The artist we know as Sho Madjozi almost worked at the Mail & Guardian. She was Maya the Poet back then and was scheduled to have an interview for an intern position. No one quite knows what happened; she didn’t have the interview and became a colorful pan-African rapper instead.
So, very unlike a journalist, Sho Madjozi began 2019 with a nod from Vogue. She was included in the Vogue World 100, a list of people who are reimagining fashion, music and television for the better. Sho Madjozi fits the bill. She has a unique style, a special sound and an individual way of identifying herself.
Her athleisure take on tinguvu, a Xitsonga garb for women, has become an extension of her brand. On any given day she’s happy to accessorise her sports bra and cycling shorts with a woollen xibelani skirt and matching sneakers. To top it off she’ll wear her hair in colourful Fulani cornrows accessorised with beads. The hairdos have made her selfies a key reference in many salons where many women insist on getting their fix of what they’re calling “Madjozi braids”.
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