East London songwriter and rapper Hlumile Mangoloti, who is popularly known by his stage name Flash Ikumkani, will be given prominence by the African Studies department at Howard University in the US for a study based on hip-hop music, for which he will be featured as a result of his integration of isiXhosa into the genre.
Flash Ikumkani, who is currently working on his Extended Playlist (EP) Umbono Wam , which translates to, “My Vision”, said he received a phone call from his manager, Prince Masuku, while recording in studio confirming his participation in the study.
The artist will be interviewd by delegates from the University in Cape Town this week. “He told me that he received an email from the Howard University, African Studies department. They found in their research that I am one of the South African rappers who use their home language to create rap music. So they approached me to discuss the importance of rapping in my mother tongue and the importance of rap in the community,” he said.
Masuku said they were contacted through an email by the university’s African Studies department which read: “We are interested in conversing with him about his rap style – using his home language, isiXhosa, while mixing it in English – and how he uses it to produce important social commentary. “Our show is produced by the African Studies department at Howard University, which teaches the first Hip-Hop in Africa class in an American university. Our students have been studying – he is among the upcoming artists whose music and experience is known growing up in South Africa. We would like to use this to study the importance of Hip Hop and social change in Africa.”
Mangoloti said he was humbled by the acknowledgment as a young artist with a rural background. “I feel encouraged as an artist growing up in a rural area where there are no platforms for exposure but I persevered and continued to hustle until I arrived at my goal.”
“It means a lot for my career. It also gives me a confidence boost to carry on this journey in the entertainment industry while representing my home town. It gives me hope that better things are yet to come.” he said
Networking: Hlumile Mangoloti, popularly known by his stage name Flash Ikumkani will be featured in US university African Language study.
Picture: Supplied
