Prokid folks surprised by his role
Parents didn’t know about rapper’s contribution
The parents of late hip-hop star Pro, real name Linda Mkhize, were pleasantly surprised to hear about the impact he had on the South African music industry.
This is according to Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa who visited his family in Jabulani, Soweto, yesterday.
Mthethwa said his family expressed a feeling of loss and appreciation for the person Pro, who was known as Prokid early in his career, was.
“Parents talk about how theywere surprised to hear some of the things they did not know about [their son], which his peers in the industry have come here to express. [They were] pleasantly surprised of what they heard. They didn’t really understand the depth of the impact he made in society,” Mthethwa said. The minister said he wanted to ensure that people in the arts industry were accorded respect.
Mthethwa said Prokid was “a real trailblazer”.
“What stands out is that he has been big in hip-hop. His rapping has always emphasised his roots. The fact that most of his songs he did were in vernacular says that he was not afraid to express himself,” Mthethwa said.
Pro will be buried on Sunday at Johannesburg’sWest Park Cemetery’s Heroes Acre, alongside other late SAmusic stars such as Robbie Malinga and Mandoza .
The Gauteng government said they were assisting Prokid’s family to give him a proper send off.
The Dankie San hit-maker died last Wednesday night.
MEC for community safety Faith Mazibuko said they were negotiating with the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto campus for the funeral service.