Plotar rises above challenges to rap his way to the top
Itumeleng Maxon Mohetloa, commonly known as Plotar, is raising the bar for Limpopo rappers.
POLOKWANE – The rapper, born in Makgodu, was introduced to hip hop music at the age of 13 in 2007 and proceeded in recording his first song, Ke Kgale, the same year. It was with this very single that he took to the stage during his first performance at the Surf Roadshow in 2007. A close friend of his, S’kitchen, later introduced him to vernacular rap.
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“Before meeting S’kitchen, my raps were predominantly in English but because of him, I mainly started rapping in Sepedi,” he shared.
His newly released song, Hello my friend, is gaining momentum and is available on iTunes, Audiomack and Soundcloud. The song has already been playlisted on 26 radio stations across the country.
Plotar won the 2015 South African Arts Development Agency ( SAADA) talent search which afforded him the opportunity to work with 999 Records on an album. The single, Superman, which comes forth from the collaboration, received airplay from various radio stations including Thobela FM, Energy FM and Metro FM.
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He has worked alongside Ishmael Morabe, remixing his song titled Kaofela re batla monate and has performed at the Master Jay birthday celebration sharing a stage with artists Bucie and Candi Tsa Mandebele. “The highlight of my career thus far has to be 2015 because I was exposed to the real music industry. I experienced what I had been dreaming about all my life. I became connected in the music industry and got to see first-hand how the industry works,” he explained.
It was in 2016 however, that he went through a rough patch which served as a perserverance test.
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“The year 2016 was terrible for me. The SAADA sponsorship ended and I was just left with the knowledge I had gained to make my way forward in achieving my dreams. It was hard to pick up where SAADA left off. I had to be patient and focus on my vision to push through. I spent most of 2016 in studio recording songs. At the end of 2016, one of my friends came through and invited me to join his record label. That’s when I started promoting the song Waswa moloi,” he added.
Although he managed to persevere and rise above certain obstacles, there are some challenges that are still commissioned to artists. “Getting sponsors is a challenge, I have been rejected so many times. I had a hard time getting radio stations to playlist my music but I never stopped trying. I have had people try to discourage me from pursuing my dream. I have been told to find a job and stop doing music because I’m not good. When people told me I wasn’t good, I got discouraged but watching my peers come up from nowhere and prosper made me realise that I can do it too. People will try to pull you down and it’s up to you to rise above the negativity, especially when you truly believe in your talent,” he explained.
His future plans include starting his own Limpopo based record label as well as a public relations company.
Plotar can be contacted on all the social media platforms at Plotar-SA, via e-mail on facethemusic@gmail.com or telephonically through Mabiana at 072 930 4977.
