Sad farewell to rap king ProKid
Hip-hop artists at emotional service
Mourner Thabile Dlamini at the funeral of rapper Linda ‘ProKid’ Mkhize held at the University of Johannesburg Soweto campus on Sunday. Mkhize was buried at the Westpark Cemetery.
Rapper Linda “ProKid” Mkhize was given an emotional send off at his funeral service at University of Johannesburg, Soweto campus, yesterday.
The Sekele hit-maker was granted a dignified funeral service with an array of fellow artists including Kwesta, Cassper Nyovest, Amu, Slikour, Solo, K.O, J.R and DJ Sbu, paying their last respects.
ProKid’s three-year-old daughter Nonkanyezi stole the hearts of many. As the threehour service proceeded, she walked around innocently, playing and smiling at mourners throughout.
Donned in a black dress and a white coat, the toddler was carried by her mother Ayanda as they sat in the front row with other family members, including ProKid’s brothers Nhlanhla and Sandile.
The mood was sombre throughout the programme as speeches were made and hymns sung by the choir.
ProKid’s widow and his mother Linda appeared composed but were inconsolable as the star’s coffin was lowered into the grave at the cemetery.
There was no sign of his alleged mistress, Mandisa Mbanjwa, in whose flat the rapper reportedly died on Women’s Day following a severe seizure.
As funeral proceedings continued inside the hall, the star’s fans played and danced to his music from their cars outside.
A convoy of about 50
gusheshes (BMW 325is) waited outside to accompany the hearse to the cemetery.
Gauteng MEC for sports, arts, culture and recreation Faith Mazibuko lightened the mood inside the hall. She requested the DJ to play the star’s hit song, Sekele, and this got the crowd dancing around his coffin.
“Some of us don’t know how to dance, but Pro made us feel like we can,” Mazibuko said.
After saying a short prayer before his speech, former boss DJ Sbu said he was blessed to have worked with ProKid.
“Linda wrote the truth. He played with words like a poet. He made us see how Soweto was, and how he grew up as a boy from the hood. He didn’t change his image. He rapped in English, Nguni and tsotsitaal the same way other people rapped in English,” he said.
Industry friend and rapper Slikour applauded the star for making rap music understandable to black people in the townships.
“By the time Pro appeared on the scene, hip-hop was already mainstream. There were artists who were in the market across the board rapping in vernac. What Pro did is that he came with a genius,” he said.
“Pro took the street part of hip-hop, which was predominantly in English and made it ghetto,” Slikour added.
Prokid was buried at the Westpark Cemetery next to socialite and media personality Iko Mash, who died in July 2017 after a battle with cancer.
The cemetery is also a final resting place for artists such as Robbie Malinga and Mandoza.
A music concert in honour of the star will be held at Zone 6 in Soweto where ticket sales will be donated to raise funds for his daughter Nonkanyezi.