I grew up in Mapetla, Soweto. Never really had many friends. All that time I spent alone, I learnt to tune into my inner voice which developed a deep fulfillment in me. Now, my mission is to make music that encourages people to follow their intuition.
If you were to change One thing about Hip hop in South Africa, what would it be?
I would change the need for theatrics. SA artists are super talented and do not need PR stunts to get their message across. I would also change the trend of releasing 1 song and milking it for a year or more
Mayhem KS... what is the story behind this stage name?
When I was younger trying to decide my rap name, I went with "King Spitta" (KS). I then decided to add "Mayhem" because I wanted to make raps that cause the whole place to erupt in chaos. It used to be Mayhem King Spitta but I shortened it to Mayhem KS because it's easier to remember
Most of your graphics have a purple color on them, does this have anything to do with your music or you as an artist?
Yes it does. I actually intended for everything to be Indigo which is a variation of purple. Indigo is a colour representing INTUITION. I try to make music that awakens one's Intuition. That inner voice, you know
If you were not into Rap, What would you be doing?
Definitely just travelling and immersing myself in cultures all over the world. Dancing till the sun sets and rises again. Anything still in the creative sphere that has me connecting with other human beings
How has the Covid-19 Lockdown-SA affected your music, and what can we expect from Mayhem KS after this period?
Covid has actually helped my career, believe it or not. I was forced to sit down and reflect on what my actual message and purpose is and how I want to package that to the world creatively. It helped me think about how I want to differentiate myself from other artists while adding value to the listener. You can definitely expect a lot more music, visuals & shows from Mayhem KS after the lockdown
What is the good and the bad thing about hip hop in your hood according to your experiences?
The good thing is that my good is filled with fierce, masterful rappers who can go toe-to-toe with the world's best. Ask anyone in my hood about a rapper named Sabelo Blacc and they'll tell you!
The bad thing is that we still believe that it's just about skill and the music when in actuality there's other dimensions such as branding, marketing etc. But that's a problem that's in many hoods not just mine
Is Rapping a Skill or Talent?
Both. Its definitely a talent because you are born with it. There's a certain feel you have for it that others may not. It's also a skill because you need to put in time to hone it and take it to your fullest capability
How is the Response from Family and friends towards your Music Journey?
It's tricky lol. The thing with most black families is that they frown upon any career that is not conventional. I understand where they are coming from though. They only get on board when it starts paying dividends I guess.
What do you mostly write about in your music and why?
My life, love, my craft, my emotions, my intuition, stories of other people etc.
I don't have a solid "why". These are things that flow from within me when the mic is on, you cav.
I believe I am a vessel that delivers messages from the universe so I rap about whatever comes to me
Shout Outs
Whoah the list is long..
I wanna send a shout out to everyone who believes in me and those who believed from day 1.
I wanna send a shout out to my cousins Phila & Hloks who would freestyle & write with me when we were younger helping me sharpen my skills; Sabelo Blacc who stays ready to spit bars, which keeps me on my toes and makes me a better rapper; The homies Ice and Matla who would roll with me taking footage of me performing my music all over town with a mobile speaker; Everyone from my Litt crew; My best friend Soda, who just became a parent with his partner Fifi; the strong women in my life such as Palesa, Sisipo and Nthaby who always choose to go THROUGH the situations they go through; MY MAMA who loves me beyond all belief; My best friend Scara who stays getting better at his craft (soccer) which inspires me to do better too..
I also wanna shoutout to My production team for growing with me and creating such a crisp & world-class sound; LT, Kamaal Thewan,TheMussicIssue & Marvel Ink
- Inga The Artist for always being a supportive friend and staying loyal to his calling... lol there's way more I wanna mention but Ima leave it here.
Check out my latest single called Let's Vaai:
Mayhem KS - Let's Vaai (Prod. Silas Beats)?
