CLS: What projects are you cur-
rently working on? Which project
is going to come first in the com-
ing days?
JJB: I just started working on my
second EP. Hopefully it will be
ready by April. I am taking my
time to pay attention to details.
Working with talented producers
and artists. More information will
come in due course.
CLS: How did it all start for you?
How did you discover your talent
and passion?
JJB: It all started with freestyle
and football commentary sessions
in our living room when I was 8
years old. I also grew up in South
Africa and the creative session we
had triggered it too. It begun to
take shape when I went to Chan-
cellor College where I studied
Bachelor of Arts in Humanities.
When I was graduating I knew
this was it for me and I pursued
it like my life it depended on it.
Being in Malawi and having seen
hostile situations inspired me to
find my passion to be heard and
inspire people.
CLS: What do you think about
state of African music and the
generation leading it?
JJB: We are making strides on
a long journey. Stereotypes are
being challenged and at times
broken. Artists are making careers
out of it and that is awesome. A
great deal of music artistes are
anti-drugs, violence, misogyny
against women and all the turmoil.
Thankfully we have a growing
conscious in some artists to be re-
sponsible in their work and lives.
CLS: What is your greatest
35 | Colossium . March 2019
Julius
Jules
Banda
Julius Jules Banda
also known as Jules
is a Malawian Hip
Hop Artist, Spoken
Word Artist, Song-
writer and Activist.
Born on 1st January,
1993 Jules found
creative freedom
in music and poetry
when he was 8. He
recalls listening to
Tupac Shakur and
being inspired to
rap. Raised by his
mother, he moved
around the capi-
tal city (Lilongwe)
and Johannesburg
when he was very
young. He would
later learn to ex-
press himself to deal
with the abuse that
his mother en-
countered from his
father.
He holds a bach-
elor degree in Arts
Humanities from the
prestigious University
of Malawi, Chan-
cellor College. He
usually fuses Hip
Hop with spoken
word to tell distinct
stories. He is set
apart by his unique
word play and de-
livery.
achievement so far?
JJB: Releasing my debut EP with
no record deal, no distribution deal
and no job. People connected to it
in over 20 countries. You hardly
hear such stories from Malawi.
God must be moving
CLS: How about disappointments?
JJB: In 2018 I failed to travel and
perform at Lake of Stars in London
due to funds. Some laughed at me.
Now I laugh with them hahaha
CLS: What do you do when not
working?
JJB: Listening to some of my
favorite artists, hang out with
friends and family and skate-
boarding...
CLS: Oh you are a skateboard fan.
Interesting! Do you believe in love
at first sight?
JJB: Hahaha I wish
CLS: Let’s talk about Malawian
music, what form/s of music ex-
ists in Malawi?
JJB: Urban music is the main
thing here. It’s also interesting
because it has frustrated a lot of
people to quit making music. Local
music still has touch also and it is
seen to have a closer connection
with our tradition and code of
conduct.
CLS; Well, I guess same can be
said about the Ghanaian music in-
dustry. Where does your musicfit
in Malawian music?
JJB: My thing is Hip Hop, spoken
word and song writing, I usually
fuse these crafts into my work. I
fancy jazz too; it has an impact in
my approach. I started with Hip
Hop after being inspired by Tupac
Shakur, I was also doing poetry on
low key level and then I got