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boots for The Troopswinter wardrobe

b3nchmarq cover story

editor’s note

cashin in the uber

The Food Journal: Mega Budget Meals

hardknock smartphone

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3 M a g a z i n eeditor’s note

I was told I must give an editor’s note, so I asked what the hell is that? “An over-

view of the magazine” they said. So here goes (don’t judge it’s my first time) IT’S COLD OUCHEA IN THESE STREETS FAMILY…so this issue got that cold product just for you. But firstly I would like Thank You the reader for the support and love received from the past 6 issues from our friends, their friends as well as our devoted sup-porters and featured Vsionaries, we thank you for helping us see the vsion through your eyes and most importantly support-ing the movement...(BLAH BLAH FISH PASTE).

anyway we got that Ambitious Duo B3nchmarq cover story where they tell us how they got signed. We check out the most reliable smart phone, and how uber is cashin up the passengers. We also look at budget friendly R100 meals for the win-ter and conclude the mag with some threads and boots for the troops. So la-dies and lads, we hope you’re ready to peep this month’s issues of Vsion Magazine.

Till Next IssueTotem

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anyway we got that Ambitious Duo B3nchmarq cover story where they tell us how they got signed. We check out the most reliable smart phone, and how uber is cashin up the passengers. We also look at budget friendly R100 meals for the win-ter and conclude the mag with some threads and boots for the troops. So la-dies and lads, we hope you’re ready to peep this month’s issues of Vsion Magazine.

Till Next IssueTotem

varsity nights

podcast

www.vsionmagazine.co.za

varsity nights

podcast

www.vsionmagazine.co.za

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We be cashin in the uber, We be cashin in the Uber Oh Lord” (singing) This would make one

of the greatest trap hooks of all time, if it only made sense. Cashin in the uber? I mean uber doesn’t even allow cash payments right? WRONG!!!! Our favou-rite Internet ride-sharing service Uber switched on its cash payment option in South Africa as

part of a pilot on the 26th of May 2016.Ever since its launch in 2013 Uber has only accepted credit card payments but the CHANGE is here ( see what I did there). According to Fin24 in a conversa-tion they had with Alon Lits Uber’s head for Sub-Saharan Africa, the internet app plans to accept cash payments with half of all its driver-partners in South Africa.

cashing inthe

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This good news for the homies who al-ways pay for my uber rides because I have no credit card, I can pay for my own rides with them Mandela notes.Uber says South Africa is the first country in the world where cash payments will go live across five cities simultaneous-ly - these being Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.

.According to Fin24 Lits said to them “If it goes well, we will obviously scale it up, we need to see if it will increase the sign-up flow.” The app will now prompt you to choose between cash or credit payment options From my part I just wanna thank uber for making travelling much easier and being that transport method i can count on LITERALLY.

SIDE NOTE:

Uber’s move to ac-

cept cash payments in South Africa comes after

the com-pany cut its fares by up to 20% in

the country for the win-ter period.

the scripter

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hard knock smart phones

M a g a z i n e 8Yet another one of those “my phone is more durable than yours”debates right here. Back in the good ol’days we knew the nokia 5110 or 3310 were the gods

hard knock smart phonesof strong phones. those phones were used as weapons in some fights i’ve wit-nessed, (my aunt putting my uncle in pocket). These days we cant be too sure, it seems with technology becoming more complex, the phones became flimsy. But what can we do, if u cant beat them.....find a suitable replacement. Accord-ing to information from a South African repair specialist (Not privesh from the corner store), Apple phones are more realiable than their rivals. The Specialist said Apple branded products are exceeded by Samsung and Huawei. Although and Samsung offers its customers free screen repairs through its Samsung ADH programme and Huawei offers a similar programme through its Huawei Select programme with new smart devices. Guess they know their products break every 3 months. According to Ifix most common repairs relate to touchpad, fol-lowed by battery, camera, dock connector and headphone jack repairs.

