The fall of the rap genius, a word wizard with street credits
A PIONEER, a brother, a trailblazer, a rapper, a word wizard of the highest level.
Those are some of the words that have been uttered throughout the country since the news of the death of rapper Linda “PRO” Mkhize broke, sending the country into a sombre mood.
The 37-year-old rapper died after suffering “a severe seizure whilst visiting friends,” according to a statement released by the family.
To many he was a rapper who shaped the hip-hop scene not only in his township of Soweto but the entire country. To others like fellow rapper Amukelani “Amu” Tshwane, he was like a brother. Meeting back in 1996, when PRO was desperately trying to break into the music scene, Amu describes him as an eager artist who just wanted to rap.
“He was this kid with a backpack always trying to jump on stage because we had open mics there at Market Street. I would hear some of his work when he would rap for me outside and would tell him he wasn’t ready yet. The third time he came, he got on stage and blew everyone away. That’s when I took a liking to him,” said Amu.
Their common love for hiphop blossomed into a friendship. Commenting on the fact that many tweets condemned people’s tributes to the late star, he said South Africa had a bad tendency of celebrating their perceived legends once they were gone.
“Personally, I think from the culture side, he was always celebrated. None of us has any regrets. We regarded him as one of the best and since day one we have always felt that PRO was one of the best.”
The star leaves behind his wife Ayanda and his threeyear-old daughter. A memorial service will take place on Thursday in Soweto and the artist will be laid to rest later in the week.