What happens when you refuse to fit into one box? When your life is not a single career path but a living, breathing ecosystem of music, fashion, media, and activism?

In this rich, wide-ranging episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Kojo Baffoe sits down with cultural entrepreneur, publicist, designer, and DJ Maria McCloy. Maria’s name has been synonymous with Johannesburg’s urban culture since the 1990s, whether as co-founder of Black Rage Productions, through her signature wax-print shoes and accessories, or as the PR engine behind icons like Thandiswa Mazwai, Sjava, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Born in the UK to a Mosotho mother and English father, and raised across Nigeria, Sudan, Mozambique, Lesotho, and South Africa, Maria’s journey is anything but conventional. Yet, as she shares in this candid conversation, each chapter, whether journalism, TV production, running a record label, or fashion design, has been guided by one consistent purpose: celebrating African creativity on its own terms.

Listeners will hear reflections on:

• ​The rise and fall of Black Rage Productions and its impact on South African media, music, and street culture
• ​How Johannesburg’s nightlife and creative spaces have evolved—and what’s been lost along the way
• ​The cultural politics of fashion, from wax prints to streetwear, and why “African aesthetics” should not be reserved for special occasions
• ​Pivoting from journalist to publicist, DJ, and designer, and why owning your platforms is non-negotiable
• ​The importance of pan-African consciousness, serendipity, and trusting your creative process

Maria speaks with the same wit and warmth that have defined her career, offering insights not only into her personal journey but also into broader conversations about media collapse, cultural preservation, and what it takes to keep creating when the rules keep changing.

Her story is proof that cultural impact isn’t built through trends or titles; it’s shaped by showing up, staying true, and evolving without permission.

Whether you’re a young creative wondering how to carve out a space or someone navigating the middle stages of a creative career, this episode will offer clarity, courage, and cultural context.

Listen now to hear why Maria McCloy is, and always has been, never just one thing ever.

You can find the latest from Maria McCloy on the following digital spaces: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠

For more on my book Listen To Your Footsteps, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kojobaffoe.com/book/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to:

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Recorded at Spotify Africa Joburg Studio

Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe

Produced by Ayob Vania

Episode Title: Maria McCloy, Never Just One Thing Ever

Podcast: Listen To Your Footsteps

Host: Kojo Baffoe

Episode Number: 87

Guest: Maria McCloy