By Mosa Matela
Listeners will on October 13 be blessed with soulful rapping over eccentric beats by none other than local artistes, Thlol. and Ntatao.
“U ntso koatile le hona tje?” is a collaborative tape filled with crisp and groovy melodies that are meant to give listeners a glimpse into the minds of both artists.
Leboto Moshoeshoe – professionally known as Ntatao – is the primary lyricist on this tape, whilst Thlolo Molapo – professionally known as Thlol. – is the audio engineer behind the beats.
The artists have channelled their melancholic life experiences, as well as their anger towards certain occurrences in their lives and surroundings, into this body of work. It offers listeners an opportunity to engage with raw and authentic music.
Asked about the inspiration behind this mixtape, both artists allowed us to get a glimpse of the individuality in their crafts.
“I usually write from a point of affliction and essentially rid myself of the negative energy I would usually dwell in, by using music as an outlet,” Moshoeshoe said.
He noted that he answers himself through his mixtapes, and is therefore able to find solutions and healing in each of his bodies of work.
Molapo on the other hand, found his inspiration in his music history class. “My flash drive malfunctioned and I lost all of my previous work. This gave me a unique challenge to try create beats that aren’t similar to my usual style.
“During my music history class, I went over 80’s funk, city pop and bubble-gum music. We also went through apartheid era protest songs. All of this inspired my sound as I was then motivated to use my music as an outlet as well, and express my anger towards social issues in the country through my craft,” he said.
They will be releasing “Pristine Prose” – a single from their mixtape today, and urge listeners to tune in and enjoy.
The artists have been in the game for quite some time now, and have a number of pieces to show their contribution to the ever-developing local music industry.
Moshoeshoe has made Lesotho proud, as his talent has allowed him to feature on ads and shows; had him charting on apple music with his last mixtape and has scored him features on “Freestyle Friday” on Channel O.
When asked about his proudest achievement, he responded: “I think my greatest achievement would be reaching this level of consistency. I would struggle with finishing bodies of work and now I’ve reached a stage where I cannot only work on demand, but I can ensure that my projects reach completion.”
He sees this as a way to feed his inner child as entertainment has been his passion since he was young.
The artists indicated that they wouldn’t mind working together again but stressed they would have to establish a connection in order to understand each other better as individuals and in turn as artists with their own respective crafts.
Moshoeshoe is planning on releasing a mixtape next year and is urging listeners to stay tuned for any announcements concerning this project as details will be released towards the end of the year.
Both their music is available on Soundcloud, Apple Music and Spotify.
