Grow Khula Productions
What we are: GKP is a music and video productions company that provides support, mentorship, and training for up-and-coming artists. Grow Khula Productions is a company that will sign underground hop hip artists in the Umlazi community and surrounding areas in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. It will fill the need for a recording studio for a group of artists who have a lot to
offer but are currently underrepresented in South African and global hip hop. What we face: Founded by Mhligo, born and raised in Umlazi, GKP has been working against all odds to promote local hip-hop talent for 7 years. GKP is committed to helping young artists find producers and outlets for their music in a community where opportunities for youth are extremely limited. The unemployment rate in South Africa is greater than 30% and the disproportional burden falls onto black youth. In Umlazi, where GKP is based, the added burden of HIV/AIDS is staggering. By the time pregnant women are 26 years old, 66% of them are infected. The scourge of HIV has decimated family structures, leaving many Umlazi youth without parents and other important role models. What we want: The goals of GKP are two-fold: to promote a broad-based youth movement started in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa through hip-hop and to create opportunities for local artists to reach national and international hip-hop markets. Mhligo is uniquely socially conscious in his approach. Rooted in the philosophy of ubuntu, I am what I am because of who we all are, he wants Grow Khula Productions to be a way to encourage young artists in Umlazi to take control of their own futures and become community leaders. GKP wants to get the attention of Umlazi youth and provide them inspiration through a medium that they respect and identify with: hip-hop.