Black Vulcanite

IN just the space of a year, Black Vulcanite has not only managed to steal the hearts of many Namibians but also of a number of South Africans. The group that consists of three members, namely Allain Villet a.k.a. AliThatDude, Nikolai Tjongarero a.k.a. Okin and Mark Mushiva simply known as Mark, sees itself as more than a rap group but rather a movement.

It is a movement that shows the youth the need to show pride in being Africans and encourages the empowerment of all African youth, regardless of the colour of their skin.

Many hip-hop groups have come and gone after a short spell in the limelight.

Black Vulcanite however, sets itself apart by being the only group whose members earned their stripes individually with their own successful careers before forming the group.

The group also understands the value of working together for a common goal, which contributes to their success.

“We celebrate our differences, but we don’t really see them as differences. We don’t fight against the grain,” Black Vulcanite explained.

Apart from their friends and fans insisting that they collaborate, Black Vulcanite also wanted to do something for the hip-hop industry as they felt it is highly saturated with commercial music.

“We are a conscious group that embodies our Namibian heritage, we are inspired by our history both colonial and post-colonial,” the group explained.

“Africa has always had a teaching culture through story-telling and we wanted to bring that back with the content of our music,” they said.

In a surprising turn of events, Black Vulcanite recently signed to the South African based Rude World Records label.

Their manager, Leneave Hansen, who has lived in Cape Town for the past eight years, played a few of their songs to a few record label executives and Rude World eventually decided to sign them.

Black Vulcanite says that they are more popular in neighbouring South Africa than they are in Namibia.

Their songs receive much more airplay over there so their signing by Rude World records did not happen just by chance.

Asked why they did not sign with a Namibian label, Black Vulcanite said no local labels offered to sign them.

“We didn’t just sign with them because it is a South African label but we went through the contract thoroughly and it took us a month to work out the terms and conditions that would work best for both of us,” they explained.

But the record deal signing works to the group’s advantage because it gives them the creative freedom they need and they do not have to consult the label on how to produce their music.

Had they signed with a Namibian label, chances are they would have had to compromise on who they are as musicians to fit into the bubble gum tunes that make up the Namibian hip hop industry.

“The label trusts us to make the music and they publicise it…we don’t have to consult the label on everything,” they noted.

Black Vulcanite are set to release their first mixtape “Remember the future” in early February.

But all of the songs on the mix tape are original beats so it’s more of an Extended Play (EP) than a mix tape.

Switzerland-based producer Maloon the Boom, whom they met through a mutual friend, created all the beats on the tape.

Black Vulcanite received some of his beats from the mutual friend and found that his work complimented their style.

Maloon who is now the fourth extension of the group said he was eager to work with the three and now realises what he means to them.

The mix tape has 11 songs and 2 interludes. Some of the songs on the mix tape include Let It Be, Good Times and I Hope They Write, which was the number one song for 2012 Radio Energy’s hip-hop and RnB countdown.

If Remember the Future is anything to go by, their album is sure to be mind blowing so watch out for it. - WINDHOEK OBSERVER NEWSPAPER

Black Vulcanite return with some slick new visuals for Drinking Life, a track lifted from their highly regarded Remember The Future.

While that project was littered with gems from start to finish, it seems fitting that the Cape Town based collective decided that the next record that would see a video release should be one featuring local hero Youngsta. Not that this is the first time they have been on the same record (see 12th Hour) - but that was more of a Cape Town posse cut as opposed to a straight BV & Youngsta record.

The video itself is cleverly directed, cameras focused on the artists as they literally ‘roll’ around the city, The styling is on point too – the dope Bruce Lee t-shirt fits the BV aesthetic nicely. I can imagine they are the type of guys who would sit around watching old kung-fu and sci-fi flicks all day as they scribble down lyrics to their next record. (a formula which may or may not also include certain herbal additives)

Anyway enough with the conspiracy theories, indulge in the latest potion from the Namibian crew below:

Coincedentally, Black Vulcanite have just announced the release of their first line of official merchandise in the form of a collaboration with South African streetwear brand ZAXL. - THE AFRICAN HIP HOP BLOG

Since their initial rise to fame in 2012, Black Vulcanite have performed in Windhoek only twice. So when the conscious rap trio announced that they would be the main act at the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre’s ‘Acoustic Friday’ concert, Christmas came in May for their fans.
With limited tickets on sale, the show promised to be cozy and intimate. Instead, Friday night saw the FNCC Terrace packed to the rafters with many people having to stand at the back of the venue and even more being turned away at the door.

