying the registration fee); it is also a state of being committed for the specified amount of time.  It is the pledging of oneself to this career-path; and the engaging of oneself to it. Once you have made the promise, you are obligated to be involved with great faithfulness. This means you have to show up; every day, whether you feel like it or not.  Remember that what you are committed to is not this class, or this lecturer, or this institution your commitment is to yourself. Your commitment is to your Dream and this class, this lecturer, and this institution; all form part of the journey to your becoming.  

Overcoming fear of commitment will happen when you are in the right career-path. So ask yourself, is the creative-field “the one”? And if Creativity is “the one” you need to put a little trust in the process. Sift through your emotions; when times get tough, remind yourself why you are committed to Creativity the first place.

It is perfectly alright to enter into a study-partnership relationship with fears, but do not allow your reservations to stop you from taking the plunge. 

Welcome to the year Academic Year of 2012!

I expect Great Things!

Writer: Tebogo Serobatse       Photographer: Lebogang Nkoane

So we have decided that we going to have monthly stats update instead of having one - once a year This is so that you as the audience can see the progress and the regress of the website and see what trends on Studio83. Some posts are easier to explain why they are in the top 10 — while others are a mystery [still can't explain why this Chicks Dig Thursdays : Gabrielle Union has been number one for the last two years] but one day we will figure all this out — here are the figures...

• 12,563 / visits 
• 632,297/ page views/impressions
• 23,055 / unique-visitors
• 1,037,773 / hits
• 21 Gigabytes of bandwidth

Top 10 Posts for January 2012

1. CAPE TOWN IS NOT RACIST* / VUS.ISM [New Entry]
2. Chicks Dig Thursdays / Minnie Dlamini
3. Politics: Obama checking out Ass
4. Chicks Dig Thursdays / Boitumelo Thulo
5. Introducing Acacia Madi: Street Fashion [New Entry]
6. Longboard Girls Crew — Chicks Dig Thursdays
7. Chicks Dig Thursdays / Emmanuelle Chriqui
8. Chicks Dig Thursdays: Joelle Kayembe [New Entry]
9. 158 Fridays - DreamFoundry [New Entry]
10. Chicks Dig Thursdays / Fatima Siad

Tuesday_Love Presents: SelloTapes' 31st Light Years Mix | !!DOWNLOAD!!

Todays'Lov.e:
1. TL Theme Intro: AtJazz - "Short Changed"
2. AtJazz - "Before (Feat. Clara Hill)"
3. Lanu - "Rise (Abby Joyce & Simon Grey)"
4. Afro-Mystic - " Where Are You (Capitol-A)"
5. Susumu Yokota - Can Heaven Ever be Like This (Bugz in the Attic Rmix)
6. Antonio Adolfo - "Luizao"
7. SelloTapes - "Oxamu (Busi Mhlongo Tuesday_Love Mush-up re:Edit)" - *****
8. Jeremy Ellis - "Lotus Bloom"
9. Deetron Feat. Ovasoul7 - "I Cling"
10. TL Theme Outro: AtJazz - "Short Changed" _________________________________________________________________

Tues.day - The day of the week before Wednesday and following Monday.

Love - is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection.

A day that thrives to research and document “Authentic Alternative Culture” - Dedicated to the Preservation of FONK concentrating in Africa and the world. 

•  FONK = Funky Oriented Nu Koncepts

What is “Authentic Alternative Culture”?
It’s an uncertified culture that has imaged over the past two decades where individuals who are influenced by different sub-cultures and would subscribe to different genres in music, fashion, architecture, interior design, food design, industrial design, photo/film design and art have merged all these disciplines to create a homogeneous lifestyle.

 Subscriber to: Authentic Alternative Culture

• A subscriber to the “Authentic Alternative Culture” would be a person that is aware or learned in the art & music of the past four decades. These subscribers would take a bit of “everything” and merge them to create a design lifestyle that suits their unique personalities, thus tailor-made for themselves.

• They would be Culture Conscious and often influencers, trendsetters, connoisseurs of the alternative or champions within their social circles and communities.

