Young rapper Kane Keid had a productive 2024 and is hoping to build on that in 2025. Picture: Supplied
It’s that time where people reflect on the year they’ve had and very few upcoming rappers in South Africa had a year like the one Kane Keid experienced.
“It’s been a very interesting year because a lot happened this year, things I thought would take me four or five years to achieve,” the rapper, whose real name Lonwabo Nkhoesa, told The Citizen.
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The 21-year-old saw his rise in 2024 within the local hip hop landscape through the buzz he’s created with videos of him freestyling that have gone viral.
Not only was he getting attention from local fans of the genre, but prominent people on a global scale have also been impressed by Kane Keid’s skill.
US producer Timbaland and former basketball player Shaquille O’Neal are part of an international audience that shared and reacted to his videos.
“It’s been about a lot of growth, it’s been a crazy year. Back in Jan [sic] I wouldn’t have thought I would be in this position I’m in right now,” he said.
The position? The young rapper acknowledges that he’s still on the rise but confidently says, “my name is recognised. It’s not only recognised in the ‘up and coming’ stage but also the mainstream stage.”
“International legends like Timbaland know my name and my work. I think I’m in a position where I can either capitalise off of this or just let it break me and my plan is not to let it break me,” he said.
There was a video of him rapping over a beat by US rapper Benny The Butcher that went viral. “The Benny feature was just a catalyst of the whole thing because, after that, everything just shot up.”
The video reached the US rapper, who was coincidentally booked to perform in Johannesburg at the Back to The City hip hop festival in October.
“His team reached out to me. It was all organic and it just came from Benny’s team and Benny himself.”
“It’s really inspiring, inspiring for the kid that I represent. As a self-proclaimed leader of the new school, I want to make sure that everybody that follows me, believes in me and supports me and understands that this is all possible. That it takes dedication, hard work and loving the craft.”
The rapper who hails from Tembisa said he started recording at the age of 14 and only began putting out the music around 17.
Kane Keid is part of a generation of young artists who are careful about signing a deal with a major record label; preferring to do things independently, which gives him creative and financial freedom.
“I feel like I still have a lot to build, I still have a lot to do for my brand as myself. So that when I sign, when that day comes, I will have leverage to say this is what I provide,” said the young artist.
His music is released independently in collaboration with a distribution company. Explaining his thinking behind this Kane Kied said:
“I mean, for the past few years we’ve seen what record companies did to artists. How artists walk away from label deals with either nothing or less than what they initially were meant to have.”
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He describes himself as a leader of new school rap because he believes no one is currently doing what he is; providing skillful writing in his raps associated with old-school hip hop and balancing that with modern catchy beats.
“I didn’t come into the scene doing the latest trend. I came into the game rapping; rapping about real stuff that everybody can relate to, telling stories through words.”
His taste in hip hop is a combination of new school and old school artists, but with the common thread of high level of rapping. His inspirations include ProKid, J.Cole and Lupe Fiasco to mention a few.
His name pays homage to US veteran rapper Big Daddy Kane. “I took the ‘Kane’ from Big Daddy Kane as those artists that influenced me. The ‘Keid’ was just a Kid, I took from an artist called Kyle,” he said.
If 2024 was the year Kane Kied laid his foundation in the industry, 2025 will be pivotal for him to build on that and cement his place in the industry.
“It’s very crucial for me to make important moves next year because that will be the year that determines if I stay in this journey and prove to be what I say I am or I just fall back and be completely forgotten.”
He is preparing to release an EP in the first half of the year in 2025 and has a couple of feature appearances in the pipeline.
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