A Rustenburg Hip Hop conversation cannot be had without the mention of Dox DeezoL. He is among the few that has been making major moves in and outside the city and representing it the over the years. Dox, whose real name is Edwin April began his music career in his teen years and acquired much popularity then as his brand was widespread throughout the Rustenburg area.
He has always been on the go from early on and his track record speaks volumes. His persistence and drive has seen him move from Rustenburg to Pretoria to Joburg and making the biggest moves in each city.
From as early as Grade 10 Dox was already getting radio play and interviews. Some of his proudest moments includes a 30 minutes long launch of his EP on Motsweding FM, getting featured on two compilation projects by HipHopLiveSA with artists like Proverb, RashidKay and PDotO. Dox has also done many event and brand activations in Rustenburg and surroundings. He's also been a regular on Metro FM since 2019 and he debuted his latest single "Money Call" on "Absolute Hip Hop " with Dj Speedsta.
"Money Call" is an athem and my journey. Its also a personal wake up call for me as a businessman. Its about knowing your worth and knowing which money calls to pick up or which to ignore. I was just tired of all the "money moves" i was making yet still no money generated. Being around people with money yet they'd be wanting free service. I had to discipline myself. Stop chasing things and people I can live without. Because at the end of the day, money runs the world."
Perhaps his biggest flex is launching his music in clubs like Stones,Uncle Faouzi or Tipsy as an independent and up and coming artist, or maybe getting DJ Lemonka's attention and recognition but it is definately getting "Ghetto Product" Clothing off the ground, solo.
The inspiration behind the brand is both profound and well thought out, it goes beyond just the clothing.
"We have many people born in the ghetto and only a few make it. Most of the people who made it out of the ghetto aren't portrayed well. They may be labelled sell outs. That picture then gets passed on to the kids who are watching. They then grow up believing that making it out the Ghetto is wrong. They grow with the mentality that, being born in a ghetto and dying in a ghetto is how it should end.
I want that to change, so when they see every ghetto product (Patrice Motsepe or 50 Cent) on TV, newspaper or wherever, they should know that they are all from one product, which is a Ghetto"
Dox was very intentional with the branding of his merchandise and the messages it carries. The brands' first motto is "The City is the Mission"
And this is because "nobody belongs in the Ghetto, but its all on you to change that. People often realise how sick they are of the Ghetto when there's things like load shedding or sewage drainage happens and takes forever to get fixed. Sometimes, its when something bad happens that they then wanna leave.
Now, when you are in the city, you dont have a choice but to wake up every morning and make a plan so those bills get paid. That's where being cornered by the reality to make money gets real. You don't have a choice but to think money.
The pressure of the ghetto and the city is different of course, but at the end of the day we are all trapped. Its a matter of choosing a better struggle and the environment counts."
Dox goes on to explain the second part of the Ghetto Product motto "Every Cent Counts" as follows
"Its dry in the ghetto. Everyone is hungry. Everyone is hustling everyone. In simple terms, being broke is a lifestyle in the Ghetto. It could either be because of the system or they are waiting for someone to rescue them and both cases are sad cases because the system often doesnt care about the Ghetto and its every man for himself and this is when its imperative to count every cent because every cent counts" 
Dox has over 10 years in the music industry as an indpendent artist and on the other hand, he's new on the business front but he says they are both relatively the same and should both be approached with a business mindset
"I had to study the game very well and make the environment i was at to work to my advantage. There's a saying that goes "Your network is your Net worth."
Working at a night club was both an eye oppener and a priceless learning opportunity for the rapper. "I knew then that the music platform is a business. I went to the drawing board and started taking notes from the real creators of this lifestyle.
Watching the making of some of the artists who are now thick in the game unfold in front of his eyes, he took notes.
"This is a business like any other. I made sure i was out to attend relevant events and hit the VIPs to socialize. I became friends with event organisers, DJs and bouncers of almost every night club in Pretoria and Johannesburg. That was the worth that i used to also go into events after realising that i only needed a venue and sound because everything else i already had. I got to learn to use my network to my benefit."
With both his music and his clothing line, Dox says he tries to remind himself where he comes from and why he started in the first place. "That helps to keep going especially when there's challenges making things a lil harder."
Like any other business venture, there are sacrifices that have to be made. As much as moving away from home has been a winning move for him, going back sometimes is a bitter juice to swallow.
He says the hustle is different when you understand it because what's shown at the end, might have taken different turns and time to be a final product and many people don't get that.
"Its a long process and that requires time. After getting booked, the money is then used for such thing as rent, studio time and other life and hustle expenses.
Now, you end up having nothing left unless you put in more work. More work means more time needed and spent on the hustle (The City).
This results in you being away from home for some time. When you come back, your moms is aging, child getting older. You realize it with how tall they get every time you come around.
Sadly, you come home to recharge from the hustle and the brokenness that comes with tryna make money, but everyone home is hungry and they have been seeing you on the internet and TV with expensive bottles. They are not with you behind the scenes when you call someone to help you with a budget for a certain project or for gas or rent.They just see someone they saw on the music video and i suppose that's the cross i have to carry now so that i dont carry it later."
In 2020, Dox released songs such as BTownDream, Hustlers’ Ambition and Vibe O’Clock and their music videos respectively. 2020 also saw the birth of a business venture in the form of Ghetto Product, which in essence is a brand that celebrates and validates all the ghetto products of Mzansi and encourages them to dream bigger and beyond.
Besides the clothing line (which compises of t-shirts, hoodies, long and short sweatpants and hats) being worn by the rapper himself and many of his customers, Ghetto Product has since been worn by people like Fifi Cooper, Scoop Makhathini, Dj Jawz , Itumeleng Khune and Emtee Records members. 
Money Call launch kicked of in Pretoria at Capello Sunnyside and Jack Budha. Also made appearances at Uptown Shishanyama in Rustenburg. He's now headed to Tipsy in Melville on the 26th of August. All this is the lead up to the drop of his EP "Persistence".
His has been a long journey and he stays firmly on it . Still never forgetting and forever putting his city on, Dox Deezol has the consistency and resilience that can't be bought and it seems to be his power move.
#MoneyCall is set to drop digitally any day now. Stay locked on his social media platforms to peep the link when it drops:
FacebookPage: Dox DeezoL||Ghetto Product
Twitter: @doxdeezol || @ghetthoproductza
@Tan89Media
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