Collaboration between a DeeJay/Selector and an artist (Preferably skilled illustrators) whom are going to create a Poster for the podcast put together by the DeeJay/Selector.

The collaboration

• The contributor could be the one doing the mix and the poster

Or

• Will be invited to collaborate with a Dj to make the poster

!!DOWNLOAD!!
________________________________________________________________

a Tintsumi Media Innvation | Case Study
Creative & Art Director: Sello Ditjoe (@noidsystems)
Illustration & Poster: Sello Ditjoe (@noidsystems)
Photographer: Solomon Moremong (@SolomonMoremong)

via @Studio83_Mag

This documentary is insightful, interesting im not sure if its relevant to now - mind you it was shot in 2004 but I might be wrong. You know that they say...

"the more things change - the more they stay the same"

A critical view on Media and Urban Black Youth Influences and Identity called Urban Youth Puppet Masters. Directed by Tsholo Moraba. 2004

Photographer: Thato Mohuba

I hate to start a Monday of like this. The day seems bleak. The post December Euphoria is now out of reach. The radio DJ’s seem a little less enthusiastic about life and the weather this morning. I channel surf and I am not aware of it. Its 5 am, and T-pain is musing about early morning blues on MTV. The riffs are spirit crushing. More and more I am becoming aware that I am part of the largely most unoriginal generation to come along in a long time. Everything is on repeat. I feel like I can recite the sequence of Beyonce’s we like to party by heart.

Maybe I am nostalgic by nature. Maybe Fran Lebowitz is right. Maybe the past always seems batter because when the past happened you were younger. I have got pimples now, I think about bills and all of a sudden those block parties and Kortez jams seem a lot more definitive in my head then they were back then. Too many of us listened to uKhozi FM on New Year ’s Eve. I wonder if Linda Sibiya still has the magic. I haven’t heard from Rakim in a long time. Justin Beiber seems invasive these days. Maybe a younger smarter version of me will look at him one day and feel the same way I feel about Kwaito and chuck tailors right now. Originality is hard, possible, but hard. Especially in a society that encourages the consumption of content without questioning the aesthetic value of that content. Our views are conceited, lasting only for the moment. We don’t want to question the social implications of what we create.

Recently I had an in-depth three hour debate with a friend of mine. We discussed my dismissive attitude towards Zahara as a pop cultural totem that lacks anything of real value and is imposed on us by shrewd marketing agencies and playlisters who have spine. Like I said originality is hard. And in fact I feel the most sorry for Zahara because she is a lady of moderate talents and now for the rest of her career she will be faced with the strain of outdoing herself. Daily she will be confronted with the reality of keeping the same formula so she can repeat her success. I wonder how many times she can perform Loliwe in her lifetime. Maybe I am just being hard on everyone. But for some reason I need to believe there is more to this. I need to believe that there is more to our art then just the temporary cause of entertainment. I need to believe that we can reject that helix of instant gratification hat is now embedded into he DNA of us the twitter generation.

If my friend is to be believed artists are the ones to blame for creating a culture of lack of engagement amongst audiences. They are directly responsible for the apathy amongst consumers. I beg to differ. Too often in my lifetime I have seen great creative minds go consistently ignored by mainstream consciousness. The trouble is double sided. First and foremost we as consumers of music, film and books want to buy more stuff and not really question the creative intent and the social implications of our creative culture. I was thrown of course recently when I saw a young lady of my age dancing to that ASS, ASS, ASS song by that rapper who likes like all the others and features Nicki Minaj.

This is sort of like a black face throw back but only neatly packaged in a 4 minute song and amplified by a  jaded beat, multiple colors and party friendly phrases such as “Go stupid!, Go stupid!”. Is this really how we are going to define ourselves? Is this what we want to be the central paradigms of our generation? Do we really want to be summed up in a chapter labeled MISCELLANEOUS? The default position of our current pop culture is deceptively simple. “Reject creative impulses. Divorce all original ideas from your system. Become one with the mediocrity of pop culture’

The second trouble is that creativity on its own is no longer a means to an end . There are too many side shows, press agents and brands wanting to be part of the creative sphere. Every time as an artist you create something you sort of have to tailor make it for the right crowd. Your are moderately aware of the influences. As we speak I am writing this article and wondering if perhaps it would not be more appropriate for Mahala and less so for Studio83. There is a sub-conscious self censorship that is becoming more and more real and restricting.  I am worried that too many of us are willing to accept conventional thinking from so called credible sources. No I am not preaching the Zeitgest but merely I am concerned that we are conforming to a cultural dogma that will eventually render our creative sphere limp. Too often I have walked into a room and seen new and irreverent ideas dismissed because the advertisers won’t be happy or the consumers might feel slightly skew.