The South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SAcsi) compiled by Consulta found in 2015 that Apple scored 82.7 out of a possible 100 for satisfaction, the highest score in SA. This means the Iphone wins the title of the hardknock phone and shares a title with the nokia 5110 and 3310......Nah Fam that dont sound right.

the scripter

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THE FOODJOURNAL

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PIZZA

SOUP

QU ICHE

CH IC IKEN

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Banting bacon and mushroom pizza

price to make: R64.22ingredients

1 culiflower, cut intro florets1 large 3gg, beaten

1 cup (250ml) grated mozzarel-la

2 Tbsp Psyllium husksa quarter almond of coconut

floursalt and milled pepper olive oil, for drizziling

4 rashers bacon, chopped1 cup button mushroom, sliced

1 clove garlic, choppedpinch dried chilli flakes

half sachet of tomato pastequater grated chessehandful baby spinach

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Broccoli and Cannellini bean soup

price to make: R48.99

ingredients

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 sticks celery, chopped

400g broccoli florets

2 cans (410g each) cannellini beans, drained

5 cups (1.25L) chicken or vege-table stock

Salt and milled pepper

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Pilchard Quiche

price to make: R32.72

ingredients

1 400g Puff pastry

6 jumbo eggs

1 2L Full Cream Milk

1 (400g) Can of Pilchards in to-mato sauce

300g Block of Cheese

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Pilchard Quiche

price to make: R32.72

ingredients

1 400g Puff pastry

6 jumbo eggs

1 2L Full Cream Milk

1 (400g) Can of Pilchards in to-mato sauce

300g Block of Cheese

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B3nchMarQ-

Trappin Out The

City by Omp

Manana

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Ambitiouz Entertainment has emerged as the most popular and prominent music label in South Africa, in only just a period of 18 months. They just came into the game and held most label CEO’s at gunpoint (not literally people) and have given them a serious reality check on their lack of progress, which has resulted them into doing what most SA hip hop fans have been wanting from the get go- to give young guys a platform and chance. This has re-sulted in the award-winning artists such as FiFi Cooper and Em-tee and with their current artist roster; Ambitiouz looks set to be the future and the present. However whenever one talks about Ambitiouz the names that will always come up are, of course, FiFi Cooper and Emtee, but most forget or don’t realise that their roster is quite lethal and forget to mention the likes of A-Reece, Benchmarq and even Saudi.

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Fortunately for you and me I was able to sit down with Bench-marq and get a Vsion exclusive that you wouldn’t get anywhere else (make sure you listen to the podcast of the interview to get the full Vsion). Firstly lets get the introductions underway, Benchmarq consists of P-Jay and Tkay, rhyming names for a duo, it’s a bit out there we know, but in an odd way it’s quite cool. These two Pretoria natives come from the same hood and met in 2007, when Tkay would in-vite rappers to his crib to drop a couple of bars, as he was known as a dope producer in the hood and together the duo made P-Jay’s first solo record. The two then decided to join forces along with another mem-ber who later dropped out to the 9-5 lifestyle. The self-proclaimed “best rap duo” have emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the future having had their own major banger “Get Lit” featuring Vsion5 cover artist and producer, Tweezy, which was then accom-panied by a feature on what has become known as the first Am-bitiouz song “Washa” by DJ City Lyts. From a personal point of view, Tkay and P-Jay are quite chilled laid-back guys, which is what I find cool.

There’s a huge stigma and mis-conception of how rappers are and act but I have to say that, without sounding insulting or any-thing close to that, the sense of normality

The duo prides themselves on not being able to put their sound in a box P-Jay sating that they “work by feeling mood or inspi-ration”, which is a good thing for us listeners because that means that we can expect a more di-verse sound from Benchmarq, in which we’ve seen the glimps-es of with their singles: Get Lit, which had a more of a trap influ-ence; “Bonang”, carried a move jiggy Dj Mustard vibe and their latest offering “All On Me” has a more laid back trap RnB sound. Speaking of how they “hustled’ Ambitiouz to get their deal, this duo truly stuck their hustling na-ture by DM’ing a PR at Ambitouz and approaching them with their work and like they say, the rest is history! Benchmarq have been relishing the opportunity of being under a label saying that their job of creating music has became easier due to the team behind them and the resources being pumped into them.

