To make it as a musical artist in this day and age requires more than just talent. It is thus important that each musician captivates their audience’s soul and that the lyrics have a strong message.
For Solomon Mlungu, commonly known by his stage name Datboyfly99, it has always been his mission since picking up a pen to write music. The artist is mainly based in Kagiso and has been writing rhymes for eight years. It all started with a cellphone recording and now, after all the hard work, the rapper is reaping the rewards.
He recently took part in the Shine Your Light musical competition which saw him compete against 300 other artists. The competition was just a stepping stone that would lead to him gaining a nomination for a prestigious award.
“I registered to participate and out of 300 contestants, I came in second place. It was really close but I’m happy to have made it that far and a wonderful experience. I also got nominated for Best International Act across Africa at the AfriFame Awards which took place last month in Ghana,” Solomon said excitingly.
The AfriFame Awards is an online music award competition where up-and-coming artists can submit their work on an online platform and streamers can vote for their favourite artists in each category. Whichever song or artist gains the most votes will win an accolade in that category.
The subject matter that he puts in his music ranges from themes like love, crime, and general struggles that youth have to deal with. His favourite theme is also redemption as he referred to how Eminem inspired him.
“Despite being criticised for being a white rapper he [Eminem] defied the odds and became one of the best rappers. The genre of hip-hop allows you to tell real-life stories or address things that affect people in a community. A song can be considered therapy,” Solomon added.
With all these milestones, Solomon said his goal is to be a role model for the younger generation in his community. He will be the host of the Mogale City Music Awards in November and hopes to send a message to aspiring artists in Mogale City to let their voices be heard.
