Profiling: "Pedi Rap is the future"

-

















By: Gloria Masia

Limpopo born and raised songwriter and rapper, Mokapoteni AKA “King of Pedi Rap” has taken Johannesburg by storm with his music. Although he took a trip from Chebeng village all the way from Moletji to Johannesburg, to pursue his soccer career in 2004, playing for Kaizer Chiefs development team before he joined Orlando Pirates academy.  “I was captain of the team and when I went into the music industry, I decided to call myself ‘Mokapoteni’ which means ‘Captain’ and that is how my stage name came about” says Mokapoteni.

Tuks Senganga being one of his inspiration, Mokapoteni started his music career at the age of 16 and later started working at a studio where it grew his interest in music and exposed him to prominent producers in the music industry. He found himself working with the likes of Casper Nyovest and Mashabela Galane which also became the highlight of his career.

He says that he decided to go into the music industry so that his advice to the young kids from his hometown, can be more vocal.  Mokapoteni aims to break language barriers by rapping in SePedi which also promotes confidence in future Pedi rappers.  Not only does he rap about his life experiences, but with his music, he aims to teach the world about his culture. “I am releasing a single soon called ‘I Am Pedi Rap’ which will become my legacy and that is one of the reasons why I will not be having a collaboration with anyone on it” says Mokapoteni.

In a question asked about his favourite songs that he wrote, he said is the one called “Bomme ba rona” which means ‘our mothers’. In the song, he talks about the challenges that single mothers face especially having to grow a boy child. Mokapoteni added that it is one of the best songs he wrote because he relates to the song.

However, he added that it wasn’t always easy considering that he is an upcoming musician, he faced a lot of challenges but he believed in his music and where it will take him. “Those challenges have equipped me to be who I am today.”

Mokapoteni broke the record for being the first Pedi rapper to record a 12-minute freestyle Pedi rap song which gained numerous downloads and gained him the creed of the king of Pedi rap. He has shared the stage with big names in the music entertainment industry like DJ Sbu, Dr Malinga, Khuli Chana and many more. 

He has been featured on Jam Alley, Club 808, YFM double up and others.

The advice he has for upcoming musicians is to never give up and always remain authentic. Always be original and believe in your talent hence you never know when your breakthrough might happen.


For more information on Mokapoteni and his music you can follow him on twitter @Mokapoteni_sa
and on YouTube at https://youtu.be/G0GmQBDs2iM

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Travel: My road trip to Venda and all you need to know when visiting Venda

-
Image
By: Gloria Masia There is something about the N1 route. Those “I’m going home” feelings that get you excited about the visit. Thinking about all the food that granny will feed you with. The trees on the sideways that looks so green and immediately you think to yourself, “I can never starve in this land”. The soil is so fertile where it produces mouth-watering, juicy fruits and vegetables. Food: Mashonzha is Mopani worms that are caught before they could transform into butterflies. It is one of their favourites. It can be cooked with tomato and onions or dried, best served with ‘vhuswa’ which is porridge. The other favourite of theirs is ‘delele’ which are greens that when cooked becomes slimy. My all-time favourite is ‘Thsidzimba’ which is a mixture of all different types of peanuts and beans cooked together, very healthy I tell you. You can eat this as breakfast, lunch or supper, it really doesn’t matter. Clothing: Do not be amazed when you bump into females who a...
Read more

The oldest yet strongest root behind our family tree

-
Image
I still remember those road trips to my home in Venda. There is just something about that N1 road that rejuvenates your soul. Its much nicer to go to Venda in December, right after the exam stresses and work closes. It’s more than just a physical trip, but an emotional and mental one. From the moment I get off the bus at the bus stop, I realise how green the trees are, “it must be this red soil” as I say to myself, while I wipe off the sweat from the sun’s heat, we all know Limpopo can sure be hot. Because my grandmother already knows that I’m on my way there when I get home I kneel down and say my greetings, as she welcomes me with a bowl full of different fruits from the yard. That is just an introduction. My grandmother was born in the year 1918 and married my grandfather at age 20 and the rest is history! She has 11 children, 26 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren at age 101. She loves to cook and I know that she has probably cooked some tradi...
Read more

Resolutions are important, so is achieving them

-
Image
We have already entered the New Year and surely by now most of us have set our resolutions for the New Year. But for how long will we keep those promises to ourselves? Probably we did set resolutions for the previous year, but some didn’t achieve them, which is the reason behind setting new ones for this year, hoping everything will turn out as we wish. But the truth is that we can achieve anything as long as we set our minds to it, long-term. However, that has never been an easier task. Let’s take for example, you want to lose weight, started January eating salads and being on a diet, but will you still be eating like that in June? Let’s be relevant here… Because it’s understandable that resolutions only last until end of January of mid-February, this piece is to remind you that you have a journey that you ought to omit to and complete.  There will be a lot of temptations that will come your way, but this year try other things you have never tried befo...
Read more