MARQUES MKHIZE – RAPPER OF THE DURBAN STREETS

WORDS AND IMAGES BY JIMMY SUBURB

The streets of Durban run on different rules, different time zones and different languages. A place wickedly playful and humanly problematic. Its a breeding ground for the strange, the savage, the forgotten, the hopeless, the hopeful. Durban is a juxtaposition, Durban is your best friend and worst enemy, Durban is the characters it breeds, Durban is people, people like Marques Mkhize.

I met Marques many many moons ago, deep down in Umbilo at the institution for the reprobates and depraved degenerates of the city – The Winston Pub. At the time all I saw was an over excited and energetic kid with a missing tooth, a massive smile and in some ways an overbearing disposition. He kept wanting to rap into my ear, and being an introvert by default I was annoyed by his exuberance, I was there to drink and be left alone.

Days turned into weeks, weeks to months and eventually years, and Marques was someone I kept bumping into and slowly got to know. I take a while to warm to new people and this forces many of them to retreat after a first introduction. Marques was never that person, even though my shyness and insecurities with people and public spaces can bring many to believe I am rude or aloof, Marques never saw that in me and chipped away at my seemingly cold exterior until we became more than just acquaintances but friends.

Time moved on and I started to see this young rapper take shape and everytime I bumped into Marques one thing remained consistent, he was always rapping. He was always taking the mic, whenever he got the chance, even in the middle of other performers sets. Stage etiquette was not in Marques’s game plan and he was just hungry to be up there no matter what.

His real first break being on stage and recording came when he was a part of the rap crew, Durban Knights (later the K-Bomb). Kurt Peinke (City Bowl Mizers, Enter The Mirror) was instrumental in helping this band take off, as he provided a space for them to record and loaned his songwriting and production ability to the beat making behind the project. They met almost by chance, and I suppose fate often has a way of bringing the most unlikely of characters together, even for a brief fleeting moment.

“Marcus was hanging out at a studio/ rap boutique called “Gangster Culture” up the road from my parent’s house. I was walking past to get a loose from the Engen garage and he was standing in the driveway of the place with his crew. I was a little intimidated by their presence, guys with chains, tattoos and gold in the teeth. They were really nice and so was Marcus! They invited me inside to check the place out, and Marcus was kind of like their ambassador, showing me the music they were making there. The music was sick! Tough beats and chorus’s which was Marcus’s specialty. He could rap and sing which was impressive. They were still putting his voice on auto-tune though which was the sound back then, and still is I guess”. -recalls Kurt

Soon after that Kurt, and another two other rappers who went by the names of Breezy V (Viv) and Genie, hauled themselves up in Kurt’s bedroom studio to record the first joint which would become D’urban Knights.

“Marcus and I hung out more frequently, and between university and gigging with the Mizers he would come over to my bedroom studio which was pretty basic at the time. The first song we recorded was Banana Clip. He started with the lines “What you know about rap? my Rhymes are laced with crack, so strong you get a fucking heart attack!” He wanted two other guys on the song, Viv AKA Breezy V and Genie, they were all killing it. The K- Bomb was something that transpired from D’urban Knights down the line”. – Peinke

Even though D’urban Knights never experienced any real commercial success, they quickly became popular in the Durban underground, for their comical and abrasive approach to hip hop. They didn’t really fit a set mold, and the diversity and eccentricity of the members, made them accessible enough to perform on various stages. From major events to hole in the wall dive bars. However, according to Kurt, Marques’s focus seemed to dwindle and his lifestyle choices started to be catch up with him, which would lead to the end of the project.

“Marcus was excessive with the jol, showed up to gigs fucked and sometimes didn’t show up at all, the guys were mega pissed about that. Genie left and found God after being arrested, and I never heard a word from the guy again, not a word. Viv liked the jol but he was also focused in a LL Cool J kind of way, we both had the same drive and wanted to be a little more serious so that’s how the K-Bomb happened. We were all still tight but but that just all fizzled out unfortunately”. – recalls Kurt.

Certain rumours started to circulate around Marques and it seemed he had conformed to a street logic that alienated him from a lot of people in the music industry. Than again, when people are forced into certain situations, they sometimes make the wrong decisions for the sake of getting ahead and the prospect of a better life. Marques is a product of the system – an orphan who had to claw his way out of varying hard situations. His tenacity even in the face of adversary has always shone through and even though he has done some things that he is not proud of, he represents redemption and the ability to excel through some harrowing circumstances. Marques represents the streets, has lived on the streets, has breathed the streets, and in a way he could be one of the most authentic rappers in Durban because of this.

“Durban is the city of the summer, its a city where you can have the most fun and you get caught up in it and you can’t even afford that fun. In that kind of situation dreams can become nightmares quickly, and the city swallows you in deep, it can appreciate you, but it can also spit you out”- laments Marques.

While the rest of us were getting all the love and support we could ever need from our families, Marques was getting a beat down from the cops or trying to find a warm place to rest his head often, because he wanted to be in spaces where his talent could be heard.

“I never really knew my parents, I was was raised by the system, I try my best to make it work and I’m here, through time and discipline and ambition, a career in music is starting to become very tangible” – states Marques.

Roughly a year ago I moved back to Durban, I had been travelling abroad and living in Cape Town and again, just like I had done for many years prior I bumped into Marques. He seemed a little willy and disheveled. And even though I could clearly see that he hadn’t showered in a few days he was optimistic, happy and focused. He was spending a lot of his days hanging around the Bat Center and sleeping in shelters. The Bat Center had free computers and WiFi, and even though Marques was in a bit deep, he was still hustling and doing what he always does – rap and promote his shows through the usual social media channels.

I took him in for a few days and during that time we spoke at length about what was coming next. Unfortunately at the time I was also in financial trouble and could only help him in so many ways, so he had to get out there and make it happen on his own steam and gumption. I remember having lengthy conversations with him about his situation, and even during times when Marques was stuck waiting outside soup kitchens, he still had a smile on his face, still believed in his ability and was still pushing forward. His positive disposition even managed to get me out of the slump I was in, even though he was in a way worse situation than me. Through this we became more than just friends but family.

6 months passed, I had finally found work and gotten on my feet and again I bumped into Marques. This time he had a place to stay, a manager and had started his own recording label, called Cash Cow Media. He had just completed an EP, which was recorded in a studio in the heart of Umlazi in a tiny corrugated iron structure – a shack if you will. The quality was surprisingly good, and when he invited me to come on a video shoot with him I was nothing but excited to spend a day roaming through the city and townships with him and his crew.

After meeting some of the hip hop kids in Umlazi, you could see how respected Marques is in these circles. These kids look up to him and the fact that he is out there doing what he does inspires them to do more, and get out off the streets.

“Cash Cow Media is a representation of what the youth can do if they get together. I want to bring different people and races together. I hope to represent the underdogs, the people that don’t have opportunity, the people from areas like Umlazi, I want to be a mouthpiece for kids like me, kids who didn’t grow up with parents, and I hope to one day represent what can be done against all odds” – proudly remarks Marques.

At the moment Marques has his music on all digital platforms including iTunes, Spotify and Deezer, and his new music video is set to come out soon. His next goal is to get it screened on all the top music channels. Until then keeping looking out for Marques Mkhize and his street laced Durban hip hop.