Rapper Emtee family man in a million
Hitmaker has his feet firmly on the ground and wise head on shoulders
His social media pages show a flashy character with an even bigger personality to match it, but rapper Emtee is not all about that.
Emtee, whose real name is Mthembeni Ndevu, 24, says he has been fortunate to have reached the million rand mark in his bank account, but aims to remain humble.
“It never got to me whatsoever because I have always understood that money comes and goes,” he says.
“You can have R100 000 today and next week R50 000 and then the following week nothing. That is what I have learnt about money,” he says.
Emtee, who just bought himself a house where he lives with his son and long-term girlfriend, Kendall Chinsamy, and a brand new luxury Mercedez Benz, says it’s not only about spending money on useless things. “I save money. I come from nothing so I still have things to build and take care of my family. So when I get the money I use it on things that can be an investment,” he says.
The Roll Up hitmaker, who has reached over a million views on YouTube with his first single, says he will only view himself as a big star once he has tapped into the international market. “I will say I have made it if I win myself an international award. Maybe a BET or MTV award. If I could just tap into the American or European market,” he says.
“I just need to tap into a certain market and watch it happen like it happened here at home. The only thing it took is for people to hear me out.”
Emtee’s latest single titled Ghetto Hero, which features legendary musician Don Laka, is a story of the young star who says he grew up in the streets of Berea and Yeoville in Joburg.
Emtee started working on the song three years ago and had not expected to feature Laka.
“We re-recorded the same song and got bab Don Laka to replay the keys… He had been searching for me so I got a call from him this one time and I could not believe it. He told me he wanted to work with me and I said ‘why not?’. I am a big fan.
“Many people don’t know that I am a big jazz fan. I used to listen to jazz while growing up because my father played a lot of jazz in the house and I cherish it and respect it as a form of art.”
Emtee says he hopes to inspire young people from the townships to live their best lives and achieve statuses of their own personal ghetto heroes.
On being a role model to young people from his hometown of Matatiele and Orange Groove where his parents live, the multiple-award winner says it is always an overwhelming feeling when he goes home to visit his parents. “When I go home it gets crazy. It’s almost like a parade because everyone just comes out, the kids and people I have never seen before.
“When I am at home I hardly get time to have long conversations with my parents like I used to,” he says.