“In 2016 or 2017, I was dropping my first song ever, and I didn't have a name yet,” Capetonian rapper Lookatups tells Apple Music. “I was doing music without an artist's name or alias. SoundCloud was still popping those days, and the number one song was 'Look at Me!’ by XXXTentacion. And people call me Ups, so I was just like, ‘Lookatups’. A crazy coincidence.”
It might not have had much of a deeper meaning at the the time, but the stage name for the rapper born Aphelele Klimbashe could stand as something of a prelude to the heavy, yet hopeful body of work that is his debut album, 2023’s Son of Joy. Across ten tracks, Lookatups explores life after loss, navigating through pain, love, fear and hope while honouring his heritage with an experimental sonic journey traversing trap, jazz and Afropop.
“I enjoy letting people know about where I'm from, about myself, and my culture, especially,” Lookatups explains. “I'm doing something that is bigger than myself. My father passed away, and that's when I sort of started working on the album. In a way, this was [about] me realising what a great guy he was, and just embracing my Xhosa culture. I liked the way my father thought and the person that he was, and the way he carried himself. The person that he was is the reason that I didn't get lost, and I stuck to the core principles that he raised me on. I'm my father's son, and I just wanted to be vocal about that.” Here, Lookatups breaks down the album, track by track.
“Umzamo no Qhusa”
“It's like—not to be too fake deep—but it's [about] trying, and effort, and chaos. It's like the beauty and the chaos, in a way. And it's just a nice a nice way to introduce myself and just introduce the whole album. It's calm in the beginning, and it gets chaotic at the end—like life, sometimes.”
“Icebo”
If you hear the hook, it's like this is life now without my father, and this is how I'm moving from here onwards—and this is my life update, in a way, but still being hopeful within the verses. So it's very much about where I was at that point, and just realising that I'm going to have to be the man now. Just life is bigger than me, and I have to be serious now. Even at my age; I thought there was still time to be funny and play around, but there isn’t. I want to fix everything I need to fix now.
“Uxolo” (feat. Baksquiat)
“The direct meaning of ‘Uxolo’ is ‘peace’. So obviously, after saying where I'm at in my life and realising it's chaotic, I was looking for peace. With all these songs kind of, it's like a story; even the vibe within the sequencing, it’s like this is what I'm going through, this is how I'm handling it. I'm was going through something, and all I wanted was some peace in my life. Baksquiat is a very close friend of mine. He was part of the squad I was with when I [first started making music]. I just like the tone of his voice. And it just made sense for the project. Nice, sombre song.”
“Ixesha Lam” [Lookatups, Kashcpt & Orish]
“I was just having fun. When I was starting to make music and find my sound, those are the type of songs the people fell in love with me for. So it's nice and refined now; trap. I haven't gone anywhere, so even though I'm experimenting and I'm doing this sound, I'm still that guy. KashCPT and Orish are from Cape Town; we kind of met through music, and it's people that I'd always wanted to collaborate with, if we didn't collaborate back in the day. All three of us are so much better at our craft. I think ‘Ixesha Lam’ was a perfect one for us three.”
“Intsikelelo”
“That's when I take it emakhaya [‘home’]. That's when I was starting to get in my Xhosa traditional space; very experimental, very fun, without being too serious. Just experimenting with my voice and just my writing. Having songs with actual weight instead of just fun songs. ‘Intsikelelo’ is ‘to be blessed’, and obviously, with certain songs, I was speaking on the loss that made me make this album, and the trials and tribulations. I think it's one of the most hopeful songs on the project. You don't even have to go through something to want blessings, and you can still be blessed and highly favoured, and still just want to be blessed. So it's like one of those songs. Yeah, I feel like when I made it, I was at a very good point with God, at that time. The scripture at the end is read by my father.”
“Emlanjeni”
“It's very experimental. It's things that I don't want anyone to expect, but it still sound good. When I played it for my mother, she was like, ‘What do you know about people meeting emlanjeni?’ ‘Emlanjeni’ is like ‘by the river’, basically. And it's like that song, I was inspired by ‘Emlanjeni’, by Mafikzolo. I expect kids my age and the kids younger to get married to that song in 20 years from now, or 15 years from now. It's one of those... Because as much as music progresses, they go, those makhaya songs from home, the village songs, the farm songs. I know that it'll just age well. And yeah, it was my first time working with Tweezy too, so yeah, I felt like I had to deliver.”
“Ungalibali” [Lookatups & SimulationRxps]
“That one was for my friends back home, because I left Khayelitsha, which is where I'm from, when I was 12, and now I'm 24 [in 2023] , so it's literally double the time that I grew up there. I was seeing those friends during that time. It basically just means, ‘All my friends, don't forget about me, whoever you are’. It can be someone that's gone, someone that's still alive—it can go both ways. SimulationRxps is my brother. You can hear, even on the song, we just gel well together. It's like a match made in heaven, in a way.”
“Akukholula”
“I made this song at the craziest time, when everything was done. 'Akukholula' means it's not easy. And I meant it in terms of, even though I'm happy, it's not easy, and just how life genuinely is, it's not easy. It’s that song that it doesn't have to hit you now, but it will hit you. And whether you're driving, whether you’re alone, whether you’re with your homies—the moment that it does, it will hit you. That's what I love about it, because even for me, it hit me at such a random point.”
“Location”
“‘Location’ is one of those songs that people fall in love with from me. It's one of those where, 'Here, guys, go crazy. I know you guys are going to enjoy this one. I didn't forget you guys. I still have something for you guys.’ And it's like, I had fun making it too, and it just made sense. This did not make the album too sombre. [With this one] I’m telling you that I can still do this hip-hop stuff, as much as I'm exploring in the other environments.”
“Buyela” [Lookatups & HENNYBELIT]
“This is my personal favourite. 'Buyela' means ‘come back’ or ‘come back to me’, obviously focusing on the loss of my father. There's so many things that you can want to come back, whether it's memories, or people that you want into your life, whether they’re gone, or still alive. It spoke to me, and I just wanted it to mean anything to anyone. What it sounds like and what you feel when you listen to it, is literally how I felt as well. It's one of those songs where if you feel something from this song, my job is done.”
Tracklist:
- Lookatups - Umzamo no Qhusa
- Lookatups - Icebo
- Lookatups - Uxolo (feat. Baksquiat)
- Lookatups, Kashcpt & Orish - Ixesha Lam
- Lookatups - Intsikelelo
- Lookatups - Emlanjeni
- Lookatups & SimulationRxps - Ungalibali
- Lookatups - Akukholula
- Lookatups - Location
- Lookatups & HENNYBELIT - Buyela
Stream the full Album below.
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