“For us, the youth in the township, music has become a culture from which we cannot be separated. Our life is music, and music is our life.”
These words came from a student teacher at a local school in Tshikota, Omphulusa Tshililo, who is a word-slayer or wordsmith practising in the hip hop genre.
“I discovered music as a toddler, playing around at home, listening to my elders playing good music and singing along,” he said. “However, I started taking music more seriously when I was in Grade 8. The beats and lyrics started ringing louder in my head, so that I had to pay attention.”
Tshililo and classmates would have a music contest during free periods and sometimes after school right in the schoolyard. “I was always the winner, even though most songs that we rendered were those of big and famous artists,” he said.
During those days, he had an opportunity to record and present to the people songs such as U do mpfuna nga swili. Together with other artists, they teamed up as Steezfam and recorded the hit Murder.
“It was J Smash, Batondy and Skillowbeats,” he said. “I was working with artists who knew their story. At a later stage in my life, music accompanied me through high school and slipped in through the university gates with me.”
He made himself popular with songs such as Irwani deejay, All I can, Vho shavhela Tshikhuwani, and Mbilu.
“Music means everything to me, and I also earned myself the stage name of LVB' Da Future, because I believe that any artist should optimise education as the key to a good future,” he said. “Yes, I am a student teacher currently teaching history and maths literacy. The music that I do encourages young people to stay off the streets and get up to hustle.”
LVB' Da Future is inspired by Emtee. “He went through some difficult phases in his life, but he always emerged as a strong force,” he said. “His life teaches never to give up.”
This artist is available on Facebook and can be contacted on 060 697 7811.