Why do we not want to put out finger on it? Why are we happy to say that The Tree of life is a better film than 2012 and not break down the basis of that opinion. When someone says something is nice or not nice they must explain it. Too often we sum it up as emotion or intuition. I however maintain that to believe strongly in something does not mean you are exempt from explaining it properly. And between the internet memes, the YMCMB anthems and the rest of it, pop culture has a lot of explaining to do.

Photographer: Sfiso Sibanyoni

"The goal of an artist is to create the definitive work that cannot be surpassed" George Bernard Shaw.

In high school there were always such debates as why Beyonce was the lead singer of Destiny's Child and how come Van Damme and Chuck Norris were always the "starring" in action movies. What we did not realise back then was that although there were other people just as talented, these individuals became the stars that they are because they offered something different, something unique. Let me explain, when Beyonce sings, you don't need anyone to tell you its her. Plus she popularised the booty hop.

There are countless examples, Anton Koch's harsh but beautiful painting style was unique in his time, so was piccaso's radical art. Timberland has an unmistakeable sound that no other producer can replicate and 50 Cent has that slur and we can't forget the bullet proof vest! Ronaldo (both actually) has his sidesteps or the macarena as they call it. The list goes on. The point is, these stars have a unique trademark that distingushes them from anyone else in their respective trades.

The complete definition of a trademark is: any name, symbol, figure, letter, word or mark adopted and used by a manufacturer or merchant in order to designate his or her goods and to distinguish them from those manufactured or sold by others.  To put it simply, a trademark is a distinctive mark or feature particularly characteristic of or identified with a person or thing.

All artists whether they be photographers, designers, musicians, architects  etc need to have a trademark, an unmistakeable piece of themselves in all the work they do. One should be able to look at your work once and immeditely be able to confirm that its yours without your name or logo being on it. This could be a simple thing like following a certain theme or the much more difficult to achieve task of polishing your work a certain way or stickng to a certain unique style. Its all up to so what will it be? What is your unique trademark?

Photographer: Jeff Rikhotso

via Victor by Hasselblad

His name is Diaan Mynhardt of dreamfoundry & 75
and he hails from the capital city South Africa
For photograhic bookings: diaan@dreamfoundry.co.za

What is your occupation?

My career has gone through a few iterations. I started off in 2002 designing graphics for software interfaces in a super dead-end job. I did this until 2004 when the company I was working for had some financial difficulties and laid off a bunch of people, including me.

Having had my taste of working for bosses I decided not to do that again, and with my girlfriend at the time started a small, I guess you could say freelance, design studio called Dreamfoundry Design. (To this day I use Dreamfoundry as my nick on most websites.) Design soon morphed in to web design, so that's what I did for a few more years.

So, to finally answer your question, I'm currently floating in a sort of no-man's land between what's left of my design career and the birth of my career as a photographer.

Where do you live and work?

I live and work in a great, big top-floor apartment in the old east of Pretoria. I converted what used to be my sitting room in to a studio. I have a great view of Pretoria while I work.

Can you tell us a little more about yourself, your answers above are interesting?

I was born and raised here in Pretoria by two university professor parents - a mathematician and a social psychologist, and yes, that's exactly as weird as it sounds.

After school I studied computer science at the University of Pretoria for just long enough to know that programming is best left to the sort of people who like spending entire lifetimes fighting with computers. No thank you, sir.

I landed the job I eventually got retrenched from at this stage. At the same time I started studying a Bachelor of Visual Arts degree through Unisa. Eventually, after what I like to call my "gap decade", I ended up where I am now. 

How did you get into Photography?

