BEHIND: THE OCULUS TOUR

DECEMBER 24, 2024 | KARABO KETLHALEFILE

For this first edition of BEHIND, I caught up with Donearl, the enigmatic force behind Oculus Records, to unpack the whirlwind of creativity and chaos that birthed the Oculus Tour. In just ten days, this underground collective turned a seed of an idea into a movement, bringing a genre-defining experience to life.

On Friday the 13th of December, 2024, the Oculus Tour hit Gaborone, Botswana, turning the Thapong Visual Arts Centre into a buzzing hub for underground music and culture. With local acts and South African headliners sharing the stage, the night was electric. The event wrapped up a bold journey across borders, uniting a crew of artists, producers, and creatives under the Oculus banner.

Shortly after the show, Donearl sat down for a conversation at the crew's tour crib. The energy of yet another electrifying performance lingered in the air, but Donearl, unfazed by the chaos, exuded a calm intensity—clearly someone who thrives on turning the impossible into reality.

KARABO KETLHALEFILE: Let’s start with the tour’s inception. What inspired the Oculus Tour?

DONEARL: Man, Oculus is everything. It's the name of my first album, my brand, my people. It started with the album cover—I just thought, "Let’s call it Oculus," and it stuck. It became bigger than the music: a collective of producers, photographers, videographers—my crew. The idea for the tour came from Slxck.93. He hit me with it a month ago. Two weeks later, we’re here.

KK: That’s wild. So how did you decide on the lineup?

D: Easy—bring the homies. It’s about the people who’ve been with me from the start, the ones who get the vision. Everyone on this tour is family, whether they’re performing, shooting content, or just holding it down behind the scenes.

KK: Botswana was an unexpected stop. What drew you here?

D: Botswana showed us love back in April at Jaykatana’s show. The energy was unreal. So when we were planning the tour, it just made sense to come back. It’s like paying respect to that vibe, you know? Plus, it felt right to wrap it up here—go out with a bang.

KK: You pulled this together in just ten days. What were the biggest challenges?

D: Logistics, man. Getting across borders, locking down venues—it was a mess. And as an independent artist with no management? Stressful doesn’t even cover it. But we made it happen. That’s the Oculus way.

KK: The venue for the Botswana stop was perfect. How did you settle on it?

D: Honestly, we almost didn’t. We had another venue lined up, but the pictures I saw of the first spot didn’t really vibe with me. So we kept it moving and decided on the second venue the day of the performance. It turned out to be the right move—the place looked hard, and everything came together perfectly. The second venue was a last-minute switch on the day of the show. But it worked out. The lighting, the crowd—it all came together beautifully.

KK: Promotion was tight, especially on such short notice. How did you make it work?

D: Social media, plain and simple. We got everyone to post—friends, fans, everyone. And yeah, we brought in models because, let’s be real, no party is complete without the ladies. I’ve got a girlfriend, but we had to get women.

This was a business trip for me, but you know, when it comes to social media, we did all the tactics. We wanted to create a certain vibe and aesthetic, and that includes the models, the scene, everything that makes it pop.

KK: Let’s talk merch. What was the creative process there?

D: I let my boy Stephon Foux handle it. The main piece was based on the cover art from my tape, Agenda. We kept it simple but hard. Stephon just gets the aesthetic.

KK: How do you see this tour shaping the underground scene?

D: It’s about showing what’s possible. We did this with no manager, no big-budget backing—just us. If we can pull this off, so can anyone else. It’s about taking risks, betting on your people, and building something real. I hope this inspires more people out there to take their shot.

KK: What’s next for Oculus?

D: More shows, more tours, bigger moves. People are already asking us to hit Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Mpumalanga and even overseas. This isn’t a one-time thing—it’s just the beginning.

★★★

Credits:

Text: KARABO KETLHALEFILE

Photography: SLXCK.93

Interview Coordination : HAXLEN

Editorial Direction : KULT[000]

Special Thanks to DONEARL + OCULUSRECORDS

OCULUS TOUR DEC ‘24 : DONEARL , JAYKATANA , BROTHERKUPA , PARKERVS , ROB MALLY, KAISLEVSKYLE , OSLIN | SUPPORTING : BORUS , FUEGO, TAHWA , BRAINZY, YUNGKORY , JXMMY PHANTOM | MEDIA : SLXCK.93 , CREATVSHOTS , SPACEIMPACT | PARTNERS : 0PIUMMFILES , 1TO1.BW , SPACE IMPACT, HOWLER | MERCH + DESIGN : STEPHONXX