Melisizwe

This poet, hip hop artist, performer and producer, Melisizwe Moni, was born kwaLanga, South Africa's oldest township in 1982. Having being raised in a family with Pan African politics this would come to shape his works an artist. It was at the age of sixteen years when he 1st fell in love with word and he channeled it through hip hop with the creatively conscious and socio-politically aware hip hop veterans 5th Floor. It was later while he was studying film at AFDA the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance that he developed the Cinematic and Image based signature to his writing and the interest in translating that into Multi Media Creative Product.

In his November 2008 interview in the Tonight when being asked about the South African poetry scene, especially where the youth is concerned Melisizwe was quoted as saying:

• Poets exist in a world where no validation for their craft has set standards, i.e. lack of payment, poorly organised events (with a handful of exceptions) and even worse the constant ability of crappy poets getting a platform to perform and thus tainting the audience's view of what good poetry actually is.
• The critics, i.e. the media, press, etc … whose primary role in the whole game is to help create criteria for quality evaluation and in the process generate all the right platforms for the creation of new icons within the game, also themselves don't know what good poetry is.
• The audience that does come out much love, but there's too much babysitting of the poets on stage. If a poet is awful, then he's awful and should be booed off stage so they know not to waste your time and money."

Melisizwe started being a fixture in the public eye in 2003 when he performed his "Afro Hip Poetry" to a sold out crowd at the Urban Voices Spoken Word and Music Festival. It was at the back of this performance that he has shared stages, both individually and with his Hip Hop family, with some of the worlds best Musicians, Poets and Hip Hop Artists. The likes of Lesego Rampolekeng , Tumi of Tumi and the Volume, Lebo Mashile, Bongo Maffin, Ringo Madlingozi (South Africa) Talib Kweli, Saul Williams, Dead Prez , Slum Village (USA) Timbaktu, Loop Troop (Europe) to fit but a few into the proverbial biography name dropping section.

Later that year and the following year, 2004, he was to be Executive Producer for "Re:gen" - the Moral Regeneration Youth Music and Fashion Festival. The festival was conceived of by Seamless of which he is the Managing Director and was produced in conjunction with the City of Cape Town Mayors office. Over the 2 years the festival would come to host some of South Africa's premiere artists and fashion houses i.e. 340ml, Thandiswa Mazwai, Simpiwe Dana, amongst others and world renowned designers the likes of Sun Godd'ess, Stoned Cherrie, and David Tlale.

It was in 2005 with the 5th Floor's debut album that Melisizwe 1st released any of his work, the highlight being the outfits1st video single "Siveni". In the song featuring Zolani Mahola the leader singer of "Freshly Ground", not only was he one of the artist featured in the song and video shoot, he also produced the video which went to reach the top of the Channel O charts (Africa's biggest Music channel). He has since done studio recording with many different producers and artist, like Lungelo of TS Records, Mxolisi Lokwe of MXO fame, DJ Ready D (SA's no. 1 DJ) and DJ Kenzhero to name but a few.

In 2006/07 "A moment of silence" - a poem written as an ode to the "Gugulethu 7", 7 young men who in March of '86 lost their lives when they were lead into an ambush by the Askari's who worked for the apartheid government in South Africa, was released in the Recorded Poetry compilation "Verses". The compilation was billed as the 1st of its kind in the country and featured artist like Claire Philllips.

In 2008 Melisizwe was a Winner in the South African Broadcast Corporation - SABC 2 "Lentswe" National Poetry Competition, which was adjudicated by Dr Don Mattera among other South African cultural practitioners. He then in conjuction with SABC and their commissioned company went to co-produce the short film for the winning poem.

In 2007 Melisizwe was the youngest Producer to be nominated on to the Board of the Cape Film Commission and was further afforded the opportunity to go end represent himself, company and country at the prestigious Cannes Lions, in Cannes, in the south of France.

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