Issue 6 of iconic music, culture and current affairs magazine Rolling Stone South Africa is now on shelf, featuring a thought-provoking cover story with Spoek Mathambo.
The visionary young singer-rapper-producer talks exclusively to Rolling Stone about overcoming the born free generation’s angst and amnesia by mainlining history to create a provocative new language of Pop presence. “My music is driven to be intricate, a bit challenging – but not arrogantly so. ‘Father Creeper’ is me assessing the now, you know?” says Spoek about the shape shifting, genre-free strategy of his brilliant new album released on iconic US indie label Sub Pop. “I’m creating a timeline, knowing that this is not just a point in space that exists in a vacuum; that there’s so much context, future implications as well as past causes.” It’s these crossroads – between past-future-present – that the 6th South African edition of Rolling Stone once again navigates in its in-depth coverage of music, movies and current affairs by a roll call of visionary writers.
Rian Malan heads off deep into the parallel universe of Afrikanerdom with the most famous band you’ve never heard of, and Bongani Madondo revisits the forgotten Shangaan Disco soundtrack of his youth. Elsewhere, an undercover cop falls in love with the radicals he’s spying on, Jon Stewart talks to rock legend Bruce Springsteen about how America’s poor keep getting screwed and Josh Eells discovers how Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence became the coolest chick in Hollywood. And the anniversary of Bob Marley’s death is celebrated with Ed McCormack’s classic archival interview with the reggae prophet.
Rolling Stone SA is available at the following outlets: Exclusive Books, CNA, Musica, Look & Listen and Spar.