The show, meant to start at 20h00, was opened by a word of welcome from the sultry-voiced Okin – also known as Nikolai Tjongarero – a little after 20h30. Reciting a poem titled ‘Ask Why We Shouldn’t Have Money’, Okin gave the audience a glimpse of what could be expected from the rest of the night – poetry, progressive thinking and a whole lot of soul. While the poem was as powerful as it was poignant, most of the audience seemed not to care enough to pay attention. Unperturbed by the chattering that went on at the back of the venue, Okin ensured that the night started off strong.

Backed by a live band – Guichont Bikoumou on drums, Rodrigue Ntsika strumming the guitar and Afron Ngambali tickling the keyboard keys – the dapperly dressed Vulcanites gave the audience a little teaser of what’s to come from their long-awaited debut album and performed brand new songs ‘Beautiful Melancholia’, ‘Hollywood is Dead’ and ‘World’s Pain’. The latter saw captivating crooner Sean K joining Black Vulcanite on stage. Similar in essence to the songs that made them famous in the first place, the message behind Black Vulcanite’s new music is still revolutionary, but the method oozes maturity and refinement.

The audience seemed to enjoy the new sound too, with many of the women ooh’ing and ahh’ing as AliThatDude (Alain Villet) showed off his impressive pipes and Mark Mushiva delivered line after line of what can only be described as mind music.

After a short interlude, during which Sean K performed his song ‘Dreams’, Black Vulcanite returned to the stage in a change of outfit to perform crowd favourites like ‘I Hope They Write’, ‘Visions’ and ‘Fallen Sun’ with thought-provoking images being shown on a monitor next to the stage all throughout. The live band, which proved to be electric for the most part, struggled to keep up on ‘Fallen Sun’.

An intermission followed, and we braved life and limb at the bar where a huge group of people gathered in an attempt to buy refreshments. Despite the chill in the air and the wait for whatever would warm either the insides or the spirit, the atmosphere was jovial. After everyone shuffled back to the little spot from where they could watch history being made, Okin returned to the stage with a love poem which was received much better by the audience.

Rapper The Boy Jay performed the fitting ‘The Comeback’ and ‘Speed’, which saw AliThatDude joining him on stage. To round off the evening, Mark performed a poem titled ‘Black Verse’, which featured punchy lines like “my penis stands erect for the cause of feminism” and “let them guard melanin as a sacred resource”.

Egged on by chants from the crowd, Black Vulcanite closed the show with party anthem ‘Good Times’ and still the audience wanted more. Stepping up to the mic one last time, Mark left the crowd – and himself – breathless with an almost four minute long poem which he describes as “trying to bring back the resurgence of black integrity”.

Proof that great things come to those who wait, Black Vulcanite wowed, awed and gave Windhoek a show they had never seen before and were desperately waiting for.

If Friday night was anything to go by, their album will well and truly be worth the wait. - THE NAMIBIAN NEWSPAPER

WindhoekGordon Joseph
All boy group Black Vulcanite has been making waves in Namibia and South Africa with their unique beats and thought-provoking lyrics. The group consist of AliThatDude, Okin and Mark.
AliThatDude is an extrovert that loves chocolate chip cookies from the Shell service station in Rosebank, Cape Town.
He is the group's MC and vocalist.
Okin is a published poet and founder of the League of the Learned, Mark is an all-rounder.
AliThatDude and Mark are childhood friends that grew up in the same neighbourhood.
Okin also shared a childhood friendship with AliThatDude, but was only introduced to Mark years later after they met up to discuss the possibilities of forming a Hip-Hop poetry group in Namibia.
Okin proposed that they get together to produce an ensemble that would use unadulterated Hip-Hop to tourists to Africa, and so Black Vulcanite was born.
The group is dedicated to rewriting how the rest of the world sees young Africans and aims to inspire a culture of self-determinism among their peers.
Mark reveals that their art borrows from the comparative strength of each member, but they all contribute to various parts of the creative process.
“No one person is entirely responsible for contributing to a specific part of the creative process, instead we vote for all ideas among ourselves and commit to the idea that finds the most resonance,” he says.
Asked about how the name Black Vulcanite came about, they tell us that the “Black” serves a philosophical prefix embodying everything black and simultaneously African. The “Vulcanite” has an overlap between being a hardened black material used to make jewelry and “Vulcan” which is a loan word from the Start Trek universe given to a race of humanoid species whose society is founded on reason and logic.
The group is signed to a South African-based recording label.
Asked about how this happened, Mark says that their manager and friend, Leneave Hansen, had been promoting their music in Cape Town for quite a while before it reached the ears of Rude World Records, who subsequently decided to sign the group, based on the strength of their hit single I hope they write.
I hope they write is their favourite song on their recently released album, because it talks about how they want to be remembered. “Generally every artist wants to leave the world with an immortal legacy that represents them,” they say.
Asked about whether it was hard to break into the music industry, Mark tells us: “I'd say breaking into it is a misnomer because we've been in the music industry for quite a while, the only thing that has changed is that I believe we are more relevant now because of our foreign exploits or the dramatic switch in our content.”
The group admits that although it may be breathtakingly clichéd, their ambition is world domination. “Realistically we just want to keep making music that embodies the spirit of Namibia and makes our fans proud and maybe ride bicycles in Europe as well,” Mark adds. - THE NAMIBIAN SUN NEWSPAPER

