M a g a z i n e i

i i M a g a z i n e

J EWELS TOO SIIC

FEEL GOOD WHIP UPS

ALL HAIL DENIM ROYALTY

COVER STORY

20FLEEKTEENHIP HOP LIST

FIRST YEAR’S SURVIVAL GUIDE

ALL THINGS SIIC WITH BELINDA MPFOU AND HER INSPIRING ALTERNATIVE JEWELERYAND HER UPCOMING BREAST CANCER AWARENESS EVENT

WE LOOK AT THE MOST CULTURALLY IMPORTANT CLOTHING ITEM.....DEnim AND SPEAK TO TSHEPO THE JEANMAKER

A GREAT GUIDE TO THE OH SO NEVER READY FIRST YEARS ABOUT THE NOOKS AND CRANNYS OF NAVIGATING UNIVERSITY LIFE

KID X MARKS THE SPOT BY SETTING HIS OWN PACE.HE TALKS DEBUT ALBUM, MIXTAPE, AND THE INFAMOUSLIST.

THE WRAP UP OF LAST YEAR’S HIP HOPCLIMATE AND A LIST OF WHICH SONGS WERE HOT AND MADE YAL DANCE

WE LOOK AT VERY QUICK MEALS TO WHIP UP, WHEN LAZY TO COOK FOR VARSITY STUDENTS.......CHEF MNANDI CERTIFIED

CONTENTS

M a g a z i n e i i i

J EWELS TOO SIIC

FEEL GOOD WHIP UPS

ALL HAIL DENIM ROYALTY

ALL THINGS SIIC WITH BELINDA MPFOU AND HER INSPIRING ALTERNATIVE JEWELERYAND HER UPCOMING BREAST CANCER AWARENESS EVENT

WE LOOK AT THE MOST CULTURALLY IMPORTANT CLOTHING ITEM.....DEnim AND SPEAK TO TSHEPO THE JEANMAKER

A GREAT GUIDE TO THE OH SO NEVER READY FIRST YEARS ABOUT THE NOOKS AND CRANNYS OF NAVIGATING UNIVERSITY LIFE

WE LOOK AT VERY QUICK MEALS TO WHIP UP, WHEN LAZY TO COOK FOR VARSITY STUDENTS.......CHEF MNANDI CERTIFIED

1 M a g a z i n e

JEW

ELS

TOO

SIIC

M a g a z i n e 2

Born and raised in the City of Gold, 22 year old alternative jewelry

designer Belinda Phofu, is someone who is making more than just a

difference in the lives of many young people. Her innovative thinking

and environmentally friendly ways of making jewellery are totally

SIIC (an acronym for Style Is Incalculable),her jewelry brand

which is definitely unique in all aspects.

“The aesthetic of SIIC is to take everyday mundane objects and

turn them into creative street style jewellery.”- says Belinda.

Touching on Belinda’s history with SIIC, we discovered that it has

been something she has subconsciously always wanted to do.

In 2012, Gap-year Goon Belinda would make jewellery to keep her-

self busy during unemployment. Using materials such as wire, buttons

& key rings, her hobby escalated into a demand for the ‘SIIC’ items

she made. Only then did she realize that she could pocket some $cha-

ching$ from her work.

She then named her brand of jewellery SIIC, which is derived from

the slang term ‘sick’, meaning ‘extra cool’.

“What I noticed was that whenever people would see my pieces,

they would always use the slang word ‘sick’ to describe what they

thought of them. I loved the ring that the word had to it and I

wanted to use it as the name of my brand. I wanted it to have

meaning behind it, which is why I came up with Style Is Incalcula-

ble, which forms the acronym SIIC.” – says the alternative jeweler.

3 M a g a z i n e

Due to the lack of platforms for young, up & coming creatives, Ms.

SIIC (Belinda) made the decision to make her own, a place where

these creatives can showcase their work and furthermore collab-

orate, as she titled it; Art Is Currency.The first installment of Art

Is Currency was curated on the 31st of January 2015. 10 young

graphic/ visual artists were brought together at the JoziHub to collab

and interpret the jewelry through illustration. Come February 6th she

will be having her 2nd installment at TheHive. - “The exhibition will

be centered on promoting breast cancer awareness amongst young

people, young black people specifically. I decided to go with the con-

cept after I realized that even though black people think diseases

like breast cancer are a, ‘white man’s disease ‘. There are ironically

more black people who die from the disease than white people. So I

wanted to help bring awareness about the disease, through mediums

that young people could relate to.”