In 2009, on a whim, I got myself an old Pentax ME-Super 35mm film camera to play with. I'd taken photos with various digital cameras before then, but never seriously. When I saw what came out of that camera I fell in love with it. I still use it.

Why do you love Photography?

Oh, that's the hardest question to answer. It's a tempestuous relationship you could say. A favourite photographer of mine, Toyin Ibidapo, was quoted as saying that taking a photo is like falling in love. When I read that I felt that she took the words straight from my mind. Photography is a really personal thing for me. It is only when
I take photos that I feel alive inside. Some days I really hate photography, or maybe just specific photos I took that I'm just not happy with. Days like these, when I'm my own worst critic, can be rough.

What is your proudest career moment?

Oh, I hardly feel as if my career has even started. Maybe ask me a few years from now. Being part of an amazing community of photographers on 75.co.za makes
me proud, even though it's not strictly speaking my career at all.

Who if anyone has influenced your work?

Right now the biggest influences on my work would be Toyin Ibidapo and Nelli Palomäki. Neither of them are well known, but do yourself a favour and look them up.

When I started out I found Joe McNally to be a great explanation. He can explain anything to even the biggest photo dummy, and he's funny too.

If you could give someone just starting out one piece of advice, what
would it be?

Submerse yourself in your work and make it your obsession. That's the only way you'll ever be good. If you can't do that the most you'll ever be is someone with an expensive hobby. A second piece of advice, if I may, would be to spend some time shooting with film. Digital is wonderful, and flexible, but the real magic of photography is hidden at the end of a roll of film.

What is hardest thing about photography today? 

Probably having to listen to everybody having pissing contests about which brand of camera is best. I think they're all missing the point. But apart from that, the hardest part is probably to get one's work noticed in a saturated sea of information, art, design, music... Culture in general. It's really a jungle out there.

What do you think the future holds for Photographers? 

Oh, it's hard to tell. There are always amazing technological advances around every corner, but in the end that's secondary. There will always be a need for people who capture those special moments, places and people. So, as long as you can keep your eyes open and your finger on the shutter there will be a place for you.

Tell us something about yourself that people wouldn’t expect?

Well... Shucks. I can fire dance. I used to even do shows with a troupe of performers when I was younger. People never expect that.

Thank you for your time Diaan and thank you reader for reading, till next week's post. 

All Rights to images are Reserved by Diaan | Illustration and interview done by Karabo Ngoatle

Here at S83 we love good design, so for a bit of home grown talent and fresh design we'd like to share this beautifully executed project called Tsonga Tslops – “Have fun on foot” which is a South African company 100% owned by members of South Africa’s local community.

Durban based illustrator and Graphic Designer Hylton Warburton created these awesome African inspired illustrations, designed the identity, posters, and container graphics.

via africandigitalart, Iluustration: Hylton Warburton

Yep! You got it right Rihanna!

Now we all have to admit that Rihanna is not pretty - Oh yes I said it! She is ok but not pretty she might be if you are drunk. Now im sure you are asking where am I going with this - the key word here ladies and gentlemen is Confidence. Money doesn’t buy happiness (it only buys happiness if you are broke) - but money buys confidence - which sometimes will reflect as beauty.

So ladies get confidence ... everything else shall follow.

Yep!

Greetings fame. Trusting that your Facebook updates are up, statuses Liked and comments flowing nicely. Today I want us to break bread on our favourite pastime, no scratch that, Facebook is not a pastime anymore, it has become a human condition for our generation. There's two aspects I want to look at, namely; is/should there be such a thing as Facebook etiquette and; imagine if Facebook was a planet. Humour me on this one.

F OFF MY FB
Now, I think we can all agree that your Facebook profile is basically, well, YOURS. Like you can do/say whatever you want on it, right? But the thing is that even though you typed about your emotional state in the safety of your bed, I read it while taking a dump. Or I was nicely liquored up at a friends place. None of these situations are conducive of a response tactful enough to be of any use to you.

