ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON http://www.streetsheet.co.za/
If you’re a everyday-real-life-meets-art connoisseur such as me, then you’ve probably been following the career of this feature’s subject over the years as it trickles out in dribs and drabs through different local and international publications. Yet to me and many others, the man still remains an enigma of sorts. In fact, even more so with every article written about him and his work and so I decided to do the unMC thing and reach out to another head to give him props on his craft and see if I could find out exactly who is Mustafa Maluka?
Malik: What inspired you to take up your wand, er, I mean paintbrush and cast a spell on all of us with your magic? Did life in the Cape Flats have anything to do with it?
Mustafa Maluka: As a result of our country’s complex and painful history the Cape Flats is a place populated with people who have ancestry from all over the planet. My own ancestry stems from Zambia, SA, Polynesia, Asia and Europe. As a result, I’m more interested in shared human experiences than putting people in little boxes. I fell in love with art through studying art history, I thought being a Painter was the coolest thing in the world.
Malik: Your Myspace profile says something about you being in New York, Berlin, Helsinki currently. Is it business or pleasure?
Mustafa: I jump between NY, Berlin, Amsterdam and Helsinki. I just built a new studio in Finland so I will be spending more time there. I need to be up north because most of my shows are up here. Unlike photographers or video artists, my works are quite large and weigh quite a bit so producing them in Europe eliminates a lot of production issues like customs and shipping. I can’t just email a painting or Fedex a CD with paintings on it.
Malik: You’ve done collaborations with a clothing label in Cape Town where they featured your paintings on their garments. Tell us about that.
Mustafa: I liked what F.O.C. was building so I gave them props. I think it’s important to show your appreciation for projects that try to improve society. They contacted me and our relationship and a limited edition T-Shirt collabo developed from there.
Malik: Can we expect more of those collaborations outside of your field of work with other artists?
Mustafa: Maybe in future but right now it’s not what I focus on. I’m far too busy with my own work.
Malik: Besides what we already know about the African Hip Hop Website, what is the grand vision of that portal and what sort of image do you wish to portray to a kid sitting say in Brooklyn logging on for the first time?
Mustafa: We have gone through several changes over the years. We were the first Pan African portal of its kind and have remained that over the years. Ironically, we started it in Amsterdam 10 years ago! Our africanhiphopradio.com addition has made it possible for us to show that the networks we have built over the last decade have had a real world impact. If you think about it, we are doing what the African Union and Big Media have been unable to do.
Malik: Is there any hope for Hip Hop in its pure form, undiluted in Africa, or are we going to have to always merge with the local flavour of the month in each respective country for example Bongo in East Africa, etc?
Mustafa: I don’t think there is such a thing as “Hip Hop in its pure form”. There are many Hip Hops in my opinion. Hip Hop needs to be different in each country to make it interesting. When I travel to a country I wanna hear MCs rapping in a language that they are most comfortable with. The same goes for beats. I don’t care what sounds and samples you threw in there, just make it dope!
Malik: Do you think you get more recognition for your work at home in SA or overseas?
Mustafa: I don’t really know. There’s no real way of measuring that. The international art press has definitely responded better to my work than the local SA press. Both regular folks and collectors respond well to my work wherever I’ve shown so I suppose that’s all that counts in the end.
Malik: Let’s ignore all that rhetoric about how Hip Hop began in Africa, you’ve worked and lived in Europe and America, would you agree that Hip Hop and the street culture scene in general in SA is where maybe say New York was at in the 80’s? By that I mean do you agree its inevitable that SA and Africa get their shine eventually or were meant always be the underdogs?
Mustafa: I disagree. In Cape Town we were living Hip Hop since the 80’s. We have had just about as much opportunity to shine as kids in Helsinki or Sao Paulo. That is to say that we have had the same obstacles to breaking the US market as them. P.O.C. is fondly remembered by older Hip Hop fans all over Europe. They really made an impact wherever they performed. There are some crews and solo rappers from SA that perform in Europe and make an impact. A few months ago Cape Town MC UNO from Illiterate Skill held it down solo on stages all over Europe after his crew members couldn’t get visas. Some things travel better than others. Ultimately though, education is something that allows you to travel more than what a rap career does. Hip Hop is like a library or a tool box, what you do with or create with it is up to you.
Malik: What is the place of the corporate giants in all this – from the media to clothing and sneaker brands- if any?
Mustafa: For brands it’s all about the bottom line. Smart brands invest in talent that can get them maximum reach. I’ve seen a lot of missed opportunities over the years.Is there anything you’d like to let us in on- I mean anything- plans for the future we should be looking out for?
I have a little self-funded project called Ævenger Camp http://www.streetsheet.co.za/features/2008/11/17/who-is-mustafa-maluka/www.aevenger.com. In the past I’ve dropped mixtapes, sponsored park jams, parties and I’ve also bought people studio equipment. I’ve bought beats that I liked and passed them to rappers that I like. Since I’m no longer in SA I really can’t make those face to face connections anymore. Ævenger Camp’s new philanthropic model is such that the artist receives a payment for delivery of a completed album. The artist furthermore also receives 100% of the proceeds from the album and I get the satisfaction of assisting in making a great piece of art that would not otherwise see the light of day happen.
Malik: Jay Electronica or 88 Keys?
Mustafa: HIPE in SA, Black Milk in the US and Nicolay in Europe.
Malik: Kaizer Chiefs or Pirates?
Mustafa: My brother plays for Ikapa Sporting. When I last checked he was leading in yellow cards :D.