This year’s exhibition will see collabo’s with graphic designer David

Tshabalala & Soweto street style brand StylaGang. With a ‘nev-

er-been-done-before’ collabo consisting of jewelry, illustration & street

style. Therefore, we encourage everyone to #PeepTheVision for

more deets.

“

STYLE

IS

Incalculable

M a g a z i n e 4

“My expectations for the exhibition are that people walk away with

a lot of awareness about the disease. And an understanding of how

important it is to undertake regular breast examinations. Because

early detection really does help save lives - also that people may be

influenced by this collaboration to want to collaborate more with

one another. Because collaborations really play an important role in

the growth of our creative industry...”- states Belinda. (You go girl!)

We asked B where she sees SIIC by the end of the year and she

responded by stating that distribution is one of her main visions right

now - so her pieces should at least be in 4 other stores, furthermore

4 more installments of Art Is Currency, which in turn means more

collaborations! Catch her at The Hive 62 juta Braamfontein 5th floor

on the 6th of Feb 2016.

Peep the poster for more information about Art Is Currency event

at The Hive.

If you’d like to #PeepBelindasVision you can catch her on these

platforms -

IG & TWITTER: @s_ii_c

FACEBOOK: SIICJewelry

www.styleisincAou can either visit 27Boxes in Melville, a store called

The Republic of Recycle, shop #.133 or alternatively from Belinda.

belinda.phofu@gmail.com

The boy Rez _ Out!

STYLE

IS

Incalculable

5 M a g a z i n e

M a g a z i n e 6

THE FOOD JOURNAL: VARSITY EDITION

7 M a g a z i n e

Feel good Quick Whips Mnandi style.

So - it’s about that time of the year where we reform to our hives (aka work or school) and become superbusy bees. We often become so busy that noodles,cereal,bread or any fast foods become the official eatsbecause of the amount of work involved during preparation. Sadly, they can take a toll on your body after awhile and not be so healthy or wholesome for you.So! The Mag with the vision (haha) asked Chef Mnandi to suggest some feel good quick eatables that areeasy to make,budget, skhaftin and sharing friendly for breakfast,lunch and dinner!(Warning - itis may occur due to the Mnandiness aka the deliciousness)

M a g a z i n e 8

Feel good Quick Whips Mnandi style.

So - it’s about that time of the year where we reform to our hives (aka work or school) and become superbusy bees. We often become so busy that noodles,cereal,bread or any fast foods become the official eatsbecause of the amount of work involved during preparation. Sadly, they can take a toll on your body after awhile and not be so healthy or wholesome for you.So! The Mag with the vision (haha) asked Chef Mnandi to suggest some feel good quick eatables that areeasy to make,budget, skhaftin and sharing friendly for breakfast,lunch and dinner!(Warning - itis may occur due to the Mnandiness aka the deliciousness)

9 M a g a z i n e

Pan cakes with berry coulis (Aka berry sauce).

If you feel like treating to something delicious for one,two

or three, these are the must makes because they're

Relatively easy to make and the ingredients are not ex-

pensive to buy.

BREAKFAST

(Image Source- wallpaperscraft.com)

M a g a z i n e 1 0

Sweeter than apple pie oatmeal.

Adding a dash of chopped apples and a dab of honey to

your oatmeal makes it different from the usual and

can serve one, two or three. It tastes delicious too.

(Image Source- pixabay.com)

1 1 M a g a z i n e

Basil pesto pasta with with grilled cherry tomatoes.

This meal uses pocket friendly and fancy sounding ingre-

dients that would be ideal to impress the roomie or

the team or simply for your own skhaftin.

lunch

Basil pesto pasta with with grilled cherry tomatoes.

This meal uses pocket friendly and fancy sounding ingre-

dients that would be ideal to impress the roomie or

the team or simply for your own skhaftin.

lunch

Basil pesto pasta with grilled cherry tomatoes.

This meal uses pocket friendly and fancy sounding ingre-

dients that would be ideal to impress the roomie or

the team or simply for your own skhaftin.

lunch

(Image Source- media2.onsugar.com))

M a g a z i n e 1 2

BBQ Chicken kebabs with

roasted potato or rice.

