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  • ONCE UPON A TIME IN JOBURG- A SOUTH AFRICANS AND LIVE MUSIC LOVE STORY. AN ERRATIC PIECE.

    South Africa. A country and land known for a diverse number of reasons with our diversity being the number one reason. It’s hard to box us South Africans in. From the various accents, languages, cultures, traditions and heritages, it feels almost impossible to have a common gaol or love. Well except for live music and concerts. The love story between South Africans and live music is a beautiful and just like our diversity we appreciate all walks of it.

    I say this because South Africa has a big love for, what the global mainstream may deem as, niche artists. Why? Well, I’d say it goes to our love for music and lack of care for celebrity. This mindset and attitude allow to focus on the main thing which is the musicality and artistry of the musician and not the name of the musician. It’s more important for the fans to connect and engage with the music and not just the artist. I liken this to social media where someone may have 10s of thousands of followers who gets lots of views and likes but compared to someone who has a few followers, but their community actually comments, shares and engages with their work. This creates a long-lasting community and dedicated fanbase which usually turns cult.

    Popular opinion would probably disagree with me, saying that as South Africans we want to see big names because it’s not like they regularly include us in the tour dates and locations but that to me proves my point even more. Why go for big names that are too big to care for a “smaller” fan base? Why not go for the names where the fans have a real connection and love for their music and build a relationship that will have the artists wanting to come back again and grow their fanbase.

    One event and production company seem to understand this. Once Upon a Time in Joburg, a one-day live music mini festival founded and bought to you by Dr. Bird Productions. You’re probably wondering what’s Once Upon a Time in Joburg and where did it come from? Well, the event came out of nowhere last year when in February they announced they were bringing, American RnB singer, Xavier Omar to the country to perform on the 2nd of March 2024 at Field & Study Park and he shared the stage with Lord Kez, Marcus Harvey & Simmy. I mean what an introduction right? Who are these guys and where did they come from?

    Well Once Upon a Time in Joburg is produced by South African company, Dr. Bird Productions, which is founded by Onye Iheukwumere. He created the event out of a love of RnB music and wanting to see artists that have cult followings because that’s where the true hardcore music fans live and he wants to see that grow year by year. “In five years, we want Once Upon a Time in Joburg to be the home for R&B and Neo-Soul on the continent. Not necessarily the biggest — but the most trusted. A place where fans know they’ll see artists they love, and artists know they’ll be performing for an audience that truly gets it. We want it to grow, yes — but without losing the soul. This has always been about creating a space that centres the music and the people who love it.”, says Onye.

    This year Once Upon a Time in Joburg decided to go for their 2nd round and had emerging local acts such as Lusanda & Nanette, who both have cultivated their own fanbases through their music and social media presence, and both songstresses rose to the occasion and bright lights, in the face of 2000 people and held their own. They also had established superstar South African songstress and hitmaker Shekhinah, who absolutely demolished her performance as usual and reminding us why she’s Mzansi’s sweetheart. The international headliner this time around wasn’t just one but two headliners.

    First, they had Goldlink come on the stage at 5:45pm and boy was it a sight to see. Now this wasn’t the first time Goldlink had performed in South Africa. He performed in Johannesburg in 2019 for Afropunk. In the years between then and now he had ruffled some feathers with his comments on Mac Miller and a majority of fans thought he had been exiled into retirement but that wasn’t the case at all. Having cult classic singles and album in ‘At What Cost’, the love of music resided in his fans all these years and they were more than excited to see one of their favourite artists back in Johannesburg performing on stage again. Showing you that as things come and go in life, the music always remains.

    The main international headliner for the night was British singer of Columbian descendant, Sasha Keable. Now if you didn’t know of Sasha Keable before the mini-festival, you might have heard her on Tik-Tok where her songs like Hold Up, Why & Act Right were trending sounds last year. These songs gained her popularity amongst young women and especially in South Africa. This was clear to see on Saturday when performing WHY you could hear the entire crowd singing along with every last breath in their lungs, so much so that it inspired Sasha to do an encore of the song and had her teary eyed from all the love.

