RAGE embodies creativity, lyrical freedom and the ability to enjoy life’s offerings as they come. This is something you can pick up within minutes of meeting this Tanzanian rapper/poet. RAGE first featured on Eclectik-City when his video ‘Smile’ caught my attention via kalicomposers.tumblr

Check out his latest Spoken Word offering in the video below!!

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed Part I of ‘EA HIPHOP QUEENS’. Eclectik-City is all about showcasing African talent and the best is right here in our tiny corner of this beautiful continent.

Check out more of these  rap goddesses below!

Cindy Rulz is a hot, female rapper from Tanzania whose track ‘Redio’ ft my boy a.v.i.d is definitely one of the hottest offerings from Tanzania. She’s currently under producer Lamar’s Fishcrab Records label. Check it out!

 

 

Rah P is one Tanzania’s Hip Hop legends and now she’s back on the scene lending her swag to a track by Alpha, celebrating the African woman. Check it out!

 

KEKO: This young lady has been repping Uganda hard on East African charts. Where to start? She literally came from nowhere and landed at the top! Read more about her here and check out this track featuring Madtraxx from Kenya.

 

Compiled by T.Soul

If you didnt know, now you know!

East Africa has produced some of the hottest tracks in the African Hip Hop scene, by female rappers, these past few months and I’d like to highlight a few of the recent gems I’ve come across.

Stella Mwangi, also known as STL, Norwegian-Kenyan rapper who’s made major strides on the international scene with her catchy beats and distinct voice. In this video she shows you why Stella is a name you need to remember.

 

Muthoni The Drummer Queen, multi-talented lyrical monstress!! This track is off the rails!

Xtatic, Kenyan rapper recently signed to Sony Music- young, beautiful and a threat, this is one of her first offerings since signing with Sony.

 

Compiled by T.Soul

 

I recently added one more year to my life.

Usually, I kick-start my birthday with a few hours of reflection before the clock strikes midnight and unlike my other birthdays, this year my list of goals and wishes for this new number has been watered down to four. Did somebody say your expectations are less but far much grander? However, bucket list aside, 2 years on planet Earth has given me a number of reasons to keep pushing and a number of lessons to remember. Like….

• Gratitude is a gift. It is the difference between how happy you can be and how happy you are, no matter which angle you look at it from.
• Live and let die. Some things are completely out of my control especially how people interpret an action or a word that has been conveyed to the best of my ability- I have decided  it is solely a personal problem on their part. Peace of mind comes from keeping on and staying true to who you are. Today, it is very easy to get derailed from your course by opinions and the status quo. It is important to remember you are what you are because you allow it or you like it. You are the key.
• I have also learnt to look at both sides of the coin and to accept the consequences of my actions. This applies everywhere.
• Habits can be broken. No matter how many times you’ve screamed ‘let the Jameson sink in!!’
• Life can change in a second. I have learnt to outline my plans for the future but leave room for surprises and that those surprises are what makes life worth living and conquering.
• Writing down plans and goals helps activate them.
• ‘There is nothing new in this world’ as quoted in Suits Season 2 (LOL). It is just presented to you in a different form. Food for thought.
• When it comes to problems, locate the source. Your shoulders are lighter when you weed your garden and clean out your closet.
• I do not like to experiment when it comes to food and amusement parks are scary.
• Absinthe is for vampires and werewolves.
• Your first reaction is usually the most honest opinion your subconscious can give you. Listen carefully.
• Prayer is paramount, God is real.
• Hippies had some really good ideas, read about them.

 

Written by T.Soul

 

 

Do you want to be a part of the ‘I.Am.Eclectik’ movement??

You can contribute to showcasing Africa’s diversity, creativity and talent in 3 ways!

• Send us a photo diary! Which city are you in? What did you see? What did you do? Show us!
• Write about a pressing issue or topic in less than 400 words.
• Get vocal or get writing! Send us your poetry in video or written form!

To Create. To Inspire. To Spread Soul. Be a part of the movement by emailing: info@eclectik-city.com!!

 

Every country is gearing up to leave their mark at the Olympics this year, with the likes of Saudi Arabia finally allowing women to take part and one of Malaysia’s entrants for the 10-meter air rifle event is all of 8 months pregnant!

Kenya is going the extra mile with super-producer/MC Madtraxx teaming up with 2 new artists, Cola Boy and Sign C, who won a talent search  to be part of the first ever CoCa-Cola Kenya Olympic Anthem.