Now these are definite-

ly fun and easy to make.

Firstly, chicken is cheaper

than red meat, so it would

be ideal

and great fun to whip up

as it's something you can

share with uBaeFriend or

the squad. The prepara-

tion is

also a great way for peo-

ple get a chance to con-

verse and interact with

one another and make uMa-

khelwane

(thy neighbor) wanna peep

the gourmet vision in your

kitchen.

Dinner

To follow up on know-

ing how to make them,

what you need and the

step by steps, follow

our social media

accounts to check out

the detailed recipes

or follow/ask Chef

Mnandi himself.

Till next issue.. Neo

and Chef - over and

out :).

(Image Source- myorganizedchaos.net)

1 3 M a g a z i n e

AllHailDenimRoyal

tshepo the jeamaker edition

M a g a z i n e 1 4Continuing the refreshingly insightful journey of profiling home grown visionaries that are flourishing right under our noses as well in the mist of giant international clothing brands, popular in the South African market, this month’s issue showcases the inspiring work of the Tshepo Mohlala also known as ‘The Prince of Denim”. Before focusing on what the Jeanmaker is currently doing, let’s throw it back into his past for a bit.The self-proclaimed Jeanmaker has a very sartorial journey that started as a co-founder of Style Architectz with his partner, Vusi Ndisina, a fashion forward company that sought to cre-ate a whole new movement in how the aesthetics of fashion, especially in the terms of street fashion, were conceptualized then presented with the much needed vigor that they felt was missing in the industry. As a result of their brainchild, they were able to showcase their works by means of dressing artist such as the South African Soul singer, M.X.O, TV personality, Maps Maponyane and a host of other esteemed personalities.

After some time operating as Style Architectz, the pair had a burning desire to further their efforts of influencing the direction of South African fashion. They then joined forces with Tha-to Mafubelu, to create one of South Africa’s first premium denim brands; AfrikanSwiss, which has received a considerable amount of attention from biking communities around the country as well as the gentle brothers who appreciate the African authentically designed jeans. This is not surprising as the brand is built around the edgy denim design that is used and the char-ismatic energy of youth culture that they incorporate in the jeans. The AfrikanSwiss brand continued to reach new levels of prominence through Tshepo’s stylish innovation as well as hard work he has put into the brand. Unfortunately, he is no longer associated with the brand as he had felt that it was finally time for him to find his own wings and has endeavored in cre-ating his own interpretation of a denim brand with the label Tshepo, which follows the likes of Levi’s, Diesel and Guess jeans with a touch of couture and cutting edge design, not unlike what we have seen with Diesel.

And bringing it back to the here and now, the designer jean brand Tshepo was established in Feburary 2015 and named after its founder and designer, Tshepo Mohlala, who focuses on manufacturing and producing the traditional five pocket jeans. The raw denim the jeans are made from are designed with a blend of simplicity, sophistication, practicality and echo den-im’s reputation as a heavy duty material. All of his silhouette which is unmatched both locally and internationally in the jeans category, the jeans fit like a dream (I’m proud enough to say!) The Jeanmaker, as he calls himself, has a couple of reverting projects on the pipe line for 2016, as he plans to break through the market with signature 1548 jeans (which is derived from the zip code of his hometown Tsakakne.), also promising some exciting collaborations in terms of the creative direction of the brand. Furthermore, Tshepo plans on making additions to his product range on top of the 1548’s with a female and kiddie’s line.

More of our featured designers are proving just how talent manifests when given the oppor-tunity to flourish. We hope to see readers and denim lovers on the streets in the navy blue denims from and by Tshepo, as they are described to be functional and conventionally stylish with unquestionable quality (Trust me, baby trust me yo!). As Vision Magazine, we are proud and honored to have profiled and put forward one of Africa’s potential super brands which will most likely to rival the retail giant likes of Levi and other market dominating designer jean brands. Whether or not the Prince of Denim is the one that will beat everyone to push, is something to look forward to because, - yup you guessed it-, he’s on a mission to bring the good old denim back. All I’m saying is that these are exciting times for African fashion and I can’t wait for the day to #FillUpMyWardrobe with at least half or perhaps a consid-erable amount of locally produced brands.And cut! _ Mister HMD (Oliver Zondo).

