Mike Mpofu, Author at 1Africa

Jay-Z joins greats in song writer hall of fame

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February 24, 2017

Jay-Z joins greats in song writer hall of fame

Sean Carter – aka Jay Z – has joined the greats and become the first rapper to be ever inducted into the song writers hall of fame in the US.

Jay is known for incredible pieces of music like Dead Presidents, Fade to Black, Blue Print (I – III), Watch the Throne – which he worked on with Kanye West – Magna Carta Holy Grail (his latest album from 2013), among others.

He has collaborated with some of the greats in the rap game.

The induction into the hall of fame is an incredible achievement, given that no rapper has ever achieved this in history. He will now join some of the greatest artists of all time, including Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson.

He took some time to reflect on what this achievement meant for rap, which he expressed in a tweet:

As a fan, I think he stands out among rappers, not only because he has been producing great music consistently for decades, but also because he prefers not to write down lyrics.

Instead, he listens to a sample of various beats from several producers. And when one ‘clicks’, he starts “spitting bars” – just like that.

The only other rapper, known to have been brilliant at this is the late Notorious B.I.G – whom Jigga idolised in some respects.

It is an incredible achievement for Jay who has also helped bring mega superstars to prominence like Kanye West, J Cole, Rhianna, among others.

In recent times, Carter has mainly focused on his business ventures which include the record company Roc Nation Records, sports management agencies, among other things. He is yet to release an album since his last work – Magna Carter, Holy Grail in 2013.

But as we know, Jay doesn’t rush it – it will come, when it ‘the time is right’.

All the best to HOV and congratulations.

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Chance’s G.O.A.T Grammy Performance

Mike Mpofu

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February 21, 2017

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Chance The Rapper.

That name will never be forgotten after the performance he gave at the recent Grammy Awards.

It is certainly worthy of G.O.A.T status (Greatest of All Time).

Not only has he managed to break into the scene, without being signed to a record company, he is winning – literally: Grammy Awards and the hearts of millions of fans across the world.

Chance performed “How Great” and “All We Got” from his latest project Coloring Book.

What Chance gave us, in collaboration with Kirk Franklin (also another G.O.A.T), was what we call freedom music.

Without taking anything away from everything that took place at the Awards – including Beyoncé – we must not take what we saw for granted.

A young dude taking us on an incredible musical journey.

Talking to friends about it, the best way I keep describing it, is that Chance gave me this ‘feeling’ that cannot be replicated.

His medley was simply powerful.

Lest we take too much away from Lil’ Chano, watch it for yourself:

https://vid.me/KvU3

The People Vs OJ – some of the best TV ever produced

Culture
TV

Mike Mpofu

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February 17, 2017

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The People Vs OJ – some of the best TV ever produced

OJ Simpson – The Juice – was an American icon.

The pro-football superstar who forced Los Angeles, and the rest of America to pick sides, after his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, were found dead.

The plot thickens when evidence is found that points to OJ.

Instead of mourning his ex-wife, OJ, and his team of highly experienced attorneys including Johnnie Cochran and Robert Kardashian, are tasked with keeping him out of jail. A seemingly uphill battle.

This true story is brilliantly portrayed in The People Vs OJ Simpson – a 10 part series available on Netflix.

Simpson is portrayed by the exceptional Cuba Gooding Jr.

The series does an excellent job of retelling the story in the most realistic way possible. So it doesn’t matter whether you were aware of the original case at the time (I was just five years old) you still feel like it happened as portrayed.

The People Vs OJ shows the racial tensions and prejudices that plagued Los Angeles at the time. This later influenced how the case was being handled, by both prosecution and defense.

The trial drags on for over a year as several snags develop along the way.

The trial is also the first major case where the use of DNA evidence was used and relied on in a major way, in the US criminal justice system.

The superstar also has to deal with personal turmoil along the journey. OJ – the people’s champion – is brought back to ‘reality’ by the trial.

He is used to having teams of people at his beck and call and now he is at the mercy of “ordinary”, mainly black jurors.

Despite his plea of “not guilty”, the intrigue and suspension is enhanced by the fact that at no stage does one get the impression that OJ is being truthful.

Even his defense team, initially led by Robert Shapiro, played by John Travolta, and later Johnnie Cochran, are not sure of his trustworthiness.

His long-time friend Rob – Bobby – Kardashian has a metaphorical question mark hanging over him throughout the trial.

Despite this, he stands by OJ’s side .

