Ku-album yakhe yesibili, leligama layo kunguManando, umrepha locavile waseNingizimu Africa, Emtee, utfola liphimbo lakhe.
Imphumelelo yakhe Emtee solo akayitsembi namanje. “I still can’t believe I’ve been able to acquire that amount of accolades,” kusho Emtee atjela Sandile Ntshingila, i-presenter yaka MTV Base. Bahleli ehhotela lelisembili eRosabank, eJohannesburg. Bacoca ngale-album lensha yaEmtee phambi kwelibandla lebantfu labangalinganiselwa ekhulwini. Kulelibandla kunetintsatseli, bahlabeleli labanye naletinye tihlabani taku mabonakudze.
“So much that I don’t think it’s gonna happen again. Not that I’m doubting myself or my team. I feel like Desmond Tutu, ‘pinch me, let it happen again,’” kusho Emtee ngemphumelelo yakhe ya2016.
Malicedza kuhleka lalakushoko libandla, Emtee ubonga i-Ambitiouz Entertainment, inkampani yemculo lasayine kuyo.
Sihleli nje sonkhe la, sekusele ema awa lam’balwa iphume i-album yaEmtee ku iTunes, Google Play, Deezer, nato tonkhe titolo temculo letitfolakala ku-internet. Manando ngulenye yema album lagadvwe ngemehlo labovu lonyaka emculweni waseMzansi. I-Ambitouz Entertainment isimeme sonkhe kutsi sibe bekucala kulalela Manando.
Ekhatsi ebandleni letimenywa, kukhona make wemntfwana waEmtee, ligama lakhe lekunguAvery. Emtee wayetsa ngeligama lakhe lomntfwana i-album yakhe yekucala.
Manje kudlawa tingoma letiphuma kuManando. Ntshingila naEmtee badzingidza ngayinye ngayinye ingoma embi kwetimenywa. Ruff, umkhiciti wetingoma taEmtee letinengi, uhleli eceleni kwaso sihlabani.
Noma nje angumhlabeleli lodvumile, Emtee ubuye abengumuntfu lonemahloni. Cishe lonkhe live liyakwati loko. Emnyakeni lowendlulile, Emtee wawina tindzebe letine kumaMetro FM Awards–ngaphasi kwe Best Music Video, Best Hip Hop Album, Best Remix ne Listener’s Choice Award. KuTwitter akatrendelanga nje kuwina kuphela, kodvwa nenkhulumo yakhe yekwamukela tindzebe takhe.
Babukeli bebahlekiswa kutsi lomhlabeleli uhlala akhotsa umlomo wakhe makakhuluma. Labanye baze batsi timshayile. Kantsi Emtee wake watjela intsatseli yeSABC 1 Pearl Modiadie kutsi, “Most of the time when I’m nervous, I run out of saliva, and I feel like my lips are dry.”
Namanje lasikhona, Emtee uwukhotsa awukhotsile umlomo. Ubye awusule ngesandla. Uhleli ungcebelekile esitulweni sakhe, buso bakhe abukhombisi kutsi utiva kanjani–akaheki, akamoyiteli, kantsi futsi akakwati.
Ntshingila ucala inkhulumo yabo ngekubuta lomhlabeleli kutis ngabe ungumuntfu lonjani makase khaya. “When I’m with my son, let’s say for a weekend, I’m sober,” uyaphendvula, tife luhleko timenywa. Sinye simenywa siyamemeta sibuta kutsi ngabe yini lalatidzakwa ngayo. Imphendvulo yakhe: “You know what I’m on.”
Emtee uyatiwa kutsi utinatsela i-sizzurp, njengawo onkhe ema-trapper. Kantsi yena ubuye abe yi-trapper lecavile eMzansi.
Avery waba yi-album yekucala ye-trap eMzansi kuphumelela ngeluhlobo leyaphumelela ngalo. Yakhicita tingoma teludvumo letifana nabo “Roll Up”, “Pearl Thusi”, “Winning”, “Five-0” naletinye letimbadlwana. Yaze yatsengisa i-platinum. Yamuwinisa indzebe yeBest Hip-Hop Album kumaSouth African Music Awards.