1 5 M a g a z i n e

Running at his paceCalm, poise, swagger, confidence, intellect and self assurance- these are the words I would use to best describe KiD X to you, from a per-sonal point of view, and that is only using his latest mixtape, 3 Quarter Pace, as a sense of refer-ence. It takes an immense sense of self-assurance and confidence to drop a mixtape, which I will speak more about, as hot as his and call it 3 Quarter Pace, which will leave many, including myself, thinking what exactly is KiD X’s full pace? (Queue the stank face)

KiD X’s position and relevance in the game has come under a lot of scrutiny in recent times, many will definitely not forget his con-tribution to the continental K.O. hit “Caracara” but since then, with the release of his own singles “Pass n Special”, “Cooler Bag” and more recently “Se7en” featuring label mate, Nomuzi, many argue that it’s been more of a downhill spiral than up for the talented rap-per. However all of these thoughts and perceptions seemed to have change come 13th October 2015.

From the kwaito-centric, “iMadla-na Yok’gcina”, to the Bar after Bar, “Yonk’ iMali” and “Uptown” to the emotionally driven “Mood” and “Before” KiD X was clear on stamp-ing his authority, that many have doubted, as one of the best lyrical talents in South Africa keeping his colleagues and mentors, such as AKA and K.O, respectively trotting on their heels. With no promotion-al single prior to the release of the project, 3 Quarter Pace achieved a shattering number of downloads in its first day, over 100 000 down-loads in 24 hours to be exact, and an even more jaw dropping 600 000-plus downloads after a week. That is almost an average of 100k downloads a day, a clear indica-tion that South African artists are becoming more and more capable of commercial success.

KiD X fully displays his lyrical prowess on the tape and displays, what is probably his most valuable asset, which is, the ability to effortlessly switch between English and Vernac(ular) rhymes and still able to create a sonically balanced ‘bar’ that makes perfect sense however this isn’t something that he necessarily takes for granted stating “I take the art of rap very seriously, I spend a lot of time perfecting the technique”. With lines such as “my arrival has a lot to do with the current state of the game just as the current state of the game ahs a lot to do with my arrival (Track 1- 3 Quarter Pace)” and “ I jump in your top 6 and make you cancel 5(Track 2- 88 King)” its evident that KiD X has been able to distinguish himself from the rest of the pack.. Speaking of a list, there was the much debated and somewhat infamous Hottest MC’s of 2015 hosted by MTV base and its own panel of judges which saw X coming in at 8 (out of 10), a position he is clearly not happy about stating “By putting me at 8 you are saying there’s 7 rappers who out performed me in 2015, I am not in agreement with those numbers”.

M a g a z i n e 1 6

KiD X fully displays his lyrical prowess on the tape and displays, what is probably his most valuable asset, which is, the ability to effortlessly switch between English and Vernac(ular) rhymes and still able to create a sonically balanced ‘bar’ that makes perfect sense however this isn’t something that he necessarily takes for granted stating “I take the art of rap very seriously, I spend a lot of time perfecting the technique”. With lines such as “my arrival has a lot to do with the current state of the game just as the current state of the game ahs a lot to do with my arrival (Track 1- 3 Quarter Pace)” and “ I jump in your top 6 and make you cancel 5(Track 2- 88 King)” its evident that KiD X has been able to distinguish himself from the rest of the pack.. Speaking of a list, there was the much debated and somewhat infamous Hottest MC’s of 2015 hosted by MTV base and its own panel of judges which saw X coming in at 8 (out of 10), a position he is clearly not happy about stating “By putting me at 8 you are saying there’s 7 rappers who out performed me in 2015, I am not in agreement with those numbers”.

1 7 M a g a z i n eThe quality of the songs as well as the overall structure of the mix-tape can see one easily mistake the mixtape for an album (that’s definitely been my struggle whilst writing this article, which was typing “Mixtape” as opposed to “album”). This quality gap is some-thing KiD X looked to achieve stat-ing “ Your whole album I can bench (press) on a mixtape” on Uptown (Track 6). Do not confuse this pos-itivity with kindness or bias, the mixtape REALLY is THAT GOOD! KiD X continues to show his lyrical prowess and word play abilities with lines such as “Never had to go and knock on a door, I learnt under a mat, there’s a key (Track 12- Before)” and “I can rap circles around these little rap circles but homeboy I won’t be apart of your cyphers, the flows is prepaid tai-lor-made for an unknown release date (Track 9- Fire Drill featuring Ginger Trill).”