Mark Mushiva (Mark Question), Alain Villet (aliTHATdude) and Nikolai Tjongarero (Okin), also known as Black Vulcanite, are Namibia’s latest export. Recently they’ve vacillated between their home base of Windhoek, and Cape Town, South Africa, to push the launch of their latest EP Remember The Future. One hell of an EP, these dudes brought it together extremely well, featuring UK’s Jay Prince and pristine Swiss beatmaker Maloon the Boom, as well as Cape Town’s Youngsta, to name but a few. The musical ‘amuse bouches’ like “This Is How I Feel”, peppered around the EP, strike the perfect balance of character and consciousness, while the heady and very chill “Check It Out” shows us exactly what the trio’s philosophy entails: “no necklaces, chains, or bad bitches,” they thrive on their love of hip hop, pride in their Africanness, and dedication to remembering one’s place in this mortal realm…What do you think?

Recently signed to Rude World Records, they’ve created a new standard for African hip hop to reach, using the ultimate trifecta for great sound and ingenuity: perfectly honed skill, quality, evocative beats, and a humble approach to their music, sans the bravado one would come to expect from the hip hop genre. Describing the difficulties of life, politics, and creativity with finesse and insight while making reference to Star Trek and Transformers is no easy feat; If Milo’s Things That Happen In The Day/Night was of any interest to you, these guys and their affinity for all things ‘geek culture’ is quirky and fresh. aliTHATdude describes his feelings on the day they signed to Rude World as such:

‘Man, we were all just chilling smoking a doobie and having a beer, recording the track “Check it Out,” until Rudi walked in with the contract and we all just looked at each other and laughed! We knew this was it yo… The feeling of just, “FINALLY, we’re here now.” That’s what I was thinking at the time we signed. We were so thankful for all the support we got from Rude world, to our families and friends back in Nam… finally, we signed, purely for the love of music.’

With the finished album available and making waves everywhere, keep an ear to the ground for more from Black Vulcanite; rumours of an upcoming music video on the cards have surfaced and we can’t wait to see the result… - OKAYAFRICA

Vocal samples of a murdered rightwing supremacist as album opener – what is this, virtual insanity? Hip references to “bleeding pens” (“I Hope They Write”) and “beings that glisten among the stars and the moon” (“Nostalgia”) – right on! Jazz club nostalgia of a Dollar Brand-esque kind with West Coast rap-inspired flows to match nogal, that’s Black Vulcanite for you! The Namibian-based hip-hop trio consisting of Mark, Alain and Nikolai do the “speak-truth-to-authority” thing with outright conviction. This is throwback megalomaniac rap supremacy, a juxtaposition of the old and the new. The funk is not lost on these dudes (“Good Times”), nor is the painful history of the oppressor’s quest on their homeland (check out “Ghost of Eugène Terre’Blanche in a biltong shop” on “Black Narcissism”). The message of Remember the Future is clear and succint: be mindful of the past, but yo, remember the future, boet! - ROLLING STONE SOUTH AFRICA

