Xolile (‘X) Madinda

© Tobias Ginsberg Xolile (‘X) Madinda is a hip-hop artist, social activist, community educator and entrepreneur based in Grahamstown/ Makhanda in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. A fiercely talented artist and rapper, X – together with Mxolisi Bodla (aka Biz) – is one of the founding members of Defboyz, one of the most influential hip hop groups in the Eastern Cape. Biz and X combine hip hop, poetry, and beats with social messages and community activism to forge social cohesion. X is also one of the founding members of the Youth Art group Fingo Revolutionary Movement and Fingo Festival, a week-long annual event now in its ninth year and part of the National Arts Festival. X programmes and organizes an ambitious roster of artists and speakers, blending cutting-edge South African DJs, beats, and rhymes with discussions, live art, lectures, and children’s activities.

X is also the founder and CEO of Around Hip Hop and The Black Power Station, a pioneering art space within the re-emerging industrial area of Grahamstown/ Makhanda. Alongside his artistic career, X has spearheaded a range of community and social education groups ranging from Khulumani community journalism to Save our Schools and Community Association. A visionary artist whose life is dedicated to community education and organization, X has already made a lasting impact on the artistic and social life of the Eastern Cape and further afield. In 2014 he was invited to tour the US as part of the artists as social change movement, and he returns to the US every year from 2018 for a week’s residency at UVa.

 X's residency will build on long-term collaborative projects between South Afrika, The Black Power Station, and UVA and is generously sponsored by the African Urbanism Humanities Lab. The African Urbanism Humanities Lab X is a full-time UVA for a Global Mentors Residency at the Department of Music University of Virginia (UVA).