Artist Feature : Thabzero

A lot of emerging artists are faced with many many challenges on their come up. While some have to choose between their passion/dream and going to school, for some that choice already gets made for them by their circumstances.

For Thabiso Mkhize who's been knocked down several times, like when he had to quit his studies, head back home and find a job and after his mother passed away and he was left to fend for himself. For him,these played up as motivating factors in both his life and his creativity.

The Umlazi born rapper and actor was studying for a Diploma in Sound engineering at the Academy of Sound while staying in Eldorado park, where he relocated to after completing his matric in 2007. Because life happens, he encountered some financial difficulties which meant had to head back home.
This didn't shut him down coz here he is, still pushing.

Being from an area where the music culture is huge and where is seems Hip Hop artists from there are running the ship. With the likes of Zakwe, Nasty C and Sjava being some of the industry's major league players, Thabzero is also gunning for the captaincy.

Whats the Hip Hop scene like in Umlazi?
The Hip Hop scene in Umlazi is booming , the culture has grown amongst the year. Right now It's at its peak.
These days there are much more Hip Hop events happening such as the "Umlazi Social Market" which is hosted by Robin 3rdfloor. The new generation is highly inspired to be active in growing the culture In Umlazi, almost every weekend there's a Hip Hop show to attend, guys are producing quality music and music videos.

What are your dreams and aspirations that you'd like to achieve, within the industry?
My dreams and aspirations are that I would like to be known as the guy who made music for people. I aim at not being a celebrity but my music should be celebrated . One of my dreams is to also be mentored by gentleman such as "Dr Sipho Sthole" as he is one of the pioneers of this industry. In that way I can learn the tricks of the trade. Like Martin Luther King , I also have a "Dream" of conquering the would with my music and changing lives as well, inspire fellow kasi dwellers so that they now that its possible.

When you look at your music career in the next 4 years, what do you envision?

In the next 4 years, I see "Thabzero" being a well established brand that is associated with big brands such as Nike,adidas etc. I'm also hoping that by then i would have built relationships with major companies like Sony, Universal etc.
I'm also hoping that my label "qsectionmusic" will be a stable independent company that can assist fellow artists.
What does it mean for you to be a "proudly South African rapper"?
Being a "Proudly South African Rapper" means that'd I must be true myself, know my roots and also tell real life stories which South Africans can resonate with. It means I must speak in a language that they will understand, it may be Zulu,Xhosa,slang or pure English but my people (South Africans) need to relate and understand my massage.

In your opinion,is there unity and is unity important in the industry?
No I don't think there's unity, simply because rappers have gotten way ahead of themselves,too many ego and competing with each other. Unity is pretty vital because the grows as a collective and we will be much more appealing to the world and trust you me if were united they'd be more talent descovered and given a chance on the mainstream

If you had powers to,which SA rapper would you swap lives with
You guys want to get into trouble (Laughs), but I would certainly say L-Tido . not that I have anything against the guy but he doesnt have much of an impact as he is supposed to have and looking at people around his circle ,I'd do wonders with those. L-Tido for me doesnt have sustainability, yes he manages to come back but most of his music is short-lived. The guy is talented but i don't think in the next 20year his music wont be classical as it should be due to it not being impactual as it should, thats just me.

What do you think is the biggest huddle/challenges facing emerging rappers today?
The biggest challenge for upcoming rappers is understanding the music business because if we can understand that everything would be easier.

You think emerging rappers should have a side hustle to supplement their dream or they should completely focus on pushing their dream?
Having a side hustle is a good thing but if its in line with your career its even better.
But if it tempers with your career then its better to just focus on your dream, even with a side hustle, one should never forget the overall vision.

Whom in the industry would you like to work with one day?
I'd truly love to work with "Ruff" Nkosi, he is emtee's producer.

What's next for Thabzero?
I'm currently finalising my mix tape which will be released later this year or early next year. I called it "Game on" because my Ep was called "The First Token" which was my first attempt at the rap game and now it's game time. It's time for me to play in the field with the legendary players. There will be 12 sizzling tracks. I'm on production mosyly this time and I also have beats from Mbzet,Dj Digger, Musiholiq ,SikaBeats. In finalizing the project I'm working with Star-Yongs, Prince Devolution and SnipperAKA.
The sound I went for this time is "The best of both worlds", I have looked at what's currently in and fused that with who I am so you may find trap beats but I never compromise my metarphors,punchlines and storytelling ability. There will be a song for everyone. The overall sound is much more matured and yet easy on the ear. There's also also of the old school boombap type but I've reinvested their sound to be more 2018 and beyond, like all my music this is also a continuation of my life events.

Besides the music ,Thabzero is also an aspiring actor so people may expect to see me on TV.

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