Chronicles of a Clever Black

This album is a consciousness project rooted in duality—a blend of acoustic soul and hip hop grit, wrapped in the internal monologue of someone who’s seen the cracks in the system and decided to speak up. It’s thoughtful, critical, and unafraid to confront uncomfortable truths. Inspired by the legacy of the Zwilombe mediaeval Venda musicians with the authority to challenge power—it also reclaims the label clever black, a once-derogatory term for South Africans perceived as book-smart, socially awkward, and overly westernized. Through sharp lyricism and layered soundscapes, this album turns that insult into a badge of introspective resistance. It’s music for those who think deeply, feel intensely, and are ready to challenge the version of reality handed to them.

The live experience of this album is where resistance becomes ritual. With stripped-down guitar, raw vocals, and heavy hip hop backing tracks, the performance transforms thought into fire. The spirit of the clever black takes center stage—not as an outsider, but as the prophetic voice in the room, questioning what’s real and what’s performative. Every song becomes a rally cry for the disillusioned, the over-thinkers, and the misunderstood. In the tradition of the zwilombe, this is more than music—it’s a live critique of society, dressed in rhythm, poetry, and presence. It’s vulnerable. It’s bold. And it’s unapologetically clever.