Ichu relates odyssey in music career
’MAPALO NKHELOANE
MASERU – A 26-year-old Qacha’s Nek-based R’nB and Hip Hop artiste Ichu says being an artiste in a remote district is difficult.
Lack of musical resources such as recording studios, he says, presents a huge challenge to artistes in Qacha’s Nek.
He indicates sometimes they just opt to cross the border to Matatiele just to make things happen.
Born Sebongile Cekwane, the aspiring artiste is the founder of a music crew called BBM Ka Lapeng, short for Bana ba Mofu, as per the norm that residents of Qacha’s Nek are referred to as ‘Bana ba mofu Makhaola’.
Originally, they were a theatre group before they diverged into music in a crew comprising artistes such as Catna, Lilly, Vicd Victor.
Ichu says his passion for hip hop music was fuelled by Kommanda Obbs, a Sesotho hip hop artiste who founded the popular group ‘D2-A-majoe’.
He says he was not aware that the industry exists in Lesotho until he heard Kommanda Obbs on radio and he was amazed at how he made Sotho rap sound so stylish and fresh.
The year 2019 brought great things for Ichu.
He is a part of a cypher of the renowned music group MIP and has already recorded his verses.
“I have also been featured by one of the biggest artistes in Qacha’s Nek, Speech Third CODE, who is a member of the crew called 3rd CODE that falls under Tip Toe music.
“As we speak, we are done with the recording of the track and we are working on its music video that is being shot by Weso Entertainment on a track is called All Night produced by Speech Beats,” Ichu explains.
Ichu says the challenges he faces as an artiste that is only growing include getting bookings which is proving to be hard.
He emphasises that this is mainly because opportunities in the entertainment industry are reserved for people with connections.
“It is a sad reality that for your music to get airplay you should be friends with radio presenters. Everything works sorely on connections, not on whether an artiste is talented or not. We shall forever remain on the same ground if this tendency continues but I have not lost hope at all – part of me is still adamant that things will change for the better,” Ichu says.