Avery yi-album leyatfusa labanengi, le incumbi yabo beyicabanga kutsi i-“Roll Up” kwaba yinhlanhla kutsi iphumelele. Emtee naye bekangayitsandzi lengoma ekucaleni. Wake watjele babukeli ku-SABC 1 kutsi yingoma leyacanjwa ngesikhatsi itfwetjulwa.
Ngako-ke bekungasiyo ingoma leveta likhona lakhe lonkhe lomhlabeleli. Ikakhulukati kulabo bebangazange sebawuve umculo waEmtee ku-EP yakhe yanga2015 lebitwa ngekutsi yi-D.I.Y. Nalabo bebangazange sebamuve ahlabela nelicembu lakhe le 4Front ngemnyaka wa2011.
I-“Roll Up” bekudidiyelwe tingoma letifana ne “CoCo” ya O.T Genasis, ne “We Dem Boys” yaWiz Khalifa. Kodvwa ludvumo lwayo lwenta kwangabi lula kuyigceka.
Kona emva kwekuba AKA na Wizkid bahlabela naye ku-remix yayo, kwavele kwaba kutseleka catsatsa kwaEmtee emculweni. Kuso sona leso sidvumo, Emtee watfola i-nomination kumaBET ngaphasi kweViewer’s Choice Award: Best New International. Kuleso sikhatsi Emtee beseka sihlabani, hhayi nje umrepha waku-SoundCloud.
I-“Roll Up” yawina i-Record of the Year kumaSouth African Music Awards.
Bahlabeleli labahloniphekile labafana nabo-AKA, Burna Boy, Riky Rick, Donald, DJ Cleo, Naak Musiq nalabanye bam’dvumisela Emtee ngemculo wakho.
Watifola asebenta nabomrepha labacocodzele, Stogie T na MaE, labamfaka kuma-album abo. Evesini nase-chorusini lakhe ku-“By Any Means” yaStogie T, Emtee bekungatsi uyabukisa.
Le-album yakhe lensha Manando ibusiswa sihlabani saseNigeria Tiwa Savage kanye nebahlabeleli be-Ambitiouz Entertainment Sjava, Saudi naNjabulo. Ruff, umkhiciti lomkhulu weAvery, nguye umkhiciti lomkhulu kuManando, Koja labanye bakhiciti – bo Lunatik, Tweezy, BizBoy, Christa, naCokayn Beats bakhicita tingoma letim’balwa.
AKA, ku-essay layibhalela i-website i-The Plug, etinyangeni letendlulile, wadvumisela Emtee ngekuba ngumumye webahlabeleli labam’balwa baseMzansi laba ngubo makoya. “Look at Emtee for instance,” AKA wabhala watsi, “yes [his music is] trap-influenced, but what is it really? It’s the story of a young man in Africa, speaking his lingo, pushing his own sound, well-written songs about how far he’s come, and where he’s going.”
Luhambo lwaEmtee emphilweni nasemculweni luyakhutsata. Ungumunye wabomrepha labam’balwa labatitfola banotsile ngenca yemculo wabo eMzansi. Wakhulela elokishini laseTembisa, kantsi ekhaya kubo kuse makhaya eMatatiele, e-Eastern Cape.
Eminyakeni lemibalwa leyendlulile Emtee bekazabalaza njengelinyenti labomrepha laba nelitsemba lemphumelelo emculweni. Kodvwa namuhla sewunenkampani yakhe lebitwa i-ATM (African Trap Music). Usacedza kusayina umculi wakhe wekucala Sims.
Sewungene nasemabhizinisini, unemasheya kunkampani yetjwala i-AU Gold Vodka.
Lomculi uyati kutsi luhambo lwakhe luyakhutsata, kungako uhlala asicocela galo ngeticephu, etinkhulumeni takhe makamukela ema-award nasetingomeni takhe. Ku-“Platinum”, ingoma yekucala kuManando, urepha atsi, “Same lame from the village/ Now I’m worth a couple millions.”