    Now, it wasn’t just the artists who made the event a success. The DJs (Chainz, Ash, Kaygo & Marauder [USA]) in-between sets who laid down some of our favourite jams that had us dancing and singing along, throughout the day. The layout of the event and how they used the space was organised and allowed for a great flow of traffic and movement. They had stand-out pieces such as their welcome walls, which was a huge hit amongst the snappers, the outdoor games they had setup, and the food vendors were serving just as hard as the performers. Overall, it was a wonderful day out. A great way to spend your afternoon to enjoy music and some downtime and still go home early enough to either decompress and chill or paint the town red if you had the energy for it afterwards.

    Once Upon a Time in Joburg has done something magically with these last two shows. They’ve shown the South African public that it’s not just the big names fans care about but the music. Fans want to experience the artists that they play in the room when by themselves, the artists they might not play on the aux around the homies because they afraid they’ll be the odd man out. The artist who they’ve grown with and built a genuine and pure connection with through their music. They’ve shown us that you don’t need multiple days and camping to create a valuable experience for the audiences and there are different perspectives to what a festival can be or look like and you know what…maybe we do need more mini festivals of the kind. Thank you for providing us with a fairytale experience, that ended with a happily ever after. Thank you Once Upon a Time may your story never come to an end so that ours may multiply.

  • SWAYVEE AND YOUNG STUNNA SET THE CONTINENT ON FIRE WITH “US”

    When Nigeria’s wave king Swayvee links up with South Africa’s amapiano general Young Stunna, you don’t just get a song—you get a moment. “US” just dropped, and it’s already causing tremors from Lagos to Joburg. A vibe. A flex. A full-on cultural exchange.

    Let’s talk about that Stunna verse real quick—it’s everywhere. Reels. TikToks. Nightclubs. Barbershops. Your crush’s IG story. That silky smooth entrance he makes on the beat? It may have crossover energy.

    People thought Stunna was just amapiano? The guy bodied this Afro-fusion beat with flow, charisma, and bars that may just go super viral.

    This is no one-off remix. This is African synergy at its best. Swayvee brings the Lagos soul, that melodic sauce we all know and love. Stunna brings that South Aah energy, laying down vocals like he owns the genre. Together, they cooked up something timeless.

     Tap In, Don’t Sleep. Stream it on you DSP of choice.

  • LENS STORIES WITH THE PRETTY HUN- GABRIEL BAMBO

    You have probably seen this face at some of the flyest spots and events and 8 out of ten times he probably had a camera on him and immortalised you with a fly picture. His name is Gabriel otherwise known as “The Pretty Hun” and Frat got to ask him some questions about his craft.

                From Mokopane to the World — How did your upbringing in a small South African town shape the way you see and frame the world through your lens today?

    It taught me to see the world through a 50mm lens hahahaha but seriously it means if you focus then you will see what you want for yourself in great detail but if u dont focus then all that you want for yourself will be very blurry. Focus on your dreams and the only blurry things will be your background.

    Don’t be scared to shoot your shot.

                Your work often merges street culture with high-concept visuals. How do you balance authenticity with aesthetics in a world that’s increasingly curated for social media?

    Well I have always been a fan of street culture and I knew I had to do my part by adding high concept visuals to it. Not only did I owe it to the culture to do so but I also owed it to South African photography by elevating how people see South African creatives. As a photographer I had to make sure the world could see how beautiful and talented we are.

                You’re known for blending storytelling and style. What role do fashion and identity play in your photography — and how do you choose what stories to elevate visually?

    I love fashion a lot so it was easy for me to merge fashion and my style of shooting. I’ve had a lot of people come up to me at events saying “Gab please shoot me coz my outfit is on fire” and I oblige because I take  it as a compliment that they can trust me to elevate their style with my lens so I will always make sure I do right by them. I’m responsible for how to package those kinds of stories. I love it from the shooting to the editing. I would love to shoot street style photos at Paris,London,Seoul,New York and Copenhagen Fashion Week.

                FratpackerWorld celebrates global creativity with local soul — how do you stay rooted in your cultural identity while still evolving as a global visual artist?

    Family and friends keep me rooted,they always remind me to remind people who I am via my camera and personality everytime i leave. I represent my hometown and country in all my travels.

                As someone who frequently travels and captures diverse environments, what’s one city or country that unexpectedly influenced your creative process, and why?