.That line is one I find particularly interesting because in the inter-view I had with KiD X he stated he only feels that there are only a handful of rappers that can rap at his level. To say that KiD X fully delivered on his prom-ise to rightfully claim his place would be an understatement. There have been many full project releases in SA within the past year, however from a movement and statement, both personal and collective (downloads) point of view, 3 Quarter Pace has to be one of the most significant releases in 2015- the actual content and stats seem to prove that.

A point that many seem to forget is that KiD X isn’t a freshman to the scene and has actually been around longer than most think, KiD X has expressed his feelings with regards to this stating “They call me a freshman but I got vet-eran stripes”. Not only does KiD X view himself as a “veteran” how-ever the hook of ‘Uptown’ would suggest that he sees himself as the one to run the game stating “I must’ve gone way Uptown for these f*** Boys to think that they can wear my crown”. So the ques-tion left here is- Is it finally time for KiD X to have his breakthrough year, a year where he’ll take the crown? A year to truly cement him-self at the top just as Riky Rick and Cassper Nyovest have in the last two years? I will never have the answers, just an opinion, but with an album, rumoured to be called “Thank The King” coming later on in the year, one has a pretty good idea of what KiD X’s mind-set is as well as what he plans to do.

Q&A with KiD X

M a g a z i n e 1 81) Firstly, why the need to do a mix-tape when there’s so much hype and potential commercial success behind doing an album in SA right now? “I had promised my fans a body of work in the form of an album, and had worked on a lot of songs but still felt like the album was not quite where I wanted it to be, so I decided to give the fans something to hold on to while I get the album right.” 2) What does KiD X to for Cashtime the organisation and what does the Cashtime do for the KiD X brand? “I appeal to a whole different audi-ence given my style of rap, age and outlook on life. Cashtime brings a wealth of experience with regards to managing and helping grow the KiD X brand.”

3) As a rapper it is natural, if not the right way, to feel that you’re the best at what you do. So how would you rate your colleagues in the game and where exactly you fit into that? “I take the art of rap very seriously, I spend a lot of time perfecting the technique. I can only name about a handful of rappers who can rap at the level I’m rapping at.”

4) Speaking of fitting in, there’s the much talked about List, which saw you come in at no. 8. I once saw a tweet of yours stating that you think the List is absolute garbage. Can you explain the reasoning behind that thought and how you would do it differently, if at all? “By putting me at 8 you are saying there’s 7 rappers who out performed me in 2015, I am not in agreement with those numbers. Given the op-portunity to do it differently I’d be slightly higher up. “

5) What does KiD X have in store for 2016? And do Cashtime’s plans (for other artists) always have to be con-sidered before your personal ones? “My debut album is on the way. We have a good synergy in the camp and every artist is in charge of their own plans.”

6) Speaking of Cashtime, you guys have been coined as SA’s Young Money or something along those lines, what is the group dynamic and why does it work for you guys? “There’s mutual respect among ev-eryone in the camp. I’m fortunate enough to be in a position to learn from artists who’ve been at it longer than I have. Everyone is really pas-sionate about what they do.” 7) Well lastly, you’re seen as many rappers’ favourite rapper. So who are your top 5 non-Cashtime SA rap-pers? KwestaGinger TrillProAkaTowdee Mac

1 9 M a g a z i n e

So we can pretty much conclude that 2015 or should I say 20-fleek-teen was a year that proved that there’s still hope for the South Afri-can Hip-Hop genre. The production and level of quality the contrib-uting artists of this musical revolution has proven that world class quality can be produced right here in Mzansi baby! (I mean look at Casper Nyovest jo!). Basically, if you think about it, more rappers have been given opportunities to tour, make pretty dope music vid-eo’s and hey let’s give the homies credit yo – they’re making it/flourishing in the gwap (money) game. I must say that the direction of this genre has taken an interesting turn and boy, I must say that this is only beginning and cannot wait for what 2016 will show us. From what it’s worth, there’s no telling on what’s going to be hot on the scene this year. So –in loving memory of 2015, I’ve compiled a list that I thought has captured the greatness of 2015 in the music industry. Disclaimer – It’s just a list dude – you can disagree if you want to.So in no particular order – I present to you, iList

20fleekteen

HIP HOPLIST

M a g a z i n e 2 0

Riky Rick, Anatii, Cassper Nyovest “Fuseg”Many think the song was directed at AKA, who just prior to Fuseg being released threw shots at all 3 of them on Composure. Regard-less, Fuseg is a hit with great visuals to back the song like a lot of Riky Rick’s songs. Anatii left the auto tune and melodies at home and came through with a solid hook as usual over the distorted baseline and the ominous honking horn.

