Jo’burg’s lost, Frank’s found but Kanye has answers
The world we live in is in constant motion, things change rapidly and currently we have a new local party, new jams and new apparel
Jo’burg is gone. And although that may not be any kind of attitude to have, life is flashing before my eyes at the moment. Capetonians, what does the Democratic Alliance being in power truly mean? What does it feel like? Are we getting our land back?
They’ve even recruited Arthur Mafokate. I guess if he, the predecessor of Babes Wodumo and hallowed creator of the qopetsa and the twalatsa, can accept Herman Mashaba, questionable interview skills and all, who am I to poke around in bewilderment?
Someone else who may deserve my “what the heck” face is Frank Ocean. For making us wait so long for a new album from him, in a world where fans are demanding and terribly impatient customers.
But then I think of Sade. And of D’Angelo. And of Bra Hugh and King Tha too. Does good music follow an artist’s hiatus? Did we have to put Frank under all that pressure? It can’t be easy. When the creative process collides with the sales and marketing department and a Twitter torrent to drown out any grip on reality, musicians have it especially tough.
That said, Frank is moving. Endless is measured. Hypnotic. A catwalk of visual sameness. You never want to leave his woodcutting studio. You want to hang out there, sedated, while he cuts a Stairway to Heaven in an installation on which he worked with artist Tom Sachs. I can’t stay mad at the boy and neither should you.
Kanye West also puts some respect on it in the Boys Don’t Cry zine. I imagine he was asked to write a poem and out of the mouths of babes came The McDonald’s Man. In it Yeezy paints a picture of dysfunctional society. Or dysfunctional eating habits.
In related dysfunctional society news, some South Africans are hawking The Life of Pablo pieces bought from Kanye’s pop-up store on Bree Street in Cape Town online. Shirts, caps and jackets embroidered with the best of Kanye’s glorious ego in verbatim slogans have become even more available. My personal favourite has to be: “Any rumour you ever heard about me is true and legendary.” Quotable-quote goals achieved. This Sunday, Jo’burg will host the third annual street food festival where vendors serve the public all types of decadent pavement specials. It’s happening on Albrecht Street at the refurbished Cosmopolitan Hotel. In addition to the market, the #StreetFoodZA festival will host a conference featuring speakers such as Zolitha Magengele, Mike Luptak and Thithi Nteta. Tickets to the market are R50 and R550 for the conference and are available on quicket.co.za.