Rap group fly EC flag high
ELITE is an apt way to describe Bay rappers OTE – short for Of The Elite – who are making a name for themselves on the local hip-hop scene.
OTE was formed in East London by former high school mates Mihlali Tukani (M2Kane), 23, Buntu C Maqungo (Maqtaculer), 24, Terry Khamba (Terratorial), 25, and Luthando Mazakaza (Expert T), 23.
Today the group’s accolades include having featured on Slikouronlife, one of SA’s biggest online hip-hop platforms; collaborating with national act GingerTrill; and working on an extended play (EP) recording with hit maker Tweezy.
Founding member Tukani said he, Khamba, Maqungo and others did business studies as a subject at school and would get together in class and battle each other. “It was a fun, laid back aura that increased the love we had not only for hip-hop but for rapping in general,” he said.
Tukani moved to PE in 2011 to pursue a sports management diploma at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. There he met Lwazi Kana, 24, Thembuxolo Isaac Wilson Jacobs, 23, Soyama Ramcwana, 22, and Obed Gqili, 23, who all went on to join the group.
Jacobs, a third-year IT student, raps, pro- duces and dabbles in film editing. He is one of the newer members of OTE, having previously boasted a successful streak in the DJ and rap battling realm.
OTE have attracted steady support from their performances around the Bay. They also organised their own event, Night Of The Elite, last year. Individually the members’ portfolios are just as impressive.
Tukani himself has landed on Slikouronlife twice. His most recent appearance on the website was for his participation in Castle Lite’s Ice Core freestyling challenge at the beginning of the year. “I did the Ice Core competition where Castle Lite was giving away three stacks [R3 000] for artists who could put out their freestyle clip and get the most votes for it,” Tukani, who went on to come second in the competition, said.
OTE’s seven-track EP with Tweezy, titled 2nd Level Up, was released on February 19 and more work with national acts is expected to follow, Tukani added.
“I’m not too sure if you know of a dude who goes by [the name of] Maraza,” he quipped, referring to one of the biggest names in rapping nationally.
“I’m about to do a joint [song] with him too. We’ve been in close contact and . . . it’s something we’re currently working on.”