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Ambitiouz also seems to be a tight knit group, Benchmarq did admit however that the relations started off as professional be-tween the label mates, but af-ter a while together on a radio they grew closer as a squad to a point where they’d supposed-ly go out for lunch and so on. Personally I think that, synergy within a label in an industry as small as South Africa’s is vitally important because that allows for a more cohesive and impactful performance, as a label, which is clearly shown by what Ambitiouz has done.

Stating that Ambitiouz is a very spontaneous, the duo plan on releasing a project after their third single which has already dropped but did however state that it’s all dependent on the reception. I personally feel that something more in the lines of a mixtape would be dope and different for the duo as it could give peo-ple an u understand about their music without having being too critical, which is the scrutiny that comes with an album.

Their album could come later on as a more commercially driven body of work which aims at sell-ing and catching or creating a future wave… but hey, I’m just one guy with an opinion, you don’t have to listen to me, I’m no music expert. Speaking on Am-bitiouz’s spontaneity, Tkay stat-ed that they can “record a track today and release it tomorrow”, which has been shown by the surprise release of Emtee’s al-bum after only having one pro-mo single. . There is, however, a huge level of strategy amongst this, as they try to strive on not adhering to “the rules” which sim-ply allows them to do things in the best way they see fit. Surely that’s the only way to go about your business if you really want to make a name for yourself and stand out in an industry and en-vironment that’s full of rappers and many more on the outside aspiring to be one.

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Speaking on the trap sound and aspiring rappers going into that sound, the duo first-ly stated that they believe that it’s the sound for all the young guys out there, however this does not necessarily make it easy to create. This is some-thing I can definitely agree with too, as I believe that it takes an immense amount of skill and experience to make a hit single period, let alone a hit trap single. This is a sound that many have came to say is ignorant and foolish, due to its repetition and sometimes lack of clarity and enunciation, such as Desiigner’s “Panda”. However three’s a deep level of skill and story telling as it embodies a lifestyle that many cannot understand. Do your-self a four and actually read the lyrics to Panda, you’ll be surprised to hear what you’ve been dancing to. Anyway the duo as noted that they are now in a very musical age, which has resulted in people like AKA releasing songs such as One Time, and label mates FiFi Cooper with and A- Re-ece with “Truth or Dare” and “Mgani” respectively.

Which without a doubt prompt-ed the duo’s decision to create their third R&B influenced single “All on Me”. Benchmarq empah-sised the importance of having a packaged product, saying that “it sounds like its dumbed down but it has just become tougher” which should serve as justification to the underground-16 bar- enthusi-asts out there that most rappers in the industry do have the skill, otherwise they wouldn’t be in the position that they’re in currently.

However their music, like Bench-marq’s, is listened to by many different types of people ranging from people in the hood to peo-ple in the ‘burbs, therefore as artists they have to try and ac-commodate all of you and find a bridge because consumers all want the same thing.

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Artists need to sell records in order to live, like you and I, so sometimes what you might see as frustrating or a lack of rap-ping ability, is one artists way of putting clothes on their back or rather gold around their neck and teeth. Benchmarq is the only recognisable duo in SA and I believe that they will become a name that will be on everyone’s lips in the future. I encourage you all to listen to the podcast on GXD radio of my interview with Benchmarq to get an insight to all things Ambitiouz and the industry as well as get-ting to know them better.

Make sure you catch B3nchmarq on these platforms to get their latest updates and offerings Twitter: B3nchMarQ