My point is that Facebook blurs the line between privacy and publicity. But it is essentially a public space. Consequently, in the real world there is a certain social decorum that we, willingly or not, do follow. Really basic things like don't bump into people when you walk or don't be walk around in your underwear or don't stop strangers in the street to tell how horrible your boyfriend is. Get my drift? Yet, seemingly on Facebook the modus operandi is "screw my privacy, I'll tell you what I want but f off my business". I is for irony.

So if Facebook is indeed a space that me and you share, should there be a level of standardized behavior? Something akin to sharing a house with someone. Or is it really screw everyone (in this house)?

PLANET FB
Personally, I approach Facebook as a real life space. Like I wouldn't post anything there that I would be ashamed of in real life. Or say something I would mind people knowing about (insert name of American politician destroyed by his twitter post). Let me show you what I mean. Like-ing your own status is like touching yourself in public. There is a profile pic full of breast and bra complaining about how men are perverts. Would you a walk around bust and bra in public? If you did, would you complain about the stares you get? I'll give you a minute.

My pet peeve are the emo members of the congregation. Poor sods who sincerely believe Dr. Phil sits around at 2:30am in his drawers prowling the interwebs looking for people who have emotional issues. If this were planet Facebook you'd be assed out on the pavement balling your eyes out in the dead of night. Do you know the kind people who are roam the streets at 2:30am? Would you cry on their shoulder? Last year sometime I once saw a suicidal status update that was "Liked" by 12 people.

On Planet Facebook, Sundays will see many ordinary citizens magically transform in priests and many holy deities. Church pulpits will have more people than the actual congregation. Don't even get me started on the bumping into people who randomly walking around and *singing*. Ahem. Some people would be having the "most epic" parties and you are "soooo drunk". Only thing is, in Planet FB, there are no walls and we see you sitting in front of the tv by yourself.

I am really not saying there is a right or wrong way of interacting with FB. All I am saying is that Micheal Jackson was right, you are not alone. I mean that in a good way and in a very, very scary way.

Words: Vus / @JustVus

I rememeber when i started to wise up to the world of entertainment, Grace Jones was one of my feve celebs of the time. This style icon, musician and actress is popularly known for her role in a James Bond "A view to a kill" flick.

She popularised the square hair cut, which, Lo and Behold is THE COOL of today. I guess thats how trends go....in circles. Long Live to Grace Jones, she is a great inspiration still.

To hammer the nail home, my boy Mesia shot this Grace-Jones-look-alike (Even if by just the hair cut).

Photography by Mesia Gumede

Illustration from http://ladivas-discodiva.blogspot.com

I love the Internet. Who doesn’t? But we take it too seriously. Nay. We take people on the Internet too seriously.

It’s safe to assume that a large majority of the earth’s population are blithering idiots mindlessly meandering about consuming space and Twilight paraphernalia. How did I come to this conclusion? Popular culture. If what’s popular to the majority these days is the Kardashians, McDonalds, hlokolozing (whichever version) and Khanyi Mbau then woe is us all.

Sadly, these people thrive on the Internet. But website owners keep tallying up the hits like they mean something.

You’re running a fitness channel on youtube and 80% of your 2.5million hits are obese hillbillies and chavs scoffing donuts while enjoying an eyeful of your flexing glutes with no intention of ever breaking a sweat unless it’s five-to-ten in the morning and they’re really craving that egg MacMuffin when a Happy Meal just won’t do.

Some websites, blogs, vlogs and tumblrs can more or lense get a good sense of the cerebral capabilities of the people behind the hits. It’s safe to assume that the majority of TED.com’s followers are literate. It is not safe, though, to assume the same about subscribers to Shit (insert minority to be stereotyped here) Say.

On the most part your subscriptions and hits just help that person get advertising. And the advertisers are even dumber for thinking hits matter.

Until there’s real value in hits – measurable, detailed and descriptive – it’s just another statistic some marketer will pull outta their arse in a meeting to impress a clueless client who just wants their brand to be cool.

I don’t trust the hits I get. If all four of the comments I get make sense and pose intelligible arguments it feels better than 2000 anonymous hits. Unless I post the video of me burping Rick Ross lyrics then I’ll take the five million hits, Youtube payout and inbred trailer-trash groupie love.

