A platform for young artists to show their talents
Young people taking their economic matters into their own hands.
The reality of ever-increasing unemployment statistics haunts many young people in different parts of our South African townships.
Their pursuit of a better life is influenced by parents who persuade their children to follow conventional career choices and therefore, young people get diverted from their true calling.
If truth be told, the youth can use talent and passion as a tool to break the chains of poverty.
The young people who came together to form a movement called Iconix SA are living proof that the youth can get up and take charge to change their economic situation by applying their talents and hard work.
Iconix SA’s director and spokesperson Sfiso Nkosi said Iconix SA is a collective of young innovative African renaissance artists from different parts of townships.
“We came together and founded Iconix on the dusty streets of Tembisa in 2012.
“We have various creatives in different departments of our contemporary art which includes music production (multiple genres), web design, recording artistry, creative directing, graphic design, photography, videography and blogging (creative writing),” said Nkosi.
He said the main inspiration behind the formation of the movement is to allow the youth to freely express themselves while also protecting them from social ills and self-doubt.
Iconix SA achieves the endeavour by educating the masses about the potential and power each individual possesses when he or she starts understanding himself or herself better.
“We believe that art saves lives. Our music mostly focuses on spreading black consciousness amongst the youth in order to inspire their peers to overcome the challenges faced by the masses and how they can improve their thinking and situations around them.
Our artists include Derah III, Lord Kenn, Phifteen, Pankaa$, KiD iOsif, R3uben and talented singers such as Geraldine, Trecia, and Tumie.
The brains behind the production of our beats include CLV, D’Joe, Ccino Deep and the graphic design department is led by Art XCVI (translated as Art 96). The young man is a student graphic designer and he works tirelessly with the help of some of the aforementioned artists.
“Iconix SA believes in the principle of a renaissance, therefore, the majority of members in the movement are multi-disciplined artists who have more than one forte or interest. Versatility is our core strength,” Sfiso explained.
He said they released their highly anticipated debut mixtape titled Blakheart Goldmind online for free streaming and download.
“We now have more than 10 000 downloads and the song Amasiko is going viral.
“Through our work, our producers got an opportunity to produce soundtracks for the new renowned television drama show Keeping Score, which airs on SABC 2. Our debut mixtape received a good reception from the public, gaining attention on social media (Twitter) from prominent musicians like Malik Yusef from Good Music, DJ Sbu, DJ Vigilante, Spoek Mathambo and Aero Manyelo amongst others.”
He said their dominating sound is alternative rap infused with soul music which has lyrics that display elements of wittiness and are thought-provoking.
Iconix SA has successfully hosted a show at MT-Lounge, which was financed by Blue Monkey Magazine.
“We have performed at a number of events like The Voice of Tembisa’s (VOT) annual family gathering, we also performed at TZO Media’s launch, Miss Face of Tembisa and Ms Masakhane Beauty Pageants.
“As a brand, we’ve grown exponentially in a short space of time and we continue to grow in South African townships and abroad through the internet and various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.”
He said the movement has released another single called RIP you apart performed by Geraldine and it was released on February 9.
“We are planning to drop four EPs from our four different artists for 2018. We plead with the Tembisa community to support our music by downloading and sharing our songs.
Visit our official website (www.iconixsa.co.za) to learn more about the movement.”