    For the longest time I would say Limpopo and Joburg but recently I fell in love with shooting people of Rwanda and Uganda because they elevated my portraiture editing skills because of their skin tones and lovely but shy personalities. Shout out to Strictly Soul for introducing me to beautiful people of East Africa. It’s a dream come true.

                            How do you approach photographing people — especially in your street or portrait work — in a way that maintains dignity and mutual respect in the moment?

    I’m always sincere and nice when I approach people to ask for photographs,I always ask.

    I have a saying for when I go out to shoot at events: “If you see me,ask for a picture.”

    That way it also takes away the shyness and makes people happy knowing they will get a picture shot by me. No brag hahaha

                            What’s your creative ritual when working on a shoot? Is there music, moodboarding, or mental prep involved before you hit the shutter?

    Most of the great shoots I have ever done in my 10 + years of experience is making my subjects/models feel comfortable with me being behind the lens so that they can give me their best version of themselves. Music is always a great way to begin as far as rituals are involved.

    Moodboards are a great way to work on a shared concept and idea sharing so it’s very important to have before clicking the shutter.

                You’ve worked with big brands, but your personal projects often feel more intimate. How do you protect your artistic voice while working commercially?

    Brands always have a certain way of working so we can share ideas and concepts to make sure it’s a dope collaboration. There are times where working with brands can elevate your work and sometimes it feels like they are playing it safe,understandably so because they are working on what works for them and their clients.

    When it’s my own artistic voice i have to F**k S**t up(Excuse my language) because i have full  creative control and it’s more personal.

                What’s one image you’ve taken that feels like a visual “journal entry” — a photo that reflects exactly where you were emotionally or mentally at that moment?

    All the photographs that i have shot for the photo series called “The Blacker The Berry”. That series elevated my work in more ways than I can mention. I always look at it as time capsule worthy work. Work that can be framed and hung on a wall. It’s on a few walls currently actually. I’m currently loving what a fisheye lens does to elevate my photographs.

                If you could give young African creatives one piece of advice about making art that travels across borders — what would you tell them?

    Just keep doing your work and focus on where you want to be, then have room for God (The Greatest Creative) to align you with the right people and opportunities. Talent and hard work can only take you so far but you need to leave room for the creator and the universe to assist you.

    Lastly tell us why you are the pretty hun😂

    The Pretty Hun nickname came from a friend of mine,Nhlanhla Mvalo who just threw it my way as a joke and we just kinda ran with it. If you take a good look at me then you know he was right hahahaha. It’s a believe in yourself kind of nickname. I love how people find themselves saying and calling a grown man a Pretty Hun. It’s a beautiful thing.

    Check The Pretty Hun on IG: acutegabriel

  • KEHLANI BREAKS IT DOWN ON ‘FOLDED’

    Kehlani has made a soulful return with her new single “Folded,” released on June 13, 2025, via Atlantic Records. The track marks a notable shift in tone for the genre-bending artist, leaning into stripped-back, vulnerable R&B that recalls the emotional intensity of her early mixtape days.

    “Folded” explores the emotional wreckage left behind after a relationship crumbles. Kehlani’s voice, often a balm in its own right, rides a sparse but warm instrumental — all soft guitar plucks, ambient textures, and slow-burning bass. The production team, which includes Khris Riddick-Tynes, Andre Harris, Don Mills, and D.K. the Punisher, creates an intimate atmosphere that allows Kehlani’s lyricism to shine.

    The lyrics cut deep: “You left my heart unfolded / Now I’m folding into myself.” It’s a line that sums up the song’s tone — tender, wounded, but ultimately self-aware. There’s no dramatic climax, just the quiet ache of someone sitting with their feelings and finding a sliver of peace in the process.

    Fans might be surprised by the contrast between “Folded” and Kehlani’s recent high-energy collaborations like “Think of Me,” a club-ready track with David Guetta and HUGEL. Where that track leaned into dance-pop euphoria, “Folded” is all about stillness and reflection. It’s a testament to Kehlani’s range that both songs feel authentic, simply different shades of the same emotionally intelligent artist.

    Coming off the success of her 2024 album Crash and the follow-up mixtape While We Wait 2, “Folded” suggests that Kehlani is entering a new chapter — one where vulnerability isn’t just an aesthetic choice, but a form of storytelling power. The single is already climbing streaming charts and gaining critical praise for its lyrical honesty and understated production.