“If you don’t believe in dreams, look at me, man. I’m living proof of that dreams do come true,” kwasho Emtee makamukela yinye yetindzebe takhe kumaMetro FM Awards nyakenye. Watjela tibukeli nesive lebesibukele kumabona kudze kutsi makasa zabalaza bekagcoka i-All Star yinye leyaguga “till it didn’t exist.”
“I walked the whole of Joburg hustling,” washo. “There was a point when I didn’t have shoes. I borrowed shoes from one of my homies. Now I got like 60 pairs. This right here was the shit I was praying for, day and night. Y’all better stay praying. And if you don’t believe me, dreams do come true. My name is Emtee, believe it or not, I’m from a village out there called Matatiele. So a lot of the things that are happening to me are new to me.”
Tingoma letifana ne-“We Up”, “Dreams,” “Where Were You,” letiku-Avery, ngulapho Emtee alandzisa ngenhlupheko landlule kuyo angaka phumeleli.
Ku-album lensha uyachubeka futsi ngekulandzisa leto tinhlupheko, etingomeni letifana ne-“Platinum,” “Ghetto Hero,” “My OG,” “Emazweni” kanye ne “Take Flight”.
KuManando kulapho khona Emtee atfola liphimbo lakhe khona. Ku-Avery bekulula kuva kutsi bobani bahlabeleli lakabalalelako. Kodvwa kuManando akahlabelisi ngisho kwamunye umhlabeleli lokhona. Ubhica i-afropop, i-R&B ne-trap. Ubuye angasebentisi i-Auto Tune njengencumbi yebalingani bakhe ku-trap.
Tonkhe tingoma letingamashumi lamabili timnandzi. Ayivakali nebudze le-album ngendlela lemnandzi ngayo.
Uchazela Ntshingila kutsi Manando uhluke ku-Avery ngoba urepha kancono kuManando. “Last year, a lot of people said I couldn’t rap, so I worked on my raps. And I’m still trappin’–talking about i’nkinga zasekasi over trap beats,” kusho lomhlabeleli. Mhlawumbe kurepha kwakhe akukho ecophelweni lelisetulu nganga laStogie T noma Reason, kodvwa kuyachazana, etingomeni “My Crown”, “My OG”, “Take Flight”. Uvakala atetsemba, futsi tinhlavu temagama tiphuma kahle ngaphandle kwenkinga.
Kodvwa indlela lalandzisa ngayo indzaba ya Manando kulengoma lenesihloko lesifanako, imnandzi kwendlula yonkhe intfo layentako kuManando. Kulengoma, Emtee usicocela ngaManando, lijaha lelidzala lasekasi lelamkhulisa.
Ntshingila ubuta Emtee kutsi ngabe Manando ukhona yini lapha esicukwini setimenywa. Emtee uyamtjela kutsi cha Manando wasishiya emhlabeni ngemyaka wa-2011. “I’m from the hood, man, people die everyday,” kusho Emtee emva kwekuba Ntshingila amlilele. Naye Emtee utsi wasindza ekufeni ngoba akasahlali elokishini.
Kepha Manando akusiye yedvwa webangani baEmtee labasishiya labahlonipha ngetingoma kule-album. Ingoma lelusizi letsi “R.I.P Swati” yabhalelwa SK, lowaye abitwe ngaSwati King.
“There are two people who propelled my career,” kuchaza Emtee. “That is Ruff and SK aka Swati King. They were the OGs, they had a studio downtown Jozi. SK was the first person to say, ‘get in the booth, let’s see what you about.’ And from that day on, I didn’t play, I took every chance. Swati got sick and passed away.”
Utsi “Ghetto Hero” wabhalelwa SK na Manando. “Those are my ghetto heroes,” kusho lomrepha. “I was highly protected by them. Those were the people I was thinking of.”
Kwamanje Emtee utsi kunengi lokutako lasaku sebenta. Ucala ngekutsi sewujayiva ncono makase-stage kani futsi sewukhicita nema-beats.
“I wanna progress,” usho akhuluma ngema-beats akhe. “Like Dre, still taking my time to perfect the beat. So me as a producer is gonna come at a later stage. So I make beats. If you want beats, holler at me, man. I even give them out for free. I’m a come-up producer, so I just give homies beats for free.”
- Written by Sabelo Mkhabela
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