adminBongani Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
SOUTH Africa’s hip hop superstar Khuli Chana says he plans to celebrate his 10 years in the music industry in Bulawayo, a city that introduced him to the genre in the 90s during visits to relatives when he was a teenager. The Tswa Daar hit-maker said it was befitting to celebrate his achievements in the City of Kings because he always wanted to perform in Bulawayo which introduced him to hip hop when he was 15-years-old.
“I’m planning to have my celebrations in Bulawayo sometime soon. The city is close to me as I’ve family in Zimbabwe, from my grandmother’s side.
“I was introduced to hip hop in 1998 when I visited my cousin in Bellevue. We used to spend time listening to Mos Def, Common and Lost Boyz and that’s when I got hooked to hip hop. “I started composing my songs from then and never looked back,” said Chana.
The artiste, who has been rapping since the late 90s, only broke into the music scene in 2009 with his album Motswakoriginator which had hits such as Hape and Freshe.
Turning to Zimbabwe hip hop, Chana said he was keen to work with artistes such as Stunner on his upcoming album.
“I met Stunner in Dallas, Texas recently. He seemed like a very interesting artiste and is someone I’d like to work with,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to coming there to record songs with other artistes as I want this album to feature a lot of collaborations with Zimbabwean artistes.”
Chana said hip hop had grown significantly in South Africa.
“It’s amazing how hip hop in our country was at one point seen as lame, whack, fake, with the artistes being criticised and labelled American wannabes. But now, it’s the main thing in South Africa, hip hop is the number one genre,” he said.
With perseverance, Chana paved way for fellow artistes, Cassper Nyovest, AKA and K.O who are now popularising the hip hop genre in Africa.
“I’m really excited to have paved the way for other artistes such as Cassper, AKA and K.O. Cassper is selling platinum and this is inspiring. I’ve never seen the new generation of rappers as a threat, but as people I could learn something from,” said Chana.
The artiste, who was shot in his home country two years ago in a case of mistaken identity, urged fans to watch his latest music video 9shots that gives a glimpse of what he went through after he was shot.
He said the video was a way of recovering from the hurt caused by the shooting.
“The video was a part of my healing process. Ever since I released the video, I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders,” said Chana.
Reflecting on his 10 years in the music industry, Chana said he had grown as a musician.
“I’ve grown as a musician and I’m now able to give back to the industry by helping my friends with their careers. I want to thank the group Morafe, Towdee Mac and KG for being that force that created a brotherhood. I wouldn’t be here without them as they taught me a lot,” said Chana.
“I’d like to thank my fans as I couldn’t be here without them and still be relevant.”
Online Reporter