Cape rappers making their mark
|Published
Rotas The Rapper
“Started from the bottom, now we're here,” are the lyrics from a Drake rap track which rings true for two local talents making a name for themselves in the music genre.
Two young and upcoming rappers, Marshlin Amor Pekeur AKA Queen Aymore, 24, and Rodney Goliath better known as Rotas The Rapper, 22, are the personification of this phrase. When the odds were stacked against them, they believed that they would succeed.
Goliath is no stranger to the public. South Africans got to know the rapper during his stint on the talent show Maak My Famous. Goliath thrived during the competition but had to make the difficult decision between pursuing his music career or completing his studies. He chose the latter and today he has a drama and theatre studies degree from the University of Stellenbosch.
He started experimenting with the writing of music in 2015 but mostly wrote poems. “The big link happened when I started doing radio and then I released my first song in 2017 and the bug bit from there.” When asked what music means to him Goliath smilingly said music is his world. “I'm at my best when I'm surrounded by music. Music that tells stories. Music for me is a very powerful source because I believe it keeps the world going. Imagine a world without music. Exactly.”
Goliath had to overcome quite a few obstacles – one was to get his own equipment to make his own music. He explained, “I really enjoy recording my music but it wasn't easy. Until I could start working after matric and buy my own mic. I invest a lot into equipment. To this day, I prefer to do my own music, it is difficult but I prefer it that way. No one is going to tell me one day ‘I am the reason why you are where you are today’.”
Although he managed to get his degree and still pursue his music career he admits that it was not easy balancing the two worlds. “Sometimes I was fully booked on a weekend and then I had to submit an assignment on a Monday. The studies did not really give me a chance to focus on my music.”
Goliath’s hard work paid off and he is currently looking for funding to complete his honours. When asked where he draws inspiration from, he answered teary-eyed, “My grandmother, my circumstances, my past. There is so much I want to change and it hurts because your breakthrough is not actually your breakthrough. I literally do everything myself. But that is also one of the reasons why I continue. The hurt I get along the way helps me become a better person.”
His advice to aspiring artists who’s pursuing their studies is to do their own thing. “Do what makes you happy. Don't wait for handouts. Just be yourself. You don't need anyone's approval. Besides that, people can take everything away from you but not your education. Get that degree and stay focused.”
Aymore, 24, from Montagu in the Boland loved rapping from the age of nine but only started making her own music much later in her life. “Music has always been my escape, my safe place. I have also realised that it is a healthy coping mechanism especially when emotions run high.”
For Pekeur, music has provided her with a platform where she can unapologetically be herself, without worrying about being judged.
She explained, “It is who I am, I love it. I have been rejected many times, I have heard the word no more than I’ve heard yes, I know what it feels like when people do not believe in you and your vision but I have never lost faith. I never stopped believing in myself and my music.”
Pekeur knows what it means to hit rock bottom and she has even swept the streets as municipal worker, an experience, she said, she would not trade as it taught her humility.
“It has taught me to not judge people without knowing what their circumstances are or what they are going through. I have also come to realise to never forget where you come from.”
While she was sweeping the streets, she bumped into a familiar face.
“She came to me and asked ‘Marshilin is that you?’ I could see the shock on her face mixed with a little smug, she continued, ‘I would've never thought I'd see you here on the street’ and she smiled. I remember I felt so ashamed but played it cool and said, ‘Yes, just something to pass the time. Today I am not ashamed. Look where it got me - I am grateful.”
The musician recently worked as a saleswomen but has since quit her job and is now focusing on her new album.
“I am planning on releasing fresh music this year. My motivation has to be my late grandparents and all my siblings, my parents and my family members. I want my grandparents and my parents to know that their blood, sweat and tears have not gone unnoticed. I want my siblings and younger family generations to know, there's nothing you can't do.”
Weekend Argus