KNYSNA NEWS - Knysna hip hop musician Lwando "Nyakaza" Hlohla, who is poised to release his debut album early next year, says he wants to change the face of hip hop and make isiXhosa fashionable.
The Concordia resident, who raps in isiXhosa and English, told Knysna-Plett Herald he was trying to show other people that isiXhosa did not have to be left behind.
"Our language does not have to die. I am doing my music to promote my language. I love the use of indigenous languages, but I also use English," he said.
Hlohla says his love for music started at an early age, when he sang in church. "When I was not in church, I would be imitating the songs of Squatter Camp (a South African hip hop group)," he says. In 2010, while in high school, he released his first song, Inyani, in collaboration with Siyabonga "Ninja" Nenene.
According to Hlohla, his music is all about real life stories.
"I focus on the ability of a black child and what is expected of him by society. I emphasise that even though we are living in poverty, there are ways to get out of poverty and change our lives. My intention is to encourage young people to know they can live a better life if they believe they can. I instil confidence in them, so their background does not determine their future," he said. ''But I also do songs that just make people happy."
After collaborating with Nenene in 2010 on Inyani, they were joined by Lifa Mabhukane and Leroy Maarmane and changed the group's name to Uncut Studio, but the collective split in 2015 as Hlohla had to go to school in Durban and was no longer focusing on music. ''Since then I have focused on myself, working without a group," he says.
His life now is all about music and respecting his craft, but he is still helping the youth.
"My music is original. Working with other musicians from Knysna, we are in a process of opening a recording company that will groom young artists and guide them in the music industry," he says.
Covid-19 has given him a chance to focus on his music. ''I am prepared to suffer now and enjoy life later on."
He is currently busy with the registration of his songs.
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