    It will be interesting to see how she further down she goes into this bag on her next full length project. One thing is certain: Kehlani has found strength in stillness, and she’s inviting her listeners to pause and feel alongside her. Stream Folded on your preferred DSP.

    FRAT!

  • ERRATIC TALKS OUR PEOPLE SCREENING

    As people of colour and culture “our people” is a common phrase used in the community. A term used to describe the nuance of our heritage, culture, mindsets, behaviours and traits. In the beginning the white people used it to group us a group of people they could never want to interact with or understand, and we used to that term to create an understanding and community within ourselves.

    Now even in the culture of “our people” we have OUR PEOPLE, as in the people we talk to, confide in and seek counsel from. We meet our people through circumstances that bond us together on a deeper emotional, mental and spiritual level. Whether it be from sharing small details like your day or the cashier who double swiped your packet of crisps or the extremes of congratulations on the new car to condolences for the loss of your loved ones. These experiences help s find and form Our People.

    As a man, you realise you have your people but as you grow older you realise the structures and mindsets that we’ve been raised under and how it  depreciates the value of relying our people and their worth, so usually men don’t talk to or confide in their people but rather try shoulder it all alone and in June, the month of Men’s Mental Health Awareness, NLite have decided to shine more light on this with their new single ‘Our People’ and with a music video that they shot in collaboration with Camagu TV.

    On Thursday 12 June 2025, NLite & Camagu Productions hosted a screening for the music video of ‘Our People’ at Artistry in Sandton. Before we get into the visuals of the song, I want to get into the sonics of it.

    Firstly, NLite is a trio; based and founded in Johannesburg, South Africa, consisting of Dave Moyo aka Daev Martian, Chenoa Nwokedi aka Crunchy Sweater) & Robin Köck aka Robin Fassie. It has a soft and jazz funk-esque feel mixed in with a deep inspiration of boom bap hip-hop. Daev Martain supplies the lyrical flow starting the track saying, “They say curiosity killed the cat, but I disagree with that.”. When asked about this at the screening Daev was talking about how perspective is different to everyone and that one doesn’t have to die to gain a new experience. A simple line but it sets the tune for the song where to me it means that, “That on this journey called life that we’re trying to figure out it’s okay to seek the things that interest and that you have to journey and discover who your people are.”

    The trio talked about how the song stemmed from personal conversations shared with each other and how they realised they rely so much on their people and that as men it’s not always easy or sharing vulnerabilities and emotions even with our people. They wanted to breakdown the stigmas of asking for helping and running into the arms of your people and community.

    When it comes to the visual side of the story. NLite enlisted the help of emerging production company Camagu Productions, founded by Dlozi Mata & Banyele Yengeni. The pair said, “They had been honoured to have been able to work on the collaboration with NLite.”, and that they had full creative freedom. Dlozi expressed this the most when he was retelling us the stories of the creative process, where he tried to write a treatment and explain it to everyone but it wasn’t coming across and then on the day he had a whole shot list but ended up freestyling most of the shoot and only use about 2 of the shots from the shot list. The only one who truly had to suffer from this creative process was Banyele, having to try and make sure they don’t exceed budget, getting all references that Dlozi sent him, and doing all the dirty, nasty work of administration and paperwork, a creative’s worst nightmare.

    At the end of it all we get a brilliantly shot and thought-provoking short film with stellar visuals. I don’t want to describe the whole video for you, but it starts in black and white with two boys gunning down each other and a third one watching. In the next scene we see one of the boys running at full speed and the video carries on from there. This is the point where you stop reading to go watch the music video on NLite’s YouTube channel.

    Now the video is said to be centred around the motif of running and running away from our problems and to our people, which is a beautiful message to get across but me being a therapist I looked at it differently. It had me think that the issue is we only run to our people when it’s too late and we are already in crisis but why don’t we phone them before hand when we see that there’s about to be a crisis? Why do we run away from the problem and to them instead of calling them to help us face our problems? Do we not trust our people to be our pillars and support beams or to only be the heroes when we can’t save ourselves?