Nasty C x Cassper Nyovest & Davido “Juice Back Remix”Despite the star power of Davido and Cassper Nyovest on the song, Nasty C still managed to come out on top with his flawless flow, de-livery and his quotables induced verse which had him trending on twitter when the song dropped.

Dj Switch x Tumi, Youngsta & Nasty C “Way It Go”“Kaapstad N***er” – YoungstaEnough said.

Priddy Ugly “Bula Boot”Produced by Wichi 1080, this fresh take on Thebe’s Bula Boot slipped below the radar and didn’t receive the air play it deserved. The bassline is insane and Priddy Ugly compliments the beat nicely despite Priddy Ugly running out of steam in the last verse. The video is also cool with Vuzu’s The Hustle winner Big Star Johnson making a cameo.

EmTee x Wizkid & AKA “Roll Up/Re-Up”No awards for lyrical content, but the catchy hook and sing along feel of this smash hit is what made it win “Song of the Year” at the South African Hip Hop Awards last year and was on heavy rotation in clubs and on the radio, which is why Wizkid and AKA jumped on the Re-up.Anatii x AKA “The Saga”Anatii the half man, half beat machine and AKA the Super-Mega teamed up to drop one of the hottest collaborations to come out of 2015. The chemistry between the two resulted in a SAHHA for best collabo. Despite the beef with Anatii over his production fees, AKA still performs the song at gigs because that song ”ain’t no Billabong.”

2 1 M a g a z i n e

AKA x Khuli Chana, Yanga, Burna Boy / Fifi Cooper, Moozlie, Rouge, Gigi Lamayne “Baddest/Baddest Remix”Yanga’s verse > everyone else (don’t get mad, It’s just a list!).L-Tido “Dlala Ka Yona”“I can take you to the moon like an astronaut” with lines like these splattered all over the song L-Tido isn’t winning any lyricist of the year awards. But the catchy hook and crisp Tweezy production is what makes it a hit and strip club anthem.

Ginger Bread “First 48”Ginger displays his writing skills over the Instro produced beat with a warning to his competition.

Kid X x Moozlie “Se7en”Before it dropped, AKA tweeted that Se7en was going to break the internet. Se7en is a hit but I wouldn’t go as far as to say it broke the Internet, I don’t know about your connection but mine is still working fine. The track was produced by Cashtime Life sta-ble mate K.O and composed by Psyfo. The song’s hook references the salutation made famous by news anchor, Noxolo Grootboom, “Molwen’emakhaya nabantu aboyobona izinqanda mathe zabo bengahlambanga.”

Tweezy x Reason “The Realest”Tweezy stays winning, producing hit after hit with no signs of slow-ing down. Sampling Kentphonik’s classic jazzy house hit “Sunday Showers” and turning it into a club banger. Production meets lyri-cism with Reason flossing over the beat.

AKA “Composure”

M a g a z i n e 2 2

AKA “Sim Dope”Another bassline heavy, Tweezy produced banger. AKA raps about Sim Dope (seen in the video), his former high school mate who went on to prosper in life after high school and is now in a way AKA’s muse.

Smashis x Kid X & Kwesta “Night ‘N’ Day”For a second I thought it was over for Smashis but he came through and delivered. Featuring the rappers from the East Rand it’s a cool song even though it didn’tA really take off.

Kwesta “K1God”DaKar….

Okmalumkoolkat “100k Macassette”DJ Zharp Zharp reworked a Mdu classic and this was the result. The first single off his mixtape free 100k Macassette. The song is unique-ly Koolkat because I don’t think anyone else could have jumped on that beat and made it such an unexpected hit.

Yanga “Mantshingilane”A song that doesn’t take itself too seriously, directed at difficult bouncers at the club and security guards telling them to ease up abit. “Mantshingilane is my best work yet, it showcases my style of Hip Hop and it represents the experiences of the youth. It gives us all a voice”.

