Simphiwe Mtshali, also known as Emcee S Master, is rebranding his hustle and is set to make waves in the local hip-hop scene.
Once a genre-specific producer specialising in hip-hop, now Simphiwe is pushing boundaries and mixing beats for all types of artists dabbling in various genres.
“I started rapping at the age of 12,” Simphiwe recalled.
“In 2009, I formed a group with a friend of mine, we used to freestyle, not over beats or anything, just straight a cappella.”
From those glorious days, rhyming about daily life in KwaZulu-Natal, Simphiwe aspired to launch a career in music, and he moved to the city of gold.
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The Elandsfontein resident arrived in Germiston in 2012 with a dream to reach new musical heights and he has been unstoppable ever since.
“Philani ‘Sequence’ Mkhwanazi and I met just after I arrived in Germiston and based on our musical interests we started a record label,” said Simphiwe.
Three Million Records started off with just a laptop, headphones and two youngsters determined to make it in the South African music scene.
Fast forward to 2019, though Philani is no longer part of the record label, Simphiwe now owns a fully equipped studio boasting some of his favourite instruments, such as the keyboard and guitar.
“Over the years I realised I had to be versatile in my craft,” said Simphiwe.
“I would market my music on social media and still drop off demos at local radio stations, but that was never enough. I soon realised although I am a talented rapper, people came to me because of my ability to produce quality music, and that is now the primary focus of my business.”
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With his recently released track, titled Khuzani Umalume, featuring Durbanite Skype T, Simphiwe has ventured into popular KZN music craze Gqom.
“The Gqom track has earned me social media success and a little bit of fame back home, as it was playlisted on a local radio station in New Castle and gained a lot of traction,” he said.
“This gave me more confidence to try out different genres.”
Future plans for the blooming producer include shooting a music video for his single, I’m a Star, which features Skype T and SP.
Though he knows he will one day retire from being a rapper and focus on producing music, Simphiwe is still passionate about songwriting and says he cannot overlook incorrectly phrased words or idioms used by the artists he records.
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“I’m a perfectionist,” he said.
“When an R&B artist, a rapper or an Afro-soul singer walks into the studio I do everything in my power to ensure their lyrics make sense and that they reach their full potential in both the writing and recording process.
Together we make beautiful music.”
Find Simphiwe on social media @EmceeMaster on twitter, ThreemillionRecords Mzansi on Facebook and @threemillionrecords Instagram.
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