Any car owner will tell you that having your vehicle breakdown in the middle of nowhere is a nightmare. It’s the worst thing that can happen — unless, of course, you’re Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes or ByLwansta.
Lwandile Nkanyuza, known professionally as ByLwansta — a South African rapper, record producer, art director and graphic designer — might not have used the opportunity that breaking down in a remote place afforded him to teach a small town a thing or two about drag queens, as Wesley Snipes and Patrick Swayze did in the movie To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, but he did use his unfortunate car troubles as inspiration for his second album — THE CHIP IS StALE.
ByLwansta’s pre-owned Opel Corsa Lite was a 2005 model showing signs of wear and tear, but he hoped those small vehicular ailments would pass. What he didn’t expect, however, was that changes were afoot — for both him and the car.
“I found a beautiful parallel between my mental health and the issues I was having with my old vehicle,” he says. “It’s had so many owners. The alternator was burnt, and the previous owner hadn’t been aware of that. But my car troubles portended a moment of self-discovery, -acceptance, -acknowledgment and -awareness.”
ByLwansta had ignored the flashing oil lights for a while before the inevitable happened, which helped him recognise the “flashing dashboard signs of his own life” — he’s an avoidant personality type. “We breakdown for the same reason cars break down, because of underlying things that we haven’t addressed. During this time in my life, I became aware of the warning signs that were developing because of my biases and reactions, and because of the endings of relationships.”
In the album notes it says, “ByLwansta’s latest concept album delves into the introspective journey of Bubs, affectionately known as Bubble Boy, a young adult grappling with his mental health and past traumas. Drawing parallels between his inner struggles and the hidden issues in old cars, the album navigates Bubs’ path towards self-discovery and self-acceptance.
As he confronts his ignored signs, represented by metaphorical symbols such as the ‘engineer icon’ and ‘cracks’ in his mental windshield, listeners are urged to reflect on their own overlooked warnings.”
Sometimes people are criticised for creating content about uncomfortable scenarios, but ByLwansta likes to go against the grain. Everything for him is intentional and meant to serve a greater purpose. “It’s all worth documenting,” he says.
Hailing from Kokstad in KwaZulu-Natal, the up-and-coming star is a dynamic force in alternative hip-hop. He’s a gifted storyteller whose jazz-rap/alternative hip-hop fusion permeates his songwriting.
If his musical prowess fuels his career, his business and marketing skills are the wheels that have kept it on the road. Though he’s known for rolling out top-tier tracks, his knack for marketing ensured his nomination as a Loerie Award finalist for his 2021 single ASMR didn’t go unnoticed.
He’s also honest about his motivation for creating music. “We’re not in the music business,” he explains. “We’re in the human business. That means we’re catering to human emotions and feelings, so we have to delve deeply into the story we’re trying to tell with the music.” For stories to have resonance with their audience, the writer must be able to express his vulnerability. This meant he had to have some uncomfortable conversations with himself and those close to him. “I gravitate to people who can express their vulnerability — these are the people I choose to keep in my life, and they’re the people I listen to,” he says. “Vulnerability is often associated with shame, which is why we don’t show our vulnerable side to everyone, but I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve.”
If the flashing oil light was the teaser trailer for the plotline of this album, the steam that burst through the engine on the side of the highway was the cliffhanger — and it changed casual viewers of ByLwansta’s life story into binge-watchers.
In Are You Pleased, the second song on the LP, the lyrics go like this: “So when the other kids tried to tease me/I’d take it deep into my heart and I couldn’t let it go.” This speaks to childhood trauma and a detrimental inclination to people-please.
On tracks such as Violent Cartoons, as well as in the introduction to Clutch Balantsi (Time It), the Kokstad native takes responsibility for the role he played in the wear and tear of his life while simultaneously offering listeners solutions based on how he managed to prevail. “Being vulnerable exposes the plug point where we can connect, and I love to connect with people on all levels.”
Listeners can relate to THE CHIP IS StALE because of the conversational tone and gentle cadences of ByLwansta’s delivery. It feels like a poetic therapy session, complete with calming live instrumentation that sets the scene for deep chats (as the kids would say).
Though the style isn’t particularly new to his audience, the story is. He wanted to increase his skill set as a producer and produced six out of the 10 songs on the album. He singles out the collaboration with Hannah Lane in Corsa Lite Music as his favourite on the album, because of their human connection, but he says that local singer-songwriter Kimosabe (Siviwe Camagu Nkanyuza) also played a crucial part in his growth, both in the studio and on stage. “Beyond trivial things like numbers [of albums sold], I want a sustainable career in the arts,” he says.
ByLwansta, through his co-owned record label and creative agency Normvl, recently had a 71-week residency at Bar Ber Black Sheep called The Weekly Touch Up.
“There are many things I’ve learnt in this process,” he reflects. What started as a space for him to showcase his own music became a platform on which other artists could perform. As a result, he picked up new skills such as DJ-ing.
“People are introduced to you through so many angles. At the end of the day, it all goes back to the music.”
The banger of the album, Office Daze, best exemplifies the essence of this story. It was workshopped at the weekly Wednesday shows and celebrates self-starters and entrepreneurs, reminding them that “eventually we reap”.
Opel has kindly provided ByLwansta with a new Opel Mokka. The story has a happy ending. Now he can drive off in the sunset, to his next destination.
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