With memorable verses on some of the biggest artists’ hot hits, Yanga wants to be an OG. His first stop is Superbalist is Rocking the Daisies, writes Helen Herimbi

THE ROSE gold watch glistens on his wrist. A signet ring rests easy on a finger. The tattoo on his hand – a cross in between pilot’s wings – flashes in front of me as he emphasises each point with hand gestures.

Yanga ( has all the trappings of a modern rap star on the surface. But if you dig deeper, it’s clear that he wants more. He says as much on his latest single, Not Enuff.

The single, off his forthcoming Touch is a Move EP, is one of the jams he’ll perform when he graces the Two’s Up hip hop stage at this year’s Superbalist is Rocking the Daisies festival next weekend.

When I sit down with him, he reminisces about his first Daisies trip. “A few years ago, I went because Kwesta was performing. I was shooting videos for Kwesta. I wasn’t even making music back then. I was a music video director and working with Skwatta Kamp,” he says.

“We got there on the Friday and stayed the whole weekend. There were a lot of girls there who liked us, so that was fun. We weren’t prepared for much because all we had with us was a minivan.”

I tell him that the camp life is an acquired taste, especially owing to the fact that some people purposefully don’t shower at camping festivals. “I don’t remember if we showered,” he says as he twists his Spikiri-inspired hair.

“But,” he protests as if attempting to reassure me, “I did swim in the dam. I was so excited. We went with Butan clothing founder, Julian (Kubel), and I raced him from one side of the dam to the other. Bad idea.

“I was halfway in the dam and remember being so tired. I swam and I finished. But by the time I got to the other side, I had heat exhaustion. I slept for the rest of that

pictured)

Saturday and only came out at night so I missed some of the performances on that day.”

Yanga’s rookie days are behind him, though. In a Daisies sense, and in a music sense. The rapper who was born Yanga Ntshakaza had dreams of becoming a rapper when he was growing up in the Eastern Cape. But when he arrived in Jozi – to study audiovisual management at the University of Johannesburg – he realised the competition was way too tough.

He pressed pause on his dreams, hustled to intern for Slikour at Buttabing, started directing music videos and, for a while, people thought he was content being behind the scenes. Then he jumped onto a song by Maraza – which was heard by the AKA camp.

“Then I got a call from AKA himself,” Yanga remembers, “and he said: ‘Dawg, we need to work’. And that’s how everything started.” In addition to directing AKA and K.O’s Run Jozi video, Yanga is featured on the chorus of the song. He later dropped a “lost verse” that was initially meant for that track.

Aside from his own singles – like Awuthi Yam and Mantshingilane – Yanga went on to feature on songs by Kwesta, DJ Dimplez, DJ Slim and, of course, AKA. He starts the original Baddest by harking back to the days of Twalatsa. Yanga seemed like he was just enjoying the ride, until the telling lyrics on Dreamwork.

I put the work in like a grown-up/Showing up/Ya’ll be acting like we close la skhona, he raps on the song. “Just for example, when Kiernan (aka AKA) does these things that people call lashing out at fans,” Yanga explains, “those people aren’t really fans. The one thing I learnt very quickly – even in my Slikour days – is that not all of them are there on a positive level.

“They have an agenda. So it’s a requirement to put a wall around yourself until you really know for sure. I’ve seen that there are lots of people who want to get one over me or just do silly things and people I know aren’t fans of me. I don’t hold anything against anyone, though.”

Yanga is very self-aware and plans to navigate the industry with that as his armour. But he’s not planning to let that steal his joy – especially not at Daisies.

Catch Yanga on the Two’s Up stage at Superbalist is Rocking the Daisies at Cloof Wine Estate in Darling, Western Cape between October 6 and 9. Info: rockingthedaisies.com.

Ben Dey and the Concrete Lions are headed for Superbalist is Rocking the Daisies next month.