Peter Holslin adheres to a strict, mirrored-aviators-only code When it comes to South African hip-hop, the first thing that comes to mind might be Ninja from Die Antwoord mugging for the camera in ghoulish pitbull prosthetics. Coming in at a very close second, though, is the adventurous music of Spoek Mathambo. The Johannesburg-bred MC/songwriter/producer may […]

First things first: for those who haven’t noticed, we’ve added a calendar feature in the tabs above. If you live in Los Angeles and are looking for recommended live music, well, I’m sure you can figure out how use a calendar. Second things second: we’re doing ticket giveaways for two shows coming up this week […]

At this moment, Douglas Martin is reenacting the song “Homecoming.” After the wild artistic success of Shabazz Palaces’ Black Up— not to mention the signing of Shabazz friends and collaborators, Seattle space-rap / R&B duo THEESatisfaction– it’s hard to turn a skeptical eye at the idea of Sub Pop being a burgeoning destination for some […]

I see this video as the ghosts of Hype Williams and Busta Rhymes transplanted to Soweto. Spoek Mathambo rhyming over sheet metal dubstep, bass and drums that glow and burn like lit coal. The official narrative claims that this is “the story of a heartbroken widow performing pagan ceremonies to bring her dead husbands back […]

SPOEK MATHAMBO – WAR ON WORDS from spoek mathambo on Vimeo. I am now reasonably certain that the only American video imported into South Africa during the 90s was Busta Rhymes’ “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See.” I have used the phase “is a monster,” twice in the last week, but Spoek Mathambo […]