Aptly titled, “Nkululeko”, which means freedom in isiZulu, this first-of-its-kind EP features six original tracks performed by Queer artists and highlights queer struggles, love, the fight for freedom, and community.

“The LGBTQ+ community has seen a disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people's livelihoods, especially queer artists. The lack of opportunities, spaces to gather, and creative inspiration saw suicide rates going up on top of the increasing death and violence against our community. “Nkululeko” is a body of work that speaks to the idea of healing, freedom, and upliftment within our community,” says Umlilo, whose label, Future Kwaai Records, along with 1Beat is responsible for curating and producing the EP.

Each artist contributed a song that speaks to the theme of freedom creating a blend of sounds ranging from psychedelic pop, queer rap, afro-rave, avant-garde electro, and kwaito.

Listen to “Nkululeko” on your favourite streaming platforms.

Meet the Queer artists featured on “Nkululeko”:

Umlilo

Intergalactic shape-shifting kwaai diva of the universe, Umlilo is a genre and gender-bending multi-disciplinary artist in music production, fashion, 3D animation, VR, visual art, and performance. She is a trans artivist with two acclaimed EP’s that have been playlisted and performed around the world. Umlilo has collaborated with institutions like OneBeat USA, Prohelvetia Switzerland, Goethe Germany, Rosa Luxemburg (Germany), Explode Brazil, and Electric South. She is the founder of Future Kwaai Records and Chakra Huns Podcast on Other Radio. Her signature sound is dubbed ‘future kwaai’ and explores and pushes the boundaries of electronic sounds.

Gyre

Gyre is a South African artist pushing the boundaries of rap and hip-hop. His debut album Queernomics explored queer bodies with sultry trap anthems like “Eat My ass”. He has toured Switzerland as part of the Shap Shap tour with Moonchild Sannely and is currently in production for a vogue musical about queer icon Simon Nkoli. He was also featured in Desire Marea’s Studies in black trauma. He is also an entertainment, queer rights, and sports journalist. 

Mr Allofit

Superstar of the century Mr Allofit is a rapper, musician, choreographer, designer, and stylist to the stars with his fashion line CustomMrAllofit. Mr Allofit has released several acclaimed EP’s and his single UberX was number 1 on the 5fm local charts and Activate was number 2 on the 5FM local charts. He has collaborated with celebrities like Sho Madjozi, Moozli, and Bongani Fassie to name a few. Mr Allofit is no stranger to local television having appeared on shows like SABC’s Trending SA, YOTV, ETV, and many more. 

Mx Blouse

Mx Blouse is a genre-defying, gender-non-conforming rapper and artist who is considered one of the vanguards of SA’s creative music culture. The journalist, lyricist, and performer has been at the forefront of queer music in the past years with acclaimed EP’s, singles and music videos. Mx Blouse combines a variety of musical influences — including R&B, hip-hop, Kwaito, rock, and house.

Hlasko

Hlasko is an ethereal electronic songstress, producer and artist who has been playlisted all over the world. They have collaborated with artists like Nonku Phiri, Jumping Backslash, and German producer Akrobat. Hlasko’s music fuses a range of influences within the experimental music realm. His voice and sounds produce an exciting mix of afro-future electro and avant-garde experimental music. 

Listen to “Nkululeko” on your favourite streaming platforms.