Facebook: B3nchMarQ

Instagram: B3nchmarqSA

All on Me single: www.datafilehost.com/d/ca56cb4d

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by rezolution

boots for

troops

the

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troopsYou know that one homie that has your back no matter what, through the thick, thin and blistering weather. That’s what

boots are to our feet!With the weather being in all sorts of shambles this year we need to keep every part of our body covered up with the slickest thickest threads. With the come up of extraordinary local brands from all regions we must not only acknowledge but actually take initiative and support the cats. But while we do that we must account for our feet, they too need to be on

blast. Busting through the door for the past few decades and still go-ing hard are the infamous troop boots, the timberland. Through

all the nitty gritty it prevails notorious, like b.i.g. To this day the people’s choice still remain the same – caramel over everything. The colour just compliments the season, ev-ery season. Any boot in any colour could suit just about anyone.If having a common pair of boots isn’t your cup of soup, timber-land offers a number of different designer boots. Ranging from the 6-inch lineman boots, the Britton hill moc toe waterproof boots, the classic earthkeepers all the way to the premium two-tone waterproof boots we have quite a flavorful variety. If you can visit the timberland store in sandton you are guar-anteed to bump into a godly pair that is aligned with your stat-

ure.

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by oliver zondo

winter wardrobe

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winter wardrobe

Winter has arrived and there is no better time to revamp your wardrobe then now. This means all your shorts, tank tops, torn t-shirts and reflective sunglasses need to fall all the way to the back of your wardrobe. Now, if you are anything like me the change of season should make the edges of your mouth curl into a smile cause this time of year brings some much needed excitement for people who like to dress up. Bears usually get tucked far away into their burrows and caves during this time of year overcome by a deep feeling of sadness caused by the realization of having nothing to wear, now scien-tists will have you believe they hibernate so they can survive through the cold season when the weather is freezing and food is scarce, Yeah right. Here at Vsion we know better. I’m no scientist but I know that you don’t have to suspend your life for three long months just because you can’t put together an outfit. So I will be giving you a few suggestions on the different styles and how you can approach setting up the perfect winter combo.

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The minute a trend earns itself a coined term the hype seems to be endless especially when social me-dia discovers its. Athleisure merely describes the trend of sportswear worn for the purpose of ev-erything imaginable expect sport. Now, I don’t blame anyone for wanting to feel comfortable, but the trend stretches beyond the obvious into realm of well…. Swag. Camo has been a common feature in recent fashion trends and goes well with a great pair of textured sneakers in neutral, brown or nude, colours. Try suede or the trusted canvas.

Athleisure

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The style-conscious are always on the lookout for nov-elty and in their quest seem to always get inspiration from the past. Recently they have been abandoning Hip Hop wear for a more- late 80’s, early 90’s Punk Rock Star aesthetic. You will catch them wearing t-shirts from bands like Metallica and Nirvana merchandise worn under a denim jacket or a leather one

Grungewave

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When I googled the definition of a hipster the results showed ‘a person who follows the latest trends and fashions’. Fair enough, but anyone with an Edgars ac-count could fall under that category which can cause some confusion. No, what sets hipsters apart is their knack for avoiding everything mainstream. Think Vespa scooters and Tumblr then throw in a beard. Hipsters generally aren’t bond to conventional colour co-ordination schemes something that makes them more inclined , unlike us mere mortals, to explore the colour spectrum. As a basis point the quality of fab-ric is as important as it’s type. A plaid shirt, a knitted sweater and throw on a trench coat just for good mea-sure.

hipster

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Trench coats trace their roots back to World War I, where they were named after the very trenches they were worn in. The fabric is sturdy, lightweight, weath-erproof, and could easily be worn over every day wear. The trench coat is traditionally a long coat that ex-tends to the shins, is double-breasted with wide lapels, and is belted at the waist and is different from a pea-coat which is heavier and doesn’t overlap the torso.

Trench Coat

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As a layering option you can add a military parka jack-et for those winter night outs with the chinas. Need-less to say this comes as winter essential as it can be paired with any combination which adds to its function-al purpose.

parka jacket

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Chelsea boots, historically, are a shoe that has been associated with men of a more bespoke sartorial style but are helping keep the feet of bad boys everywhere snug. These are great as they tidy up your look keeping your outfit streamlined and crisp. I focused of three styles: Athleisure, Grungewave and Hipster as a way of guiding you through your decision on how to style your-self using different inspirations from these seperate styles as a way of making sure all the bears are out of their caves this winter

Chelsea boots

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Email to enquire about the productForever@thatomegale.co.za

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visitwww.vsionmagazine.co.za