Music lovers promised an audio treat
FFortune releases first studio album, Josephine, celebrating his mother.
Following the success of his EP titled Fortumatics, released in 2017, FFortune is set to release his first studio album later this year.
The Primrose resident, real name Mahlatse Ramatladi, gained traction on social media when two songs from Fortumatics blew up.
Baby Fill Up and Thought I Told Ya, were on heavy rotation on music channels such as Channel O, Trace and MTV Base.
The popularity did not stop there. FFortune discovered that his music was appreciated countrywide and was also gaining supporters in the rest of Africa.
“Receiving messages from people in Sierra Leone and parts of West Africa was exciting,” said FFortune.
“I realised that fusing Afro beats in my sound resonated with more people than I had ever anticipated.”
After realising that promoters were ducking payments all too frequently and after countless times of being promised exposure instead of actual money, FFortune took matters into his own hands.
“Dropping out of varsity to pursue this music career reminded me that I constantly had to work harder than my peers,” he said.
“I started organising and coordinating my own shows.
“This meant I could get paid for performing. To my surprise, that strategy worked.”
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Over the past two years, Fortune has launched successful music shows, in Tzaneen, his home town, and one in Johannesburg.
“The show back home is called The Fortumatics Show and the Johannesburg one is called South Side Juice.
“With these two shows, my clothing brand OTC and our production company, I am able to sustain myself.”
FFortune’s studio album will be a double disc, offering various musical elements, including trap, R&B, dance hall and West Africa-inspired Afro beats, all fused into an audio treat for listeners.
A number of songs will be accompanied by audio-visuals produced in-house, and the entire album will be completed under his record label, 7Sixty5 Entertainment.
“The album will be titled Josephine, that’s my mother’s name,” said FFortune.
“She’s always supported my dream and constantly urged me to pursue it fully if that’s what made me happy.
“I think she would be proud of me had she been alive today.”
Josephine will feature a number of producers, such as Marlo The Wicked Producer, a producer from Sierra Leone whom FFortune has entrusted with Afro beats compilations, Smirk, KC Slate and KV 8.
“I am a self-taught marketer and with the help of social media platforms I’ve been able to gain continental support, which will all be beneficial in the future.”
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His first single off Josephine is This One and That One, released on Thursday (March 28, 2019).
Fans in North West will be the first to get a taste of what FFortune has to offer with this album when he kick-starts his countrywide tour, Huzla By Profezzion, in the province on Saturday.
“Huzla By Profezzion is a prelude to hopefully a continental tour one day,” said FFortune.
“I am confident that my label mates and I will be well received in all provinces.
“We’re especially looking forward to Durban, the outreach has been insane from supporters that side.”
The tour will skip Limpopo and Gauteng as FFortune already hosts annual music shows in these provinces.
Find FFortune on social media, FFortune Afrika on Facebook, Twitter @FFortune_Afrika, Instagram fortue_da_fortch.
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