WITH determination and a desire to constantly improve his skills as a rapper, Teboho Sokopo from Jeffreys Bay plans to release his first mixtape in the near future.<\/p>\n
It is his hope to use his experience to help other artists in the region achieve their dreams. <\/p>\n
Sepoko\u2019s love for rapping started at the age of seven af-ter listening to music by rapper, Tupac Shakur, with his elder brother, Zolani Sokopo.<\/p>\n
His brother, however, was involved with gang activity in the area and spent more time in prison than he did with his family.<\/p>\n
Sokopo was never interested in the bad elements in his area, instead, he focused on improving himself and bettering the lives of people around him.<\/p>\n
He says during his childhood he mainly concentrated on his schoolwork and rapping.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learnt from my brother\u2019s deeds. His life-story has influenced my music, but I never wanted to get involved with adverse activities. I believe that if something does not develop or improve me, I do not see the use of being a part of it,\u201d says Sokopo.<\/p>\n
The dedicated rapper attributes his ability to stay focused and away from all the bad in his area to his late mother, Thobeka Sokopo, who died in 2009.<\/p>\n
At the age of 10 years, Sokopo (known by stage name Keemo Bankz) and his friend, Musa Peter, began rapping freestyle and recording themselves on cassette tapes for fun.<\/p>\n
He says he did not realise the impact music would have on his life and his career.<\/p>\n
Sokopo started his full-time rapping career in 2011 and with hard work and dedication recorded his first song, Money Bag, in his bedroom. He released it on various digital platforms in 2017.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, he released his debut Extended Play (EP) titled, Trap Bible, and his four-track EP, Roses From The Trap.<\/p>\n
Sokopo is currently working on his debut mixtape, Trapped in my thoughts, which will be released later this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI rap about life in general and the pain I have experienced. I also rap about having fun, because we need to have fun no matter how hard life hits us. I believe that you cannot have fun if you do not create it for yourself.\u201d <\/p>\n
Two singles which will feature on the mixtape, Pressure II and Smoke Beef were released earlier this year on various digital selling platforms.<\/p>\n
Sokopo says that Pressure II highlights the pressure he felt doing everything by himself, but still receiving disapproval from other artists.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am a verified artist on every relevant selling platform and lyrics websites. I was able to do well in the music industry by putting pressure on myself despite receiving criticism from many,\u201d he states.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very eager to learn more about the music industry and my curiosity has helped me to achieve a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a bid to help other artists, Sokopo founded his own record label, JBAY Summer Records LLC, in 2011. This was done to assist local artists to upload their music online.<\/p>\n
Sokopo believes there are many talented artists in his area, but, unfortunately, they do not know much about the industry and are, therefore, not able to pursue their dreams.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to using the label for more artists and teach them what I know about music and the business industry.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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