This is easily some of the best television out there at the moment and definitely worth a watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAyn1gDBc7s

Social Club Misfits on Sway in the Morning

Mike Mpofu

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February 14, 2017

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Social Club Misfits on Sway in the Morning

The Social Club Misfits – Martin and Fern – who recently dropped their album, The Adventures of Fern & Marty, sat down to share their story on the Hip Hop radio show Sway in The Morning.

The Hip Hop duo, originally from Florida, opened up about their past.

Fern talks about some bad decisions like drug trafficking that led to his imprisonment. While Martin (Marty) discusses how growing up as a preacher’s kid in a religious environment pushed him further away from the church for many years.

Their Twitter bio reads: “We make music you’re not embarrassed to show your friends.”

And I agree, it’s been a while since we had a Christin Hip Hop album that is this hot.

Fern talks about how they want to be the first hip hop crew that brings families together – where children don’t have to wait for their parents to leave the room in order to listen to their music.

As per Sway In the Morning tradition, the boys also drop a few bars of freestyle.

It’s a great interview, worth a watch:

Yeezy Season 5

Mike Mpofu

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February 10, 2017

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In just five days, Kanye West will be delivering his first piece of work for 2017.

Kanye has been working – not behind the scenes – with his team to launch his fifth season in the Yeezy/Adidas partnership.

West will be launching season 5 as part of the New York Fashion Week on Wednesday 15 February.

The launch is set to take place at Pier 59 at the Chelsea Piers, in New York – a change from last season’s launch, also as part of the fashion week, which was held outdoors, where models stood for hours, in the heat before the actual launch could start. After hours some of the models started collapsing – understandably.

The season 5 range will be significant as it is the first time Kanye delivers on anything major after his recent breakdown which saw him admitted to a Los Angeles hospital reportedly for exhaustion.

Apart from his brief meeting with then President elect Donald Trump, he hasn’t taken part in any major interviews or public engagements.

Hopefully the season 5 launch will also see something special emerge, hopefully in the form of great shoes.

In a recent social media post, West’s wife, Kim Kardashian-West also revealed that the couple had together, been working on a children’s clothing line. In the post, their daughter, North, is wearing a coat and dress, from this range. Apparently, North helped pick the fabric and colour for that piece. Start them young right?

Whatever season 5 holds, we have no doubt that it will be fire.

Good luck Mr West.

Africa elects new “leader”

Mike Mpofu

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February 7, 2017

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The African Union has a new leader.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Chad was elected by his peers, as the new Chair of the AU, at the recent African Union Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Mahamat takes over the reins from South African politician Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma who served as chair of the 54 member body, for only one term. Speculation is rife that she will seek to return to her nation and run for the highest office.

The general feeling on the African continent is that beyond hosting summits, conferences and other talk shops, it isn’t clear exactly what the AU achieves on an annual basis. Perhaps this is an unfair view, but we have not been given any reason to believe otherwise.

It remains to be seen whether Mahamat will influence any substantial change in the Union. Whether his leadership will allow for better trade deals among African nations. Or whether travel within the continent will be made much easier, in the same way EU members enjoy free travel, for the most part.

A highlight of the summit deliberations was that Morocco was re-admitted into the AU after it quit the block 33 years ago. After extensive discussion and debate, 39 of the 54 states approved the return of Morocco.

Another major announcement to emerge from the Summit is that the AU had adopted a strategy to implement a “mass exit” from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The long-standing argument that the ICC was only focused on trying African leaders, whilst ignoring the rest of the world, could be one of the reasons for this move. However, whether this is the best thing for the rule of law on the continent, is another story altogether.

We wish Mr Mahamat all the very best. And trust that under his leadership there will be less of a “big man” complex, but a posture of service when it comes to serving the interests of the continent.

Obama Speaks Out on Trump Presidency

Mike Mpofu

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February 3, 2017

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Just ten days after leaving office, former US President Barack Obama has been forced to come out of his vacation and weigh in on the Trump Presidency.

Obama – who is enjoying some much needed family time – issued a statement through his spokesman Kevin Lewis.

It is rare for a former president to criticize his successor – publicly at least – especially just a few days after handing over the reins.

The statement weighed in on the current unrest across the United States – a result of President Donald Trump’s latest Executive order placing a travel ban into the US on certain nationalities.

President Trump’s restriction on travelers from seven nations has caused a stir across the US.

This forced Obama to come out in a very clear statement. And judging by its contents there is no doubt where he stands:

“The President fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion…”

“Citizens exercising their Constitutional rights to assemble, organise and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake.”