    Another point that Banyele bought up and that you’ll see in the video is that “The more you run away from the problem/situation and going towards your people you start to heal and become whole again, allowing you to see the light in the darkness.”. Being the child of a doctor; I know that for a wound to properly heal and not get infected, you have to clean it up first before any healing begins. Again, getting me to question why don’t we call our people to help clean our wounds and heal?

    Being able to have all these emotions and thoughts being provoked, ignited and inspired was truly a soulful experience. NLite & Camagu Productions came together to show us that the art of music videos is far from dead and if it was then this was its resurrection. This music video is coming at such an important time with it being Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month so that as men we can question when & why do we run to our people, and when do we start to call on our people for help instead of running to them for help.

    This song and music video was reminder that we are nothing without our people and that the only way to save ourselves is to be there for each other and that’s a message for OUR PEOPLE (people of colour) in this world. I want to thank NLite for including me as part of their people and I thank you for reading this because y’all are MY people.

  • MASHBEATZ TUNES IN TO A SECRET FREQUENCY

    When it comes to prolific and versatile producers MashBeatz’ name ranks up there with the best of them. Ever since he stepped into the scene he has never left the conversation when it comes to music.

    He has been relentless in delivering high quality music no matter the season or temperature and his new offering does not deviate from his story arc. Before giving a little overview of the album in a few words lets also pay homage to his extensive project catalog. The man has given us fire projects from a compilation perspective as well his collaborative projects with the likes Wordz and Thato Saul (all of which have classic moments).

    Now as we tune into “The Secret Frequency” we get to marvel at how well the man can put together a fire cohesive project even when drawing from different flavours. We really are spoilt for vibes on this one; from the street anthem vibe on “More Money” with Focalistic and Pabi Cooper to the Bacardi inspired “Watchu Mean” with Brotherkupa and KindlyNxsh and true school bar styles from the likes of Stogie, Thato, Mochen, Priddy and Wordz. The vibes on the album keep the effervescent energy throughout as he melts a range of styles in the Mash pot to give us a project we did not know we needed.

    Its quite clear why they call him the president. If he keeps contributing to the ecosystem like this we will remain proud citizens of the Mashbeatz nation.

  • AZ CHIKE SAYS ITS GAME TIME

    If there is anyone that extended their 15 minutes of fame from the GNX stimulus package its AZ Chike.

    AZ has made sure his presence is felt since his show stealing performance on Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Peekaboo’. He has been dropping fire singles accompanied with fire visuals. His latest single “Game Time” has been doing healthy rounds on socials and he put his name in the hat for the healthy lyrical sparring session between the east and the west coast. With him recently inking a deal with Warner we are all keen to see how he approaches this phase of his rap career. It’s quite clear that it’s Game Time for Chike.

  • THE LARRY O’BRIEN TROPHY VISITS THE SOBERING PODCAST

    Its NBA playoff fever right now and the conference finals are going crazy. But before Larry goes off to the team that wins at all he went through and kicked it with The Out Of Town on The Sobering Podcast. Check the episode out.

  • MASTER KG HAS ANOTHER ONE

    Master KG is definitely no stranger to going viral and it seems that he has another sound for creators to jam and create content to.

    Master KG has given us a new anthem for us to get photoshoot fresh to. With a title like “Ngishuteni” it is no wonder why content creators are getting fly to this song. The song is doing crazy numbers on streams but its also going wild on social media. The sound has been saved and used in all sorts of “get ready with me” Tik Tok videos. its seems the whole of Africa is rocking with this one and the world is following suit. It looks like Master KG may have another global hit on his hands.

  • ERRATIC TALKS STRICTLY SOUL WITH AKIO

    It’s 2020, the world has been struck with Covid, and no one knows what the future is looking like. In South Africa some of the strictest lockdown laws and regulations are enforced upon us. The entertainment sector is in a panic because how are people and businesses meant to sustain and survive?

    We see creatives turn to social media to bridge this gap, keep relevant and explore new ways of keeping entertainment alive and their brands. One of these creatives is prominent and established hip-hop DJ Akio. Akio decided to use his Instagram to host live sessions where he would play r&b sets for the people watching as he broadcasts from his rooftop. The lives received such positive reception that once the lockdown laws became more lenient, Akio and his team were able to host the event live since October 2020 and the growth has been incredible.


