Golden Shovel, real name Stephen Mdwebi Msibi; is an Emcee / Rapper / Hip hop Artist born in the Free State – and moved to the Vaal in the early 80s.
I started rapping around the same time and joined a group called Optical Illusion comprising of The High Priest, BattleKat, Geno and Logic in 2000.
Currently, I work in corporate, and I have a company called Alpha Titan Music, through which I emcee corporate events, produce music, model, act and do voiceover work.
Who or what got you into Hip hop and Poetry?
My first influence was a movie called New Jack City which became a gateway to my love for Gangster Rap and Movies like Menace to Society, Boyz n the hood and Juice. It all looked and sounded cool to me at the time. I listened to rappers like MC Eight, Face Mob, Scarface and NWA.
What’s the first song that made a lot of people Love or Know Golden Shovel More?
It’s a song called “Pure Service” from Optical Illusion’s album” The Offering” which came out in 2005. The day the song was recorded, I went to the studio with a bunch of verses I had written. We started recording and from all those verses, came a song which featured as solo track on the group album. The song ultimately became a street anthem in underground hip hop scene.
What is the Difference Between SA hip hop back in the day’s vs the new wave?
I think the key difference lies in approach, style and platforms rather than quality or passion. Back in the day, SA Hip Hop was more rooted in storytelling, lyrical depth, and raw expression. Artis focused heavily on bars, street cyphers, conscious messages and building credibility in the underground spaces. It was about authenticity in creativity and style, research and information sharing, healthy competition through friendly battles (sparing) which helped in sharpening one’s freestyle skills and writing abilities The new wave brings a more genre-blending, experimental energy. Its sonically diverse, mixing hip hop with amapiano, trap, afrobeats and more. Today artists are more digitally driven and global in their thinking as well, using technology to drive exposure. It’s not that one is better than the other – It’s just an evolution. The culture is still alive; it just expresses itself in new ways. Both eras contribute to what makes SA Hip Hop special.
Back in the days, Crews used to be Stronger, Nowadays Artists Prefer going Solo, how did you guys manage to survive as Optical Illusion?
A five-member music group comes with obvious challenges i.e. diverging views, ideas, scheduling conflicts etc. however our winning formula was to focus on creating quality music, open lines of communication and accommodating each other’s needs as far as possible. One of our group members, High Priest, relocated to London (God bless his soul) around 2003, leaving four members of the group. For the most part, we managed to keep it together and keep working on our music. However, as we all eventually moved in different directions professionally, our priorities changed. It became difficult to attend events, interviews and recording sessions etc as a collective which eventually led to our breakup. Working solo is easier but there is magic in working as a collective. I can attest to this.
How was the Experience being on The Tswyza Show?
It was an honour and privilege to be hosted by Tswyza. The man has built an incredible platform for Hip Hop artists that has garnered a lot of respect and reach. Tswyza is a remarkably creative performer, which meant I had to bring my A-game. The experience was nerve-wreaking but exhilarating, helped by the fact he is a very humble human being, which put me at ease. Overall, it was a great experience to be on a platform showered by top-notch artists.
Golden Shovel… What’s the Story Behind This Stage name?
It’s a bit of a complicated story but the meaning is simple – gems are found underground, and Shovels do the digging. Put some gold on it and you get a golden, majestic and a functional name - a tool. It speaks to my creative approach to music as an artist in that I dig deep to find lyrical gems.
Who can you say is the King of SA Hip hop or the Best Rapper in Mzansi and why?
Stogie T, no doubt about it. Stogie is an incredibly intelligent MC, and I have been a fan particularly back in the days of Tumi and the Volume and the Open Mind Sessions at Bassline back when it was in Melville
What can we expect from Golden Shovel next?
I’m writing again, basically putting concepts together. It could be mixtape or album material – it really depends on how the journey unfolds as I have been away from the game for a while and only taking it one verse at a time. I’ve recently started using my Tik Tok account (@mightygoldenshovel) to upload short clips of new music and some clips of old material, reshot for a campaign I call AWE (Ancient Wisdom Episodes) for Golden Shovel and Optical Illusion’s die-hard fans
Follow Golden Shovel On:
Facebook - Golden Shovel Music
Instagram - @themightygoldenshovel
Shout Outs
Firstly, I give thanks to The All in whom we live and move and have our being. Special thanks to my significant other – my life support and my source of inspiration, Ebang (Be) and Smilo (BC) daddy’s kids – I love you. Shout out to Bhekithemba Simelane, Vincent Kheswa, DJ OB, Raw Beats and Landmarque, Mic Bitz, Mic G and Vince Black. Shout out to the Vaal hip hop community and all the heads that supported this “Intelligent Rap Movement” since back in the day.