This is kabomo being featured on Greg Borowsky production [im assuming] - this is good morning track ... mellow. DOWNLOAD HERE!

Sunlight ft Kabomo by GBCollective

This mix took me back to the good 90's - music was good back then. Thebe was my favourite [he always had dirty lyrics] and to a teenager, dirty lyrics is all you need. Nostalgia.

Thabile Rasa's Monday Mixxx - G and T with Kwaito Please by muptee

The title Big brother in Africa probably conjures images of half naked women in the shower or drama filled situations exploding between a group of Africans who chose to be locked up in a house so they could win a large cash prize. If you're an avid reader then the title would have stirred memores of the book 1984 by George Orwell in which he describes an authoritarian society where big brother rules by fear and by watching everyone to make sure they stay in line. As it were, the concept for the Big Brother realty show is derived from Orwell's book however the only relevant thing to keep in mind right now is the picture of somone watching over you.

In reality, big brother means something totally diferent in a household setting. A big brother in this context is someone you look up to, someone you trust completely, someone you know will always guide and protect you. A big brother is indeed, always watching over you. It doesn't matter whether you're a first, second, third or last born in the family, the meaning of a big brother or sister will be the same. If you're an only child you've probably yearned to have or to be a big brother or sister for the same reasons. Its funny then that as soon as you start working, you think you can handle it on your own.

In today's corporate environment, a big brother is needed. And its important to highligt from the onset that having a big brother at work or to help you with your busness is not a sign of weaness or a reflection that you're not as skilled as you think you are. Quite obviously, the big brother I'm talking about here is a mentor. Speak to any successful business man or woman or any individual at the pinnacle of their career and you will discover that most have or had a mentor. Many of them were spotted by their mentors who then helped them to elevate themselves to points even they may not have been aware they could reach... but in today's corporate world, you need to actively seek and find good mentors.

A good mentor will guide you, not control you. They will connect you with other mentors or business contacts and above all, they will ground you whenever your ego starts to get in the way. Good mentors can be found in almost any industry at various levels. South Africa has several recommended mentorsip programmes or you could simply get in touch with that person who inspired you to be what yo are today in the firstplace. Like a big brother, a mentor is relevant whether you're fresh out of varsity or college or already active in the workplace, whether you're just starting that business or its been up for a while but not performing to your expectations.

Photographer: Kunta Kinte

Got nothing much to say today ...

One day, one day... I remember
Stones were soft, red knees shining stoeps bright like Sunbeam
Cobra's sliding across shiny kitchen floors.
When old timers rode sticks and grannies sniffed Taxi's
We pushed Ferrari bricks and lived in mud mansions.
Dusting of soles so that North Stars shine forever.
Before I had her FB profile i had her home address and the liver to face her dad.
They were the days of our lives but less soapy more dirty coz this is it, yizo yizo

Now times have changed,
We play house but these youngens aren't "playing" house
Kids having kids with kids with old faces and big bellies.
Any given Saturday, death on the regular,
Reaper in our veins, too many wooden crosses on the side of the road.
We throw dust  and come the end of the day,
we pop bottles like we just buried the sun,
you just might not see tomorrow.

Till then you can keep living "the life"
We content with just being alive.
Keep your big car, we fine with just getting there
Enjoy your organic food, here you even have the seeds from my green
Your burb house is amazing but my mom said she'd rather not be lonely
Keep your therapy, moms tagging me in all her prayers
No nanny's, our nation was built on the backs of grandmothers

Streets charred black by burnt dreams
But living without a dream is not for the faint hearted
It takes a lot right to live with so much wrong
So we keep walking in the rhythm of life
to the sound of the drum beat by those who came before us
Nothing lasts forever but my hood is going nowhere

Words & Photograph: Vus (@JustVus)

I have what can be described as “not much clue” when it comes to the rules, players, teams etc. of basketball and the NBA in general. Fortunately, that’s countered by my substantial, detailed and extensive knowledge of the beautiful Mr. Dwayne Wade.

