Local records first track
Benonian Senamile Ndlazi (21) dreams of one day making a difference to the youth through his music.
Ndlazi, who is a third year student reading towards a BCom degree in Transport Economics, at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), released a song entitled Alfa Omega.
Ndlazi said listeners described his song as a “hit”, said it has “great potential”, that it’s “catchy”, and “dope”.
Drawing his inspiration from his life experiences and growing up on various parts of the East Rand, he has been able to vocalise the challenges he had to face and the influential people who contributed to his life through his music.
Apart from being a rapper, Ndlazi has hopes of one day owning a trucking company.
Why did you choose the name XO_9/11 as your rapper/stage name?
Well I married my second name, Xolani (XO) with my mother’s birth date, which is 9/11 (September 11).
For how long have you been rapping?
I have been rapping for about five years.
When I saw 8 Mile for the first time, Marshall Mathers (Eminem) told his story through music and conquered his city.
He inspired me to do the same.
Who are some of your favourite rappers and what makes you different from them?
AKA, Cassper Nyovest, K.O, Nasty C and BlackLez, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Drake, Kanye West, Eminem and Raury.
In terms of originality, my life experiences are what go into my lyrics.
How did you feel when you first recorded your first track?
It was a proud moment for me. I listened to those verses for months on end.
I felt content with myself, felt like I was finally chasing my personal legend.
What do you hope to achieve with your music?
I want to inspire the youth.
The youth on the East Rand are talented, the only problem is the lack of support from the community itself.
As artists, academics and young people we do not show enough commitment to each other.
Artists from other provinces conquer Johannesburg, yet we are a couple of minutes from the city of dreams, but only a few are realising those dreams.
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