Check out MOVING TO THE BEAT here:

http://themonsterradio.com/madtraxx-in-official-coca-cola-kenya-olympic-anthem/

 Madtraxx, Cola Boy and Sign C shot the video this week and is set to be dropping in a few days. However, here is a look at the video shoot courtesy of CodeRED Kenya’s Porgie C Rosso!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compiled by T.Soul

 

Alvin Kathembe

Johannesburg/Nairobi

Poet, Student Pilot, budding philosopher

URL: http://www.writerscafe.org/TMA

Twitter:@ThatManVizzle

Four Easy Steps to Success – For Dummies

A Poem by Alvin L. Kathembe

 

A friend of mine tweeted one morning, ‘My biggest prayer today is that I may not be misunderstood.‘ These few words carry so much weight and food for thought. She got me thinking about the hundreds of times I have had to back up a simple phrase or sentence with an explanation.

This is already a problem when you take into account a persons background or other factors that contribute to an otherwise awkward scenario. However, as one of my good friends puts it, ‘sounds like a personal problem to me!!‘. She is right. You can’t please everybody, you can’t take every reaction to heart.

This brings on a couple of questions; Have you experienced true freedom? Is it possible for you to be your own person in a society that is so dependent on what other people think?Do you dress or look or act the way you do because of the people around you? Here’s a scenario. You have the chance to start afresh in a new city. You have a new job and you are at liberty to forge a brand new identity for yourself. Are you that person now? What is stopping you? Can you get over it? Can you start now?
FULL ARTICLE »

URL: www.maanisha.co.tz  / www.facebook.com/maanishatz

Twitter: @MaanishaTZ

As young people, we need to realise that the future of our country and our continent is in our hands. Every action taken and decision made will shape how we live in the years to come and therefore it is important that the youth of today are on the path to creating a positive future. It is something that Eclectik-City believes in and when I kept hearing about Maanisha! and the amazing things they are doing in Tanzania, I made it a point to find out more.

I spoke to Andrew Mahiga, Maanisha!‘s young and enterprising Managing Director and he had powerful things to say about what his organisation is doing for Tanzanian youth and how young people can be part of the changes they are making in society. Andrew is a young man of 26 who is no stranger to social issues and reaching out to people, having lived in Tanzania, Australia, Swaziland and later the U.S.

While in university he began interning and doing online marketing for various underground street wear brands and later at Complex, a well-known men’s lifestyle magazine. This was Andrew’s first taste of the world of media and marketing. On his return to Tanzania, Andrew worked for Push Observer, a media monitoring company, which further increased his knowledge and exposure to how the industry works. His educational background and real-life experiences have put him in an ideal position to lead Maanisha! as it combines the best of both worlds.

How did Maanisha! come about?

‘Maanisha! Was founded in 2010 by Modesta Mahiga. It first begun as a way to reach out to students in high school, giving career talks, speaking to them about preparing for life after school and being able to compete in a global environment. Modesta would make these visits with her colleague to various high schools in Dar-es-Salaam’.

‘Their work gained them an invitation to Clouds FM to speak more about their efforts. This led to weekly visits to Clouds FM and eventually they were given their own show – ‘Temino’ which is still running on Clouds FM every Saturday from 3pm to 5pm. Temino touches on different topics surrounding personal and professional ethics and skills that are required to be a positive, confident and entrepreneurial young person in Tanzanian society. Our main focus is to cater to the Tanzanian youth – people between the ages of 16 and 35′.

FULL ARTICLE »

SEKO SIA SHAMTE (Age 30)

FILMMAKER (ALKEMIST MEDIA) / DJ

URL: youtube.com/alkemisttanzania / facebook.com/mkwawamovie

Our DreamCatcher this week is Seko Shamte, a young woman who has proven that if you do want something really bad and in all respects it is for the right reasons-you will get it! The stars literally aligned for Seko when she set out with a dream to be a filmmaker.

All she had was passion and an idea when she took the plunge into self-employment at the age of 26 to set up Alkemist Media, a production company that is responsible for bringing the remarkable story of one of Africa’s greatest history-makers to the silver screen.

‘Mkwawa‘, her first film, premiered late 2011 in Dar es Salaam and is still making its rounds with the latest screening being ZIFF (Zanzibar International Film Festival) where it showed this Sunday after being nominated.

I caught up with Seko a week ago to find out what inspired her to make this film and of course, learn more about her DJ ambitions! I’ve got to say, this is only the beginning for Seko and her film, Mkwawa, which she said, ‘was made for Africans’. In every way, the story of Chief Mkwawa is an inspiration and Seko’s journey to this moment is a worthy read.

FULL ARTICLE »