Da L.E.S x AKA & Burnaboy / Riky Rick “Paid/Summertime”The North God had the summer on lock down with his care free singles taken from his latest album North God. Glad to see the beef between him and Boss Zonke was squashed.

Cassper Nyovest x Casey Veggies “428 to LA”Anatii is a beast with these beats.

DJ Citi Lyts x EmTee, Fifi Cooper & Benchmark “Washa”From the hook to the beat to the verses, I could find no flaw in this song. A solid track in my opinion.

So there you have it ladies and lads. That’s my two cents about mu-sic that made my 2015 bananas. I hope I managed to get it right – if not let me know on our social media. (We’d love to hear from you!) In the mean time, let’s see what 20-flex-teen has in store for us. Until next issue, Mckenzie – Over and Out!

2 3 M a g a z i n e

THE FIRST YEAR GUIDE

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Brothers and sisters, welcome to a new year with new opportunities, begin-nings and so on. 2016 is a new year and this can only meanthat you have to flex and do things right, especially if this is your first year in varsity.As a visionary, I felt that it would be best to share some real deal tips and tricks that could help you in the long run - all you gotta do is#PeepTheVision, try it and share it with all your homies!But first - #TheNeedToKnows..1. Goodbye Subjects and hello Modules.You’re gonna have to choose modules that potentially have nothing to do with anything. (I don’t know about you...)These are called electives, modules that aren’t part of the core set re-quired for your degree, but you still have to take a few of these forcredits. So this means that instead of focusing on what you actually came to varsity for, you now have to divide the little time you havebetween ‘Quantum Mechanics 101’ and nonsense like ‘The history of TV anten-nas’. (Like really though?!)2. Make sure you get yourself the starter pack.If your course requires any integration (The mathematical kind that is) then listen closely. It is very very very important that you wearyour jeans with sandals (at all times) and downgrade your phone as much as possible if you want to have any chance of passing. Trustme.3. Don’t feel yourself - know yourself.Avoid being comfortable by all means. You see this spot right here or simi-lar ones like it?I can tell you right now that it doesn’t matter if you have prepared for your next lecture two years in advance and it was just five stepsaway from here - You’re going nowhere. Especially if you and your friends are good storytellers. (Remember that you and your watch areyour own school bell. #Tip - make friends with that guy or girl who’s seri-ous about life and is always the first to arrive at a lecture and thefirst to open the school gate in the mornings.)4. Avoid becoming a golden oldie.Failing will be the death of you. Never mind the fact that its another year added to your degree (dont rush your degree, speed killschommi) but mainly because people will constantly be on your case about when you’re graduating and there simply aren’t enough ‘fusegs’in the world to say the least.

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5. Don’t be that unrecognized alumni.Unfortunately, you wont be refunded for that varsity jersey you bought during your excitement of being in varsity when you’reacademically excluded after one semester. You’ll just have to wear it with pride while you pretend to go to school everyday. (Don’t bethat guy...)

*Learn to manage your time effectively. (You may think that there’s time but in actu-ality it runs faster than the hour glass from the DaysOf Our Lives.)DON’T:*Go to campus with all your textbooks. (Like come on now, Who does that?)*Forget why you’re in varsi-ty. (It can happen with the wrong friends so beware, If you’re the wrong friend chill out man.)*Be afraid of the shower/bath, roll on and deo. Use it. Everyday. (Please)*Get led into traps days be-fore a test or exam. (Turn up’s will never end so relax, there’ll be another one.)The rest you’ll just have to figure out during the next 5 years of your 3 year course. (But hey - you know what works for you.)Peace - Menzi

Now listen well and careful-ly- follow these must do’s and don’ts and you will be A-okay (That was cheesy right?, I’m sorry)DO: *Attend as many classes as you can. (Easier said, but it will be worth it.)*Live in the library as much as you can. (like literally, bring your toiletries)*Wear a lanyard so we know you’re a first year. (It comes in handy when you don’t wan-na lose your keys and student card but you can’talways trust your pockets..We understand.)*Stay in your financial lane. Just kidding, Ball Out!!! (Stra-tegically though, there’s noth-ing worse than being broke, hungry and angry on the4th day of the month.)4th day of the month.)*Try everything in varsity and get it over and done with be-cause midlife crisis is real! (Try not to over do it though, balance out your schoollife and social life.)

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