My Friday gift to you: adding Petite Noir to the top of your rotation. A Belgian-born Cape Townian now back in Cape Town, he’s forged his own sub-genre called Noirwave, which aesthetically sounds like African-tinged new wave, and philosophically is an embrace of authority: whereas white people usually get to be the ‘artists’, manipulating global sounds to their ‘sophisticated’ whims, the birth of the internet has given Africa access to a global perspective. So Noirwave is an embodiment of the African gaze, incorporating international influences into a foundation of Africanness. A masterful and necessary reorientation.
When you go to a place that has one notable celebrity, you don’t want to be like “SO how about Lupita!”– feels real pigeonholey. So I was avoiding talking about Trevor Noah in South Africa until *everybody* brought him up for me. To a surprising degree, people are ABOUT the Trev down here– not only did he put standup on the map in South Africa, but he did it with really quality political satire. In the same way that you turn to The Daily Show for your regular Washington rundown (see Trevor’s bit on Trump + Zuma here), just watch some old Trevor sets to learn about how everyone hates the South African president who just stepped down. Didn’t realize just *how* ready Trevor was to step in for good old Jon.
One other thing that someone told me this week is that a bunch of South African kids who speak primarily tribal languages now want to get good at English, with an eye toward entering the global hip hop scene. (Message: all the big rappers rhyme in English, so you’d better have that on lock.) Which is 1. fascinating, and 2. also really good for just getting educated/job-qualified whether or not the music thing works out. So, big guys, keep doin’ what you’re doin’. BUT, I also want to make a case for rapping in non-English (Also just look to Yaeji’s success rapping in Korean), and particularly in Xhosa, the South African language with clicks. To give you a taste, listen to this guy Linda spitting a Xhosa tongue twister. Do. You. Want. More.
Reminder: if you run a standup show, or a hip hop show, or any kind of show– or if you just know about things in your neighborhood and are down to tell people about them, you should list those things on Airbnb Experiences. Basically just introducing travelers to the things you do, it’s an easy way to make a solid business out of your jam. Follow this link and click “New Idea” to get started.
