Mzee is a rapping force

“I’m a force to be reckoned with in the music industry,” is a line from Bakhothe Mzee’s first mixtape. He is definitely a Westonaria hip-hop artist to be reckoned with.

The brain behind Bakhothe Mzee is Mzaifane Majola, a 26-year-old rapper originally from Bekkersdal who now lives in Simunye.

Mzee has been in the industry since 2003. He released his first mixtape in July, 2015 called Mzee for President.

He explained the reasoning behind the name.

I’m going to be frank, I think I can make a better president than the one we have.” Mzee is currently in studio with his second album, Mzee for President – Second Term. He said the album is due to be released in August.

The young artist defines his style has old-school hip-hop. “I’m greatly influenced by 90s hip-hop, not this new style.” He said today’s hip-hop is more focused on the lifestyle than inspiring and motivating.

As far as his lyrics go, Mzee speaks about life after the death of his father. “I rap about my personal life. I rap about life without my father. I rap about how hard life was for us when he died, how my mother struggled,” he said. Mzee also keeps singing in Zulu alive in hip-hop while also singing in English.

He was introduced to hip-hop when he moved to Simunye and went to high school.

In the kasi (township), people mostly listen to kwaito. I only really heard hip-hop in high school.”

He nostalgically spoke about his high school days when he started a group called D². They had rap battles against other groups in the school.

Not only is Mzee a powerful force in the West Rand music scene, he also makes waves in the fashion industry. Together with Phaswana Production, the label he works for, he has launched a clothing line called Bakhothe Mzee Wear. He sells branded T-shirts and caps.

His music is played on local radio stations regularly including on West Rand FM as well as Merafong FM. In terms of live shows, besides his usual shows at local venues, he has played at GoWest!, the Randfontein Color Run, and he did a mall tour with Vaseline to promote the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

This multi-talented artist writes and produces his own music. He is a believer in small beginnings because of where he comes from and he has his sights set on becoming a household name on the South African hip-hop scene.

Bakhothe Mzee’s music is available online. You can find him on Sound Cloud under Bakhothe_Mzee. Instagram: @Bakhothe_Mzee and Facebook: Bakhothe Mzee.

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