Who
is Nokulunga “Dunamis” Maqubela?
Exactly that, Nokulunga
‘Dunamis’ Maqubela. I cannot be defined. One person may know a complete
different version of me than the next person. We live and grow every day, we rediscover
ourselves through different situations we go through. So therefore, I am a
human, BEING whatever I want to be.
What/Who
sparked your interest in Hip Hop?
My late brother Simphiwe
aka ‘Charlie’ was a huge Hip-Hop head; dancer, rapper and all that, he
represented the culture through his being; the way he dressed, spoke, the way
he walked. I spent a lot of time with him, we were very close. We would
freestyle, spend hours chilling, listening to RAP music, talking about RAP
music. So he literally mirrored his habits on to me, I even walked like him,
haha. So yeah, Charlie started this whole thing and left me with its Greatness.
I still fall deeper into it each and every day through sharing with friends,
and by just discovering on the internet.
What
is your role in SAHipHopHeadz?
Well besides being the
pretty one. I am an In-House Writer at SAHIPHOPHEADZ.
How
did it all start?
It all started when a
certain company decided to bring an international artist to headline their
event; now this being something I had always complained about, like, why are
they bringing these people here and sending money overseas while we have 1,2,3
artists who can do what these ones are doing, or even better. Why do we not
give our people the same treatment we give to the international artists? When
are we going to start celebrating our own? These were the questions that would
always come to my mind. And so I thought to myself, you know what, instead of
complaining about this, let me write about it, by this “Invest In Africa” came
to life. After writing it, I sent it to a friend of mine who does album reviews
for SAHIPHOPHEADZ, he said it was a great piece, and they would publish it,
they did. Couple of months later, I met Lefoko (founder of SAHIPHOPHEADZ) at a conference.
Fast forward, he sent me a DM on twitter (it goes down in the DM) asking if I
could be a part of the Magazine, and as they say, the rest is Her-Story.
Tell
us about the best part of what you do
Doing what I do is the
best part of what I do. Like, when I get that intro, and I feel like “Oh snap!
I just killed that”, or when I do interviews, the knowledge and wisdom bestowed
in our people is beyond words. I just LOVE music/Hip-Hop, and having the
opportunity to be able to work or contribute towards it, is just amazing, it
excites me.
How/where
do you see yourself/your work in the next 3/5 years from now?
I am not today where I
wanted to be five years ago. I thought I’d have a degree in Actuarial Sciences
by now, but life had other plans for me. Funny thing though, when I sit and
think about it, I am doing something that is aligned to what I have always
loved. So I just let life unfold itself, and trust for things to work out. The
main goal is absolute contentment in everything I do.
How
has the Hip Hop industry evolved since the days of the likes of
Amu,
Landmynz and all?
Canibus once said,
“There’s a misconception that movement in any direction is progression even
though the potency of it lessens”. This, when it comes to Hip-Hop couldn’t be
too far from the truth. Hip-Hop in those days was about getting people to e.i
think differently, critically or creatively. The lyrics had an impact on a
person’s life. The so called “evolution” isn’t much of forward change but
crippling the purpose of what art Hip-Hop was. Now any kid from the basement
with a dope beat thinks he’s Hip-Hop if he can make people dance. What happened
to Rap? The art is no longer part of it. But this is what is on the TV and
radio. There’s good Rap music out here, you just have to look for it.
What
advice would you give to up and coming artists?
·
Invest in yourself and in your craft.
·
Don’t wait for someone to put you on, go knock on those doors, if they say no,
check
yourself, and go back the following day.
·
Do not seek validation from people, not everybody will like you, do your best
and
the
rest will follow.
·
· Research, learn about your field, study those who have made it and seek
advice from them.
·
MASTER YOUR CRAFT.
What
song best describes you?
This is such a difficult
question. I listen to so much music, my mind is a music library.
Do I have to choose one?
It has to be ‘Soul In Mind’ by Lira, and
‘I Hope You Dance’ by Lee
Ann Womack.
Who
is your inspiration/role model?
I draw inspiration from
myself. There’s a line in a song that goes, “inspiration comes from within”.
See, no matter how much you may look up to or aspire to be like someone, unless
you get that push from within, that acceleration in your inner engine, you will
not get there, or you will, but there will be less contentment.
What
is your favorite holiday spot/food/gadget?
Take me to Santorini
right now, haha, I would really like to go to Santorini (an Island in Greece),
it just looks so peaceful and refreshing, the water, the white sands… I don’t
really have a favorite type of food, but give me pap any day, I will devour it,
in IsiNdebele we call it ‘Umratha’… Gadgets; hmm I am not a gadget person, I’ve
never even owned a selfie-stick, but I would like to own a Boombox, the ones
created by Tshepo Sedumo, pretty cool.
What
side of the bed do you sleep on?
The side closest to the
plugging socket.
What
is your favorite childhood memory?
New Years’ Eve at
Grandmas place every year, those were the best times.
What
is your favorite book?
Mastery by Robert Greene
Are
you a night owl or morning person?
Both; but mostly a night
owl. My grandmother believes I have a problem and I should see someone about
it. I hardly sleep, hence my height, apparently, hahaha.
Are
you messy or a neat freak?
I am neat, not a freak
though.
What
color is your toothbrush?
Yellow, euw!!! I need to
get a new toothbrush next week, one that’s not yellow.
Are
you a good driver?
When I buy a car, I’ll
take you for a ride.
If
you were to time travel, what period in time would you go to and why?
The Golden Era; the
Hip-Hop music that was made then is just out of this world man; the diversity,
quality, innovation, the influence… Yes we can access this music through
different libraries, but I feel the energy is not the same. I just wish I was a
little bit older then, you know!
If
you could throw a parade in the president’s office, what would it be?
Our President has so much
problems already. I’ll sit this one out.
Do
you have any allergies?
Never tell people your
allergies. That is how they kill you.
What
is your most embarrassing moment?
Geez; hahaha, okay. Back
in primary, this was in grade 4, on a VERY HOT day, all the grade 4s had had
the two last periods off, so the teachers thought it best that we all sit by
the benches at the rugby field, these were four classes. One student did
something (I don’t really remember what it was), it wasn’t good though, which
had the two teachers who were on guard pretty angry. While reprimanding that
student, someone behind me laughed, my BROTHER told the teachers it was me.
They made me stand in the middle of the rugby field with my schoolbag held up
high for TWO WHOLE PERIODS.
If
this is our last ever conversation, what words of wisdom would you leave me
with?
Don’t panic, trust for
things to work out. Learn to stand on your own. Respect the individual, you do
not have to like everything and everyone but that does not mean you should
assassinate what you do not understand. Value learning above everything else,
wisdom does not come overnight. Have a sound mind, spend time with yourself,
know and master yourself. There is no greater mastery than the mastery of
oneself.