Also check out: my tumblog every damn day twitter http://twitter.com/maluka flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/maluka last.fm http://www.last.fm/user/mustafamaluka/ myspace http://www.myspace.com/mustafamaluka/
Malik Mahlangu
Malik: What inspired you to take up your wand, er, I mean paintbrush and cast a spell on all of us with your magic? Did life in the Cape Flats have anything to do with it?
Mustafa Maluka: As a result of our country’s complex and painful history the Cape Flats is a place populated with people who have ancestry from all over the planet. My own ancestry stems from Zambia, SA, Polynesia, Asia and Europe. As a result, I’m more interested in shared human experiences than putting people in little boxes. I fell in love with art through studying art history, I thought being a Painter was the coolest thing in the world.
Malik: Your Myspace profile says something about you being in New York, Berlin, Helsinki currently. Is it business or pleasure?
Mustafa: I jump between NY, Berlin, Amsterdam and Helsinki. I just built a new studio in Finland so I will be spending more time there. I need to be up north because most of my shows are up here. Unlike photographers or video artists, my works are quite large and weigh quite a bit so producing them in Europe eliminates a lot of production issues like customs and shipping. I can’t just email a painting or Fedex a CD with paintings on it.
Malik: You’ve done collaborations with a clothing label in Cape Town where they featured your paintings on their garments. Tell us about that.
Mustafa: I liked what F.O.C. was building so I gave them props. I think it’s important to show your appreciation for projects that try to improve society. They contacted me and our relationship and a limited edition T-Shirt collabo developed from there.
Malik: Can we expect more of those collaborations outside of your field of work with other artists?
Mustafa: Maybe in future but right now it’s not what I focus on. I’m far too busy with my own work.
Malik: Besides what we already know about the African Hip Hop Website, what is the grand vision of that portal and what sort of image do you wish to portray to a kid sitting say in Brooklyn logging on for the first time?
Mustafa: We have gone through several changes over the years. We were the first Pan African portal of its kind and have remained that over the years. Ironically, we started it in Amsterdam 10 years ago! Our africanhiphopradio.com addition has made it possible for us to show that the networks we have built over the last decade have had a real world impact. If you think about it, we are doing what the African Union and Big Media have been unable to do.
Malik: Is there any hope for Hip Hop in its pure form, undiluted in Africa, or are we going to have to always merge with the local flavour of the month in each respective country for example Bongo in East Africa, etc?
Mustafa: I don’t think there is such a thing as “Hip Hop in its pure form”. There are many Hip Hops in my opinion. Hip Hop needs to be different in each country to make it interesting. When I travel to a country I wanna hear MCs rapping in a language that they are most comfortable with. The same goes for beats. I don’t care what sounds and samples you threw in there, just make it dope!
Malik: Do you think you get more recognition for your work at home in SA or overseas?
Mustafa: I don’t really know. There’s no real way of measuring that. The international art press has definitely responded better to my work than the local SA press. Both regular folks and collectors respond well to my work wherever I’ve shown so I suppose that’s all that counts in the end.
Malik: Let’s ignore all that rhetoric about how Hip Hop began in Africa, you’ve worked and lived in Europe and America, would you agree that Hip Hop and the street culture scene in general in SA is where maybe say New York was at in the 80’s? By that I mean do you agree its inevitable that SA and Africa get their shine eventually or were meant always be the underdogs?
Mustafa: I disagree. In Cape Town we were living Hip Hop since the 80’s. We have had just about as much opportunity to shine as kids in Helsinki or Sao Paulo. That is to say that we have had the same obstacles to breaking the US market as them. P.O.C. is fondly remembered by older Hip Hop fans all over Europe. They really made an impact wherever they performed. There are some crews and solo rappers from SA that perform in Europe and make an impact. A few months ago Cape Town MC UNO from Illiterate Skill held it down solo on stages all over Europe after his crew members couldn’t get visas. Some things travel better than others. Ultimately though, education is something that allows you to travel more than what a rap career does. Hip Hop is like a library or a tool box, what you do with or create with it is up to you.
Malik: What is the place of the corporate giants in all this – from the media to clothing and sneaker brands- if any?
Mustafa: For brands it’s all about the bottom line. Smart brands invest in talent that can get them maximum reach. I’ve seen a lot of missed opportunities over the years.Is there anything you’d like to let us in on- I mean anything- plans for the future we should be looking out for?
I have a little self-funded project called Ævenger Camp http://www.streetsheet.co.za/features/2008/11/17/who-is-mustafa-maluka/www.aevenger.com. In the past I’ve dropped mixtapes, sponsored park jams, parties and I’ve also bought people studio equipment. I’ve bought beats that I liked and passed them to rappers that I like. Since I’m no longer in SA I really can’t make those face to face connections anymore. Ævenger Camp’s new philanthropic model is such that the artist receives a payment for delivery of a completed album. The artist furthermore also receives 100% of the proceeds from the album and I get the satisfaction of assisting in making a great piece of art that would not otherwise see the light of day happen.
Malik: Jay Electronica or 88 Keys?
Mustafa: HIPE in SA, Black Milk in the US and Nicolay in Europe.
Malik: Kaizer Chiefs or Pirates?
Mustafa: My brother plays for Ikapa Sporting. When I last checked he was leading in yellow cards :D.
Also check out: my tumblog every damn day twitter http://twitter.com/maluka flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/maluka last.fm http://www.last.fm/user/mustafamaluka/ myspace http://www.myspace.com/mustafamaluka/
Malik Mahlangu
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