Cultish and EMPIRE Africa are redefining what community looks like for a new generation of African creatives, using music as the central thread to bring together culture in motion.
Their recent Community Mixer series, held in Cape Town (2 April) and Johannesburg (4 April), extended beyond a traditional event format. Instead, it functioned as a live cultural exchange — a space where artists, creatives and tastemakers engaged in real time, reflecting the fluidity of today’s creative industries.
With their community mixers known primarily for spotlighting visual artists, Cultish’s move into music marks a deliberate evolution. Partnering with EMPIRE Africa allowed the platform to tap into a broader sonic ecosystem, curating a lineup that included Shaun101, Soa Mattrix, Cowboii and The Pandemic Boyz. The presence of Shaun101 and Soa Mattrix also signalled what’s next, as anticipation builds for their joint project Abo Makhelwane, expected in May 2026.
In Johannesburg, a guest performance from LeoDaLeo added further dimension, reinforcing the mixer’s role as both a discovery platform and a cultural touchpoint for emerging voices.
The collaboration extended into fashion through the release of the Cultish x EMPIRE Mixer Tee — a piece that echoed the ethos of the event. Minimal yet intentional, it reflected a broader shift in youth culture, where identity is expressed as much through what is worn as through what is heard.
At a time when new-age and hip-hop artists often face limited infrastructure, initiatives like this offer a tangible alternative: building access, visibility and community in real time.
More than a moment, the Cultish x EMPIRE Africa mixers point to a larger shift: culture is no longer simply consumed, it is actively constructed.
See images from the events below.
Shaun101 & Soa Mattrix
Kat Upendi
