How did this collab come about

So from my POV, I had no idea who Kullid Genius was. He randomly did a pixel illustration of me back in March 2024 — it was kinda cool seeing myself as a pixel cartoon. I gave him a follow and been monitoring his progress ever since. Not too long ago, he dropped an animated pixel piece of BushyWopp, and the way his art progressed a year later, I instantly had a vision! I hit him up saying, “Bro, I have a jas idea!” — PROJECT 5-BOP (50 Cent). I gave him my vision, step-by-step, of what I needed it to look like, and I can’t lie — bro brought my vision to life! With Connor (Kullid Genius) just starting out on his journey, I had to take this opportunity — not just as a favour to myself, but also to create a platform for him to showcase his work by collaborating with me. I didn’t want to take credit for the amount of work he put into making my vision a success.

Was there any odd sources inspiration you guys took in, for the prices of this video game

The main inspiration came from the games and cartoons we used to watch and play growing up. Since we’re similar ages, we had the same kind of background growing up in “coloured” locations. The shopkeepers had arcade game shops where it was 50c to play our classic favourites like King of Fighters, Snow Bros, Metal Slug, Pac-Man, and many more. We’d spend hours there with other youngsters — that’s how community and friendships were formed from young. We also threw in references from our favourite TV shows that played on SABC 2 and Cartoon Network. And if one of our friends had DStv, we’d all go chill at their house to watch a day’s worth of cartoons.

Seeing how you guys were able to showcase the cpt scenery and culture in such a unique and interesting way is there any one specific place in the city you both have a unique connection and bond to and why

When we were crafting the game and it came to choosing different scenery, we asked each other: “What’s one place any Cape Coloured would instantly relate to?” We both said Gatesville — specifically Golden Dish (Home of the Gatsby). And if we had to pick one traditional food to represent us? It’s definitely a gebba (Gatsby).

Top 3 places to grab a bite in the city and why?

Seeing as you guys are able to reference and tap into the childhood nostalgia of growing up in SA as a kid, are there any specific sources of inspiration you used from your own childhood experiences in this project

My art style alone comes from the anime and cartoons I watched growing up — so Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, and even Avatar all played a role when I drafted the different characters. With Kullid Genius, his art style is based on games we knew and loved playing, like Super Mario, King of Fighters, and other classic pixelated arcade games. And that’s how we both brought our nostalgia together for this project.

In the lens of  Artbybaid , what’s been the hardest thing in the process of representing the Coloured community, experience and culture through your art?

For me, it’s more about the audience I’m trying to relate to — they might not relate to me. Based on location, not every Coloured had similar backgrounds. The guys I’m trying to reach might not be in the creative scene like myself. Growing up in Coloured areas that are gang-infested, we had to make serious life choices from a young age. Do we want to become like the youth here and choose the life of gangsterism and drugs? Or do we want to break the cycle and show others that we can dala (do it), even though no one else believed in us — except ourselves. So I might not have the audience I’m trying to relate to, but I can show everyone else where I come from through my art — and hopefully, they see the essence of Coloured culture in my work.

Were there any sentimental moments you look back to along the journey of your career and in this collab?

With this collab, I wanted to take a step back. I started to lose the purpose and began “chasing the bag,” which is okay — but I also had to remind myself why I started doing this in the first place. I’m grateful for the people I met along the way, but I don’t think everyone understands how much harder we need to work — because it was never handed to us. But I know for sure, this collab made the little laatie (child) inside me happy.

How do you hope this piece of work translates to future generations?

A lot of Coloured traditions are still going strong — like the Kaapse Klopse (Cape Town Minstrel Carnival) that’s been going on since my ouma’s time. Dums (dominoes) are a must at every Coloured family gathering. Laaties still play in the road — marbles, spinning tops (kapping tol), hondjie, three sticks, etc. This culture of games is still alive in our more “gham” (super Coloured) areas. So when I create, I try to implement this culture and these traditions — because even if the culture doesn’t get passed down, the art will always be around one day when we’re not.

One phrase to sum up the duo between you and Kullid Genius

COLOURED EXCELLENCE — this is a phrase we use for idols who come from similar situations and backgrounds. I feel like we represent that fully. I mean, I was crafting all the cartoons for the project on my phone — using just my fingers! And Kullid Genius was on his old-school PC, using free apps. We never had the resources, but we didn’t let that stop us from creating something jaw-dropping — to show the other Coloured brusse (boys) at home watching this: if you want to, you can!

Following this collab, how do you feel both of your journeys will unfold from here

For me, I’m doing this strictly for culture and for Kaapstad as a whole. But hopefully, it reaches the right audience so that Kullid Genius gets the opportunities, programs, and equipment he needs to take his work to the next level. I’m also aware he’s working on a Kullid Genius game — and I don’t think we have much of that in Cape Town. So let’s see where it takes him!