Makaviwe sends positive message through his music
Turffontein’s Siviwe Makhetha, aka Makaviwe, a recording artist, producer and sound engineer, released his debut and independent album titled No Graduation on October 26.
He said the album was created independently by him and it has been a great journey. No Graduation was released under the Hoodfellaz Entertainment record label.
Makaviwe released his first EP titled Politricks Vol 1 in 2018, and Politricks Vol 2 in 2020.
“The music relates to my personal reflections at Forest High School and at the University of Johannesburg, where I graduated in public relations and communications. The music narrates some of the challenges faced by the youth in educational institutions today. Some of these issues would include substance abuse, violence at schools and other issues,” he said.
Makaviwe revealed his inner genius via No Graduation’s album art visuals, designed by Cybernatic Studios.
Cybernatic Studios is a company owned and managed by Makaviwe’s high school friend, Daniel Phiri. The album artwork is a conceptualisation of a failure to graduate from the school environment, outlining some of the struggles faced by the youth in institutionalised education today.
Artwork
“The album artwork grabs your attention, whether you see it for the first time on a music streaming site, merchandise such as clothing or even a publication such as a magazine or a booklet,” said Makaviwe.
“What seems to be an altercation between a teacher and a promiscuous young girl with a dreadlock boy smoking a cigarette next to this classmate seems to highlight the substance abuse in the youth. Evidently, Xan Nd Lean (Xanax and Codeine) is the 13th song on the tracklist as depicted from the back cover of the No Graduation album art.
“Also important to highlight is the beer bottle beside the dreadlocked cartoon character which is symbolic of substance abuse. What is more alarming is the final character on the far right of the front cover. A young man wearing his graduation gown carrying a deadly weapon seemingly about to attack the educator reprimanding the young lady who seems to have failed her exam test, according to the test script held by the teacher.
“The detailing as depicted on the album artwork is amazing,” explained Makaviwe.
The No Graduation tracklist
“Violence in high schools has produced many fatalities. Many schools go through the pain of seeing a loved one’s life taken away either through substance abuse or violence in schools. Not all cases will make it to the media.
“Forest High in the past has achieved media coverage twice due to fatalities at school, the last recorded one is that Mohamed Mwela stabbing a learner to death. He was later sentenced to eight years in prison.
“Forest High has recently changed its uniform from black to maroon. We hope the school can recover from its image of the past. How this starts in the environment of the school is notorious for substance abuse and crime.
“The album artwork is certainly a work of creative genius, and we certainly hope the music lives to perpetuate this story,” he said.