It is no secret that Trump’s first few days in office have been explosive – from the press conferences by his Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, to the firing of the former Attorney General Sally Yates, to the heated debate in the British House of Commons over his impending visit to the UK later this year.
One wonders whether there is a game plan in the Trump White House, at this stage or if he is simply “shooting from the hip”, until a clear path is defined.

The world is watching the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency very closely as it unfolds.

The OA – A Must Watch

Mike Mpofu

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January 31, 2017

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Netflix has become the go-to place for great series and The OA is certainly one that has got audiences hooked.

Prairie had been missing for seven years, when she suddenly made a reappearance.

While her family is pleased to have her back, having lost hope of finding her, they – and the rest of the community, have so many unanswered questions about where she had been.

The mystery deepens when they realise that Prairie who was blind when she went missing, has restored vision – she can see them.

She returns to a very broken society in her hometown of Michigan. From the school system and throughout her neighbourhood, she is surrounded by brokenness.

Everything is gloomy and people rarely smile. It is as if the whole community, even before her return, was involved in a long struggle, collectively. And they are stuck there.

Everyone is fighting some form of a battle and Prairie, while received with skepticism, seems to have returned for a purpose – of healing those in her world and those connected to it.

The series takes you back and forth between various realms of existence and time.

It is clear that Prairie, who now refers to herself as the OA, is on a journey of self-discovery. And she is taking those around her with her.

If you enjoy mystery dramas, you will love the OA.

It’s easy to get hooked. So enjoy it.

It is currently available on Netflix:

Common speaks to Serena Williams

Mike Mpofu

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January 30, 2017

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The Williams sisters have once again delivered a dream final in the Australian Open – set for Saturday 28 January.

Serena and Venus will face each other again at the highest level, for the first time in 2009, and will be Serena’s eighth final at Melbourne Park, six of them ending in wins.

The duo have been a powerhouse in tennis for years.

While Venus, the older of the two, is an incredibly talented player, Serena seems set to go down in history as one of the greatest athletes of all time – period.

In fact, she is showing no signs of slowing down at all.

Serena – who recently got engaged to Alexis Ohanian, investor and founder of Reddit – sat down with her ex-boyfriend, Common, for an in-depth interview on all things Williams, on the show The Undefeated In-Depth.

The almost 50 minute conversation covers Williams career, her experience growing up with little in the trouble area of Compton in LA, and reaching the highest peak in a previously rich man’s sport.

She opens up about her insecurities and dealing with public criticism.

At one stage, Williams stopped reading news articles about herself as they would affect her.

But she seems in a much better, stronger place – embracing who she is. In fact, she tells Common that she “likes to stick out”.

“I don’t want to be everyone else…”

Williams talks about her experience of being one of the few black female athletes in what is considered to be a “rich sport” and “conquering” at the highest level.

She talks about the social ills in America and the responsibility on her, and other celebrities’ shoulders to contribute to society in a meaningful way.

The conversation is worth viewing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYvfqgXaE8g

The Social Club Misfits

Mike Mpofu

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January 24, 2017

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It’s been a while since Christian Hip Hop gave us something that we could be excited about – and even bump as loud as we can in our cars, headphones and homes.

But 2017 is already delivering some special New Year’s gifts.

New York based Hip Hop duo, Social Club Misfits have dropped an album – and it is of a very high standard. I can vouch for it.

The duo – who hail from Queens New York – recently dropped The Adventures of Fern & Marty.

The album opens with a banger Vibes Vibes Vibes featuring Christ Tabernacle Young Adult Pastor, Chris Durso.

In fact, Pastor Durso features on Vibes Vibes Vibes – where he describes a Misfit:

“Misfits move like soldiers
We Operate to the beat of God’s drum
We step when He says so
And stop, when he stops
Misfits win, because we know that
If that’s what he wants for us
Then that’s where it’s best for us
We are the Messiah’s soldiers”

Durso has been responsible for leading the Young Adult movement Misfit NYC at Christ Tabernacle for the last ten years.

The Social Club Misfits have previously released a few mixtapes including: Misfits EP, Rejects, Misfits 2, US, and The Misfit Generation.

Their latest album features some exciting names like Andy Mineo and Amari.

It’s a banger and worth a very loud listen.

You can get the album on iTunes.

You can also check out their music and merchandise here.

They are also touring at the moment:

Mike Mpofu

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