By Matṧeliso Phulane
Gospel Hip Hop artist, Tumelo Seliaene – known by his stage name T Born – is working to officially release his third studio album titled ‘The Passion’ on March 8 2023.
In a recent interview with theReporter, T Born described ‘The Passion’ as the biggest project of his life, on which he has worked with many artists, both local and foreign.
“The Passion is about giving hope to the hopeless and grieving. Some people lose their future and lives after ending up on the streets because they feel like the world has taken their most loved ones.
“So, they seek solace from the streets where they indulge in drugs and alcohol, as well as petty crimes to satisfy their addiction as they seek to escape from their depression and trauma,” T Born said.
The artist noted that in the light of these challenges, he felt the need to produce an album that will penetrate the soul of people and remind them that Jesus is there to take away all their pain. This, he hopes, will help them come to terms with their loss regardless of its magnitude.
T Born’s inspiration to fuse gospel and hip hop music comes from growing up an ardent Christian who later fell in love with hip hop.
He was raised by his grandmother in Morija, Maseru. He started his singing at a young age and released his first album, ‘Son Rise 1’, in 2017.
While in high school, his faith endured numerous challenges after the murder of his mother, which saw him turning to drugs.
This turned out to be an epoch moment; he grew up without knowing his father but he did not allow his circumstances to destroy his career. In 2019 he released his second studio album which included a song titled ‘It’s Not Right’.
“Both young and old people have shown massive support to my music; my first two albums sold in great numbers.
“I think people enjoy the content I create because they understand that there is worldly music which negatively impacts children’s choices and lives, such as images of artists smoking or singing half naked.
“Therefore, watching my music and listening to the lyrics which I speak about God means they still understand that this is the right music for our kids and for us,” T Born opined.
The support he enjoys locally culminated in T Born scooping the Best Gospel Hip Hop Artist prize in the Lesotho Gospel Music Awards in 2022.
His music has been available in hard copy and on YouTube, but the new album will also be available on iTunes as well.
