SA hip hop needs to chill, says Speedsta
FOR THE last couple of hours, DJ Speedsta has been posting seemingly random, uncaptioned pictures on his Instagram account. In most of them, he’s grinning broadly as he walks around shirtless with his friends, proudly displaying his slightly rounded belly.
A closer look reveals a deliberate chronology of images documenting his stay in Durban, where he’s currently performing at the Rage Festival. It’s appropriate that he documents his journey this way, because his life really does seem like a movie.
It’s 8pm on a Thursday evening and, ordinarily, the 24-year-old DJ, born Lesego Nkaiseng, would be preparing to host YFM’s Hip Hop Floor. But tonight isn’t your ordinary night, it’s Rage fest and he’s just vibing with the kids.
Despite his range of talents within entertainment, Speedsta considers radio his first love. “I get to talk about hip hop and I get to express myself. I get to engage with people, pick their minds and play music,” he says over the phone. “I love people, and I love sharing and engaging with them.”
His passion for DJing was set in motion when his older brother, a DJ who threw parties in their hometown in the Vaal, would ask him to fill in whenever another DJ was late. It was then that he decided he didn’t want to just be a temporary replacement, he wanted to master the craft. “I fell in love with it right away because when I DJ and play music, I (get to) make people happy and put smiles on their faces. The moment I had that connection I was like, ‘Okay, this is for me.’ ”
Despite a fondness for punk rock in his formative years, hip hop has since become his genre of choice. Last year, he released his debut mix-tape, The Guy, which featured his two massive singles, Celebration, featuring Bucie and KiD X, and Special Somebody, featuring heavyweights Cassper Nyovest, Riky Rick and Anatii.
When I ask him about his latest single, Mayo, and what its breakout success means to him, he takes a deep breath and goes quiet for a moment, as if he’s still trying to fully make sense of it.
“It’s special, man, it’s really special,” he starts. “It’s so close to my heart. What I love about the song is that the country, or whoever is hearing the song, gets to get somewhat of an idea of my personality. So whether you listen to the song, speak to me or look at me, it must always be one vibe, you must always get one message,” he goes quiet again. “Eish, Mayo is crazy, it has changed my life.”
Did you expect this type of response?, I ask.
“No, I was just trying to make good music. It’s crazy and it’s also very scary at the same time. As much as I want the best and most for myself, I’m a very ‘top five’ kind of person. So keep me in the conversation, let me be there because that I can sustain. I don’t like No 1 because it comes with too much sh*t.” He quickly apologises for swearing. “I never ever in my life expected Mayo, of all the songs I’ve made, to do what it’s doing. It’s really nice.”
Despite his star being on the rise, Speedsta comes across as grounded and unassuming. He doesn’t seem to yearn for the spotlight, or hold any particular importance to the status that it comes with – he just wants to make music and have fun doing it.
Speedsta’s active involvement as a voice in youth subculture has also attracted interest from big brands.
Soon he’ll begin a road trip for a campaign by Steers that sees him curating and sharing social moments that are mjojo (cool and trendy) to him.
Earlier in the day, MTV Base debuted the first half of its third annual Base Hottest MCs list (which ranks the top 10 South African rappers of the year). Speedsta, who is currently travelling with his friend DJ Capital, one of the show’s panellists, shared his personal top five: Shane Eagle, Youngsta, A-Reece, Nasty C and Reason.
With the influx of young, talented artists coming up of late, he believes South African hip hop is in a healthy state, but there’s still room for improvement.
“My whole thing, and what I wanna try and achieve with local hip hop, is to tell everybody to chill because everybody’s so busy trying to be the man. We’re in a really good space right now, let’s maintain it.”