Digitally hanging out with Shinzo taking us back2basix!

Wadup wadup

Big ups to you for dropping in to join us for a read in this rappers hub, you guys know what it is!! ready to serve a hot plate of rap reporting to tickle your creative fancy, doing just what you know us for.... (drum roll) kicking phresh articles written BY rap junkies FOR rap junkies like ourselves!!
Brace yourself for youthful creative reporting at its most insightful.

Presenting to you today one of the most dedicated khats on the streets right now, Shinzo ThapsThe-nerd best known as Thapelo Thedi outside of his crafty grind.

We made that digital connection and caught up with this bro to invade him with a long list of questions that would aid us in our mission of getting under his creative skin, scooping that inside story and dissecting him through his work. Great thanx and appreciation to Shinzman himself who took the time to do his best at our digitally orchestrated interview with him, along with Qubed design solutions for the amazing images, thumbs up to everybody... lets gedit!!


So first things first, the music!!!! click on the track titles below to play from soundcloud the joints he's recorded and hear what Shinzman has to offer before we even get into his full scoop interview.

Back2Basix - Shinzo

Hold on - Shinzo

 listening to 'hold on', all that while I was thinking to myself, not only does the beat take you away but the bars sound like chants from the hypnotist coz the flow is THAT smooth and those rhythmic compositions make it so easy to just zone out on those lyrics. What I appreciated most about this joint was the poetic quality and energy embodied by his lyricism along with the capacity of his work to draw you in and take you on a trip.

Back to basix was damn right banging!! straight and no curve to it, you could jam to that in the morning
and start your day off on a sick note!! big ups to Thaps on his beautiful work now we can hop right into the very bone of his artistic form!!

Coming from a home of poetry where his mother was a poet together with his oldest brother, kat clearly first saw the world from the eyes of poetry before he saw anything else. Straight out of an environment that harboured his artistic desires and inspired him to explore his own creative dynamic through this medium, now we get to experience and enjoy the explosion of passion that is Shinzo!!!

Not neglecting the musical strand of hip hop in his home, directly quoted "my brothers would bump hip hop on the daily and it was like that for as long as I could remember"

Rebelling from that birth staple, Shinzo went on to sharing with us that him and a primary school buddy (Nelson) would write their own kwaito jams contrary to his strong Hip Hop influence.

2008 saw Shinzo transform into his staple roots of Hip Hop meeting one of the most influential figures in his career Phakiso Mokoena best known as Pharks Manis, who developed his creative streak from the inspiration and guidance that he moulded Thapelo through during the early course of his journey in arts.

Clearly crediting pharks Manis as somebody who's always believed in him and helped ground his career, quoted "he'd usually say, 'It was just guidance, you always had it in you'', I believe that I wouldn't be in this current space, if I hadn't met him, and ever since then I've been filling in the missing words."

Representing growth through his music, his greatest aspiration in this journey is that of composing a classical album with his skills. When asked about his influences, he gave all the credit to his family who he sais inspire him through the constant support they give, which contributes a great deal in the pinnacles he is able to reach in what he has decided to do with his life as a young individual.

The best question that we had prepared was about how he eventually found himself under this creative umbrella of Hip Hop as an emcee specifically, instead of a b-boxer, beat maker, DJ, backpacker head or graffiti kat. Expecting a long ass response of insight