Young hip-hopster thrilled at shoutout from hero

IF YOU haven’t yet heard of 13-year-old rapper Steero‚ you might just be missing out on the next big thing in South African music.

Langa Masina‚ popularly known as Steero‚ shot into the spotlight recently when award-winning rapper Khuli Chana posted a picture of himself with the youngster‚ declaring him the future of SA hip-hop.

TMG tracked him down to see what the hype was about and found a humble boy “obsessed with the beat”.

“Meeting Khuli Chana was amazing and to hear him say that to me was a feeling I have never felt before‚” Steero said. “It meant a lot because of how much I look up to him. I really look forward to working with him.”

Steero has met with several local and international artists in his short career‚ including American hit producer 9th Wonder‚ and has been featured on local TV music shows such as Soweto TV’s Kasi Vibes on the Rise.

It’s been a quick ascent for a rapper who started out making beats in his bedroom when he was nine.

“I remember falling in love with hip-hop in Grade 4. I was listening to hip-hop on a music channel and thought: ‘I really like this’. So I made a beat and started writing my first verses and enjoyed it. I decided to do it more often and it quickly became a passion‚” Steero said.

Steero’s father, Ramesh Masina, was one of the pioneers of South African hip-hop and was an influence in his son’s decision to make a career out of hip-hop.

“My entire family has hip-hop roots and so I guess it came naturally to me‚” the young rapper said.

At 13‚ Steero has a schedule that would make most adults flustered. Not only does he balance school with studio time but he is also planning to release a new single next month‚ a debut album later this year‚ and a clothing line soon after.

“I’m home-schooled‚ which makes it easier to find balance‚ but I’m working on my album and my clothes line should go into mass production soon.

“So I predict big things for my future,” Steero said.