VUYO is urged to revisit Tupac’s poem “The Rose That Grew from Concrete”, which inspires ‘Window’ – a track that explores gratuitous hostility between humans
Born in Zimbabwe and raised across South Africa, Zambia, and Norway, Ole Småge aka VUYO – Xhosa for “happiness” – lived through constant adversity. With a father heavily involved with Nelson Mandela’s anti-apartheid movement and mother deeply invested in the Namibian Liberation, their family received recurrent death-threats. Consequently, Ole and his mother left for Norway where he lived out his teenage years.
Through his diverse array of life experiences, VUYO aptly takes on an eclectic range of influences, through J Dilla, Miles Davis, Fela Kuti and The Beach Boys – and a conversational style akin to Anderson .Paak.
Now VUYO releases Window, his second single off the upcoming debut EP Home Cooked Meals. After being urged to read Tupac’s poem “The Rose That Grew from Concrete” by a family member in Johannesburg, the producer and rapper formed Window – a track laced with healthy cynicism, sitting on a bed made from self-produced instrumentation and samples. It explores his first-hand observations of animosity between communities based on their social standing. Whether it be race, gender or wealth, the track is a first-hand surveillance of the hostility VUYO has witnessed in this world.
Here’s what he had to say about the track:
“As I wrote the song, I spent hours just looking outside at the street right across from our apartment. There, I could see the way people would treat beggars differently based on the colour of their skin, how men on their way home from the club would treat women, and the general carelessness we show to our fellow humans on the street.”
Window will be released everywhere tomorrow – 6TH July
Home Cooked Meals – OUT 17TH August