    Today in 2024, 4 years later, we see Strictly Soul selling packed out shows, travelling across and outside of the African continent, and filling the people’s hearts and souls with the sounds of beautiful, sing-along and fresh new music every week. Strictly proves the theory that women love RnB like men love hip-hop, true because there is no shortage of gorgeous women to be found at any point and maybe it started out because it used to be free for ladies but the truth is that they’ve worked on creating and be a safe space for femme bodies and allowing them the freedom to party in peace.

    This growth of theirs has also led to Strictly Soul hosting live acts for a more intimate fan experience, where local R&B acts perform a 45min-hour set and finish the night off with a QnA. Acts have included Filah lah Lah, Nanette, Ricky Tyler, The Big Hash, Rowlene, and international acts 9th Wonder & Xavier Omar. From an online IG live experience to now touring Strictly Soul to different countries within and outside of the African continent, the rise of Strictly Soul is slowly becoming a global phenomenon.

    The only thing about Strictly Soul that’s an issue is that it’s grown so popular the capacity of the venue, La Parada is not enough for all the attendees, which leads to a slow bar turnover time when ordering drinks so I’d advise to always come early and make your first round order the second round order, third round, fourth round and etc. so you can order and pay in bulk and go on with your night.

    Now as I’m known for being In The Streets & Industry I couldn’t just give you my review of Strictly Soul, but I got a chance to ask founder, Akio Kawahito, a dfew questions about Strictly Soul and it’s future.

    INTERVIEW WITH AKIO KAWAHITO

    How did the concept of Strictly Soul come about?

    I’ve been sitting on the concept since 2017, from my KoolOut days. I always wanted to be more behind the scenes putting everything together instead of being seen as the superstar DJ and at the time I was playing around with RnB and noticing how the women love it but my personal career started taking off and I had no time to implement the idea. Come 2020 Covid hits so Beno & I started doing live RnB rooftop streams with my DJ equipment every Sunday and that’s how the concept of it started.

    As a strictly r&b, soul, neo-soul party did you ever think it would grow to be this big?

    No, lie…but yes, I did, maybe not this big across Africa but again my place in culture in South Africa has always been doing something different. At some point people don’t see it because everyone starts to do the same thing but I’m always starting something different. When I was with KoolOut in 2008, a time when hip-hop wasn’t necessarily booming and mainstream in South Africa, we bought in artists like Blu & Exile, Baboo, People Under the Stairs and that grew into bringing out Mick Jenkins to South Africa for the first time.

    Even when talking to my team in the begin phase of Strictly Soul I would tell them, “Hey guys it’s only going to be a matter of time til people start saying what we’re doing won’t work or won’t last and then eventually start doing what we’re doing so stay focused and don’t let it distract you from our vision.”.

    I knew it would work because I did my research. There were no RnB parties in South Africa and because I’m a touring DJ, I also got to see it was the same thing across Africa. The only party I knew of was Soulful Sundays, which was more for your aunties and uncles, so I knew there was a missing space in the market and how to occupy it successfully.

    Most people know you and recognise you from your hip-hop background and history, how did you make the switch from, “in the streets”, music to, “in the sheets”, music?

    In the sheets music, hahaha. That’s hilarious I’m going to steal that for a caption. I’ve always been an RnB thug; I just didn’t get into it because growing up there were no RnB DJs just hip-hop DJs. As a young kid I always loved RnB and only in high school and university did I start going into hip-hop, but my passion has always been RnB. That’s why when you look at Strictly Soul compared to other RnB parties they don’t have the catalogue, knowledge and love for RnB and that is what makes us stand out.

    Even with hip-hop growing up I never wanted to become the bitter old head complaining about the new music but around 2019 hip-hop started seeing a dip and relying on the women to carry it and with that people were complaining that he classic RnB we love was dying but modern RnB was on a rise then and I leaned into that as well which helped me be able to bridge the gap between the young and old and create a community within Strictly Soul instead of having the old heads fighting the new kids on the block.

    Now unfortunately due to technology hating on a n*gga I had to end the interview here but hope that you find some time to go and experience Strictly Soul for yourself and immerse yourself in the beautiful and loving community that it is.