There is a masterpiece of art drawn on a canvas made out of an understanding of patriotism, respect for history and the impact of culture. It is a magnum opus created through intense intellect and interpretative analysis. This masterpiece is “Remember the Future”, a conscious rap ensemble of Black Vulcanite. Black Vulcanite is the talented trio that is composed of Nikolai Tjongarero, Mark Mushiva and Allain Villet. These different characters complement each other by embracing their individual skills. Even when they diverge on certain issues one can see the deep respect and fraternal bond that exists between them. Not to take away anything from them individually, I see Mark as the mind, whom most of us would have to meet with a dictionary to be able to keep up a conversation. Allain appears to be the soul of the group, the character one instantly feels drawn to because of his genuine humanity. Niko is undoubtedly the voice of reason that often bubbles over with a heart full of laughter.
These three young Namibian men start off their newly-released EP with a speech of Eugene Terre’Blanche, the slain leader of the right-wing separatist and neo-fascist Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging of South Africa. This intro essentially directs you into knowing what to expect from their music. It is fearless and frank in addressing socio-political topics that may not be as popular as rapping about hoes and cars. Even Nikolai’s favorite song on the EP titled “Beware of cars” is contradictory as it is not about cars. The line “Ask Moses Garoeb what he thought before he died. Probably wasn’t concerned with trivial things like what he drives,” is an indicator of what not to expect from this work of art. Extreme lyrical skills by Mark, coupled with the fascinating flow of Allain who goes by the name of Ali That Dude together with Nikolai’s (known as Okin) self-entitled chaotic elegance, which is a form of spoken word poetry inspired by a diversity ranging from Tupac Shakur to William Shakespeare, makes these guys stand out from the rest of young aspiring rappers. Their track titles like Black Narcissism, Cosmic Symphony and Semper Fidelis are a giveaway that this is not your popular capitalistic cannibalism (a term I borrow from Mark) Hip Hop music but a higher level of thought that would be better described as a reflective and progressive movement. The movement starts right there on the cover of “Remember the Future.” It depicts among a collage of different images the Namibian colonial resistance fighter Hendrik Witbooi, a black man pouring water for his white master sitting in a bathtub and the popular words “Slegs Blankes. Europeans only” along the Windhoek Municipality of that time.
However, to not let their talent purely rest on intellectual ability. I point out that these guys are sincere foot soldiers whose aim is to reach the youth not necessarily through popularity but through conviction in the respective ideologies that guide them on their pursuit to happiness. You can believe their strong messaged expressions because through analysis and criticism of their worlds they generate faith that there is hope if the right instruments such as education are used in a beneficiary manner. They provoke you into thinking about sensitive issues like apartheid and black integrity. Some of the tracks will aggravate people which is the desired outcome as neither one of them can see themselves doing music purely for the sake of entertainment. Besides the black youth that are encouraged to engage in discovering their identity through re-educating themselves from colonial mindsets and reaching far back to their roots to re-identify themselves, the group would also like to see a thought response from ideological groups such as right wing white supremacists or Pan-Africans who have more or less already found their niche in their respective societies.

Mark states that “We sought to pronounce the dichotomy of racism and the antithesis which is a realization born out of self-love so that people could see the remedy”. This is the core of Black Vulcanite. This is something that they feel is still relevant today. Something that was never really addressed even after the end of apartheid in an independent Namibia. So among all this civilization of globalization that we enjoy, Black Vulcanite suggests that we look back at where we came from before we became intellectual “half-breeds” of our colonizing masters. Too many Africans do not have enough of their maternal culture to identify themselves with but also too little of their European masters heritage to acclaim themselves, the guys say. Hence, the group’s strong desire for us as Africans to define for ourselves what we take along or leave behind on our path to the reclamation of our beings. Always bearing in mind to put “black” in the forefront like the black in Black Vulcanite.
Nikolai has great admiration of Namibian political figures like Andimba ya Toivo and Theo-Ben Gurirab who have impressed him with their deep intelligence and their belief in democracy for all Namibian peoples even if they knew that they may have had to pay with their lives for it. Ali That Dude tries to be taught from the flaws of politics rather than aligning himself with the idea that a handful of people should be in charge of a million people. Mark sees himself in between the two as Ali represents the proletariat and Niko the traditional politics. So, although he perceives the Nkrumahs’, Lumumbas’ and Sankaras’ as great sons of the soil, he is also careful with the romanticism of personalities. According to him, people are put on pedestals and eventually become corruptible as that is the nature of mankind.
Essentially, the members of Black Vulcanite do not want to be viewed upon as traditional role models. Accolades of fame would be well received and welcomed, but it is not the determining factor of why they do what they do. I see the point of their music is to through sincere self-expression start a movement of thought that should eventually spill over into our realities. These are educators, griots, our young African men sharing their knowledge and experiences in order to show others, albeit without dictating, that there is another way, not just for music but also as a way of life. Allain described it best when he said that they are just normal people trying to what is right. And this is why there is that one line that stands out for me on their newly-released EP: “I hope they write that I was righteous.” - HAVE PLENTY MUSIC