Like a good sports journalist, I also know how to put together a worthy Top 10 stats and facts:

1. Real name: Dwyane Tyrone Wade

2. Turned 30 yesterday (17 January), and apparently that’s the finest age for men.

3. Ranks very high on the ‘epitome of man” list.   

4. Dating Gabrielle Union (damn her!)

5. Plays for the Miami Heat, because you know, he’s hot.

6. GQ has consistently named him one of the best-dressed men in the word, but clothes hide abs. Clothes maketh Dwayne less hot.

7. He’s one of the highest paid NBA players. Because unconditional love is better in a Range Rover.

8. Scores an average 10/10 points on the being perfect scale.

9. He plays guard, but he’s an all round good guy and tithes (10%!) to the church. Sweet babyJesus!

10. Is splendid enough to make Lebron James likeable.  

I thank you.

Pic via / Tumblr

Fine & Country International Realty has two one year internship positions available at the Head Office Design Studio, situated in Rivonia.

Overview of company:

Fine & Country is a global network of licensed real estate offices specialising in the marketing and sale of luxury residential property.  With offices in the UK, South Africa, Dubai, West Africa, Qatar, Mauritius, Cyprus, Malta, Abu Dhabi, Portugal, Spain, The Bahamas and the USA, we combine the widespread exposure of the international marketplace with the local expertise and knowledge of carefully selected independent property professionals.

Internship includes:

-       a one year contract

-        a salary of R5000 per month (all inclusive)

-        equipment provided (iMac and Macbook pro)

-        applicant must be able to work on :

Adobe Photoshop; CS5;  

Adobe Illustrator CS5;  

InDesign CS5; 

Adobe Acrobat X Pro;

-        applicant will gain experience in Advertising & Marketing done on a global level

-        applicant will gain experience in the Real Estate Sector, as well as in the Franchise Sector

HOW TO APPLY:

Send your CV to studio.sa@fineandcountry.com

Minimum Qualification:

• Design Degree or relevant qualification
• Absolutely creative and innovative
• Organized and effective
• Tenacious, a team player and leader

Applicant must be available from 1^st February 2012

The picture has nothing to do with what the video is about - its just a pretty picture from tumblr ... but do play the video - it has a beautiful message about life and all the things in it.

hattip via Simone Sanchez

Superstition is not as foreign a concept to the black middle class as I thought. The last weekend began with Friday the 13^th and my bbm was bombarded by corny warning messages. It goes deeper. I’ve heard accounts by countless colleagues, family and friends about how they’ve experienced something inexplicable, something that could never be explained through logic and science... witchcraft!

Witchcraft is an interesting phenomenon, one that would not be thought to be a factor in a young black person’s life today but it is. What is interesting about it is that its existence cannot truly be proven but consider the following. Consider the recent slate of muti killings in South Africa. Consider that traditional healers, and they have their own association and open place in modern society, are they still the first option for consultation in South Africa especially in KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and Limpopo. Consider the weird and wonderful headlines that have made Daily Sun the most read newspaper in the country. Hell consider that you or someone close to you has seen something that you’d rather not talk about.

What has become very clear to me in recent months is that science cannot explain everything. I’m reminded of a PSL soccer game that had to be stopped because one team was struck by lighting. A whole team of eleven fit men spread across the field and standing next to their opponents was struck by lighting while their opponents were left unharmed! How random is that? You see, witchcraft is unlike most other challenges you’ll come across in your life. Witchcraft has no clear visibility or description, it has no engagement rules, no boundaries and seemingly no limits.

Unfortunately I cant give you the answers to the questions rushing through your mind right now. I cant say with absolute certainty that witchcraft exists and that if you come across it, this is what you need to do. I can however tell you this. Like any other problem, if you ever come across what you think is witchcraft, your solution will need to be creative. I can also say this, witchcraft suggests that as black people we are not living by the principles of Ubuntu, we are not happy with each other’s success and growth. For me thats the biggest problem. I think it was Mandoza’s kwaito group which sang a song that when translated said “A black person does not want to see another black person succeeding”. Perhaps that’s the real root of the problem. I’ve noticed so many Indian people taking young people under their wings and teaching them about business. I’ve seen that in the white community too. Recently a friend of mine became a doctor and it was a group of white people that enabled it.

Photographer: Khumbelo Makungo