By the Book:
The streets of SA are expressive and the youth are at the forefront of the vocalists. Every agent of change needs to some extent pay tribute to those that came before, the pioneers of any culture or sub-culture.
Urban youth across the country have found solace in music, fashion, art, film, social media and all things entertainment. Particularly alternative trends, trap, vintage, layering, new age sounds and a taste for not so staple culinary cuisine through booming of various urban markets.
My experience of what really goes on in the streets is; no magazine, clothing brand, music retailer or entertainment show dictates where the trends will go. Copy cats are a dime a dozen but urban youth, thanks to the internet have found ways of investigating and developing unique styles of music, art and behavior.
A mix of Maskandi and trap sounds will unearth an originator like Mashayabooqe Kamamba, long old school sport trench coats are a hit in summer and well, blue, yellow and red colored hair is not out of the ordinary either with these mavericks.
Pop-up markets, impromptu clothing lines, digital photography and online tutorials have changed the game significantly for this bunch.
They are different, they are adventurous and dare to experiment.
We are nothing like our predecessors and thus we continue to develop new technologies and a use of new mediums to express our injustices from filming cops in the US, to student protests and blasting Japanese trap music in Africa.
We’ve transcended continents, cultures and styles. The streets have never been more alive and the youth have never been more in touch with their artistic side.