I have a terrible habit of losing myself in my admiration of people. Essentially, I go from being intrigued by a person and their craft, to a complete super-fan (I say super-fan because it’s deeper than just fangirling and fandoms) in less than 24 hours. I must add however, my intense dedication to admiring creators and their crafts bears wholesome fruit ranging from creative waves to bursts of productivity. This is very, very impressive considering how lazy I am – well done to you, human that has me eating out of their culturally nourishing palms.
Presently, my muse is the glorious King Tha, commonly known as Thandiswa Mazwai. This creative genius has been in the music industry for a while, it’s quite unfortunate that I only recognised, acknowledged and revelled in their greatness rather recently.
King Tha, with more than 5 albums as a solo artist, has carved a space in South Africa’s music industry that spans over more than two decades. HRH King Tha, was propelled to fame due to the success of Bongo Maffin, the kwaito group that she was a part of. According to my expert (jk, amateur) knowledge and complete bias towards HRH, King Tha is the reason for the success of Bongo Maffin. After taking what seemed like the longest hiatus, King Tha released a long-awaited jazz album titled Belede, named after her late mother.
This brief context doesn’t even begin to capture HRH’s greatness. The music produced by King Tha has a way of speaking to my soul in tongues and languages that are undefined. Each listen brings with it a new trip, a new sense of appreciation and a serving of HRH’s wisdom. Though HRH is not a self-confessed radical, queer rights activist and intersectional African feminist and activist, I believe that the hours and hours I’ve spent researching her and her craft qualify me to make such statements about her. Moreover, as a child of anti-apartheid activist and journalist Belede and Thami Mazwai (respectively), it is almost inevitable that King Tha embodies conscientiousness and such an authentic African aura.
King Tha’s discography has shifted towards a richer jazz sound from an amalgamation of kwaito and afro-influenced sound. This is evident when one compares a song like Jikijela, made famous by the matriarch, Letta Mbulu, to Thongo lam’. In the former, she affirms her political stance by exploring themes such as the #FeesMustFall movement and police brutality endured by black bodies. The accompaniment includes legendary jazz pianist Nduduzo Makhathini. In the latter, however, she espouses animist characteristics as she summons her ancestors asking for protections and to be freed from worry.
I’ve realised that this fixation is probably one of my most fruitful fixations. Time spent musing on King Tha and the wholesome content that HRH bears is so enriching. Please bless yourself and plug yourself in (if you haven’t already). King Tha drops some serious bars and I can’t tell you how fulfilling revelling in her work is. Do it, you will thank me.