Still not sure about whether you will be attending any of the Red Bull Music Festival Johannesburg events this week? Well, boy better know after this. Sorry, that’s corny. But I had to use the indie label reference to express some people’s excitement about Skepta making his way to Jozi to perform at the fest on Saturday.
The UK Naija boy was just in Nigeria - apparently with his rumoured girlfriend, Naomi Campbell and his family - and on Saturday, he’ll share the stage with the likes of Shekhinah, Langa Mavuso, 340 million as well as DJs Gina Jeanz, Kid Fonque, Symatics and more.
Issa party now @redbullza! @zoemodiga& @langamav are doing the things and the crowd is loving it!! #RBMJHB🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/RE0JIGvcBZ
— BET Africa (@BET_Africa) April 3, 2018
The concert takes place at Fox Junction on April 7. The next day, all roads lead to Soweto. Zone 6 Venue will be the spot to see AKA, Distruction Boyz, Sho Madjozi, Sjava, Da Capo and others.
Those two days feel like good ol’ parties on a weekend but what has been most interesting to me is Red Bull’s insistence on celebrating South African music and certain subcultures that have found a home in South Africa.
For instance, on April 5, dancehall and reggae is under the spotlight. Keeping with the Thursday tradition established by Jah Seed and The Admiral, Ragga Nights is taken over by Red Bull Music Festival Johannesburg at the Newtown Music Factory (formerly known as Bassline).
This week, Admiral and Jah Seed are joined by The Dancehall Queens, DJ Radix and Mad Mugo.
Today, jazz is the order of the day with the likes of Benjamin Jephta, Marcus Wyatt, Sisonke Xonti, Tlale Makhene, Sphelelo Mazibuko and others, joined by incredible vocalists, including Bonj Mpanza and others. This event takes place at the long-running jazz venue, The Orbit, in Braamfontein.
On Friday, there are myriad shows to choose from. Or, if you can get into the club, you can attempt to do all of them. Kwaito is under the spotlight at Republic of 94 in Braamfontein. Legends, Trompies and Oskido are the headliners, while mid-tempo king, DJ Glen Lewis, will be on the decks.
So will DJ Tira and Muptee. Rapper, Kid X, will most likely take the crowd through his skhanda rap right into his raw raps.
See the different sides of Johannesburg through the eyes of some of it's biggest artists 👉 https://t.co/Gn1TuKjKGD #RBMJHB🎤: @Moozlie x @Rouge_Rapper x @Sjava_ATM x @ShoMadjozi x @LangaMav x @ShekhinahD pic.twitter.com/4n3KhKJJwG
— Red Bull (@RedBullZA) March 19, 2018
On the same night, just a stone’s throw away, Great Dane will house all the rap babies. From Patty Monroe to Moozlie, Rouge and 2LeeStark. On the decks is BrownPepperAnn, Tha Cutt, K-$ and more.
Many shows or festivals claim to have something for everyone, but that is rarely true. The Red Bull Music Festival Johannesburg is actually true to that statement, which is why you can tailor-make your experience and not force yourself to attend every single event unless you have been taken over by the spirit of Fomo.
Although festivities already kicked off last night, this entire week, over 80 artists will converge into the most spectacular city (don’t be jealous, Cape Town) over six days. So get your ticket now.
* The Red Bull Music Festival Johannesburg events take place at various spaces in Jozi. Visit www.redbullmusicfestivaljhb.com for more information.