Ali Farka Toure / Richard Bona

people ask me why I'm so proud of my heritage.
well...........

Mustafa Maluka

in all honesty... i think Mustafa Maluka is the best artist around! In accordance with my general outlook, i feel his work represents art in its truest form... and dare i say it ; he is a virtually incontestable force.
Maluka combines decadence with impersonal neon.... to echo our harsh reality perhaps?
http://www.myspace.com/mustafamaluka

Chin Cheng Hung

Chin Cheng Hung uses pastel (the infamously tricky medium) to create herculean dedications to anatomical accuracy (ever the extremist i use my words carefully and consciously).
Hung's dedication to the seemingly trivial (neckfolds, wrinkles, facial stubble) make him a technically astute artist.
I expressed the sentimental human sense with a powerful visual effect through the huge, detailed faces. I used the simple background to emphasize the figure and to involve minimal atmosphere. Through my paintings, I want to bring a different way of representing portraiture to viewers and make this art form more contemporary.
i look forward to seeing a lot more of his work. http://www.chinchenghung.com

we reminisce

The essence of life is more than just mic's and puffin reefa
This universe of Black Thought that I can teach ya....
When he began to break it down my mind start to wander
Response beyond sombre incredibly crushed
Kinda feelin on my shoulder - that of a boulder
To find out that her life was over - it made the room feel colder
there was nothing quite like the early to mid 90's for sheer lyrical velvet.
commodity akin to that of caviar and the tracks below justify our post 96' disillusion.

Tactical Evil

A simple look at modern day Africa screams one thing... NEO-COLONIALISM
the heinous and morally challenged african leaders that destroy their own peaceful people for the sake of money, were selected by 'former' western colonialists.... a plan to dis-arm progression and promote dependancy on the west?....well in my view... yes.

put it like this ;
bad leadership and social evil = poverty and war
poverty and war = western dependancy
western dependancy = trade
trade = money
money = power
power = well.... the west.

why are dictatorial regimes so prevalent in Africa?...
is it because Africans are backward? or is it because these regimes were tactically put there?
think about it.

Nikki Ntu

Nikky Ntu is so cool.
A supremely talented lyricist, she has an acutely ethical outlook. she exudes art!
i first heard 'the birth of venus' around three months ago and added it to my myspace profile straight away (it's still there). If like myself, you loved digable planets circa 93', Ntu is your girl.
part of the a.l.i.e.n music group, you can find out about her here
http://thegalaxyriders.com
or peep her blog
nikkintu.blogspot.com

Kehinde Wiley

One of life's most deplorable things is monotony.
Art + monotony = Glorified monotony
and I possess incontestable hatred for it. To contextualise, celebrated artist Kehinde Wiley has laced many an editorial spread lately (artworld, african artist review etc) and all props to him... as he's a seriously skilled painter, but I've begun to resent his conceptual approach.
He famously mixes dated convention with the contemporary archetype, an attempt to alter common perception (successfully it seems), but after viewing canvas upon canvas, his approach, seems a little repetitive, safe and simplistic. Once a fan, i feel disillusioned
how much is too much?however... Wiley's work, ticks a number 'aesthetically appealing' boxes and i certainly admire his ethic. The sculpture below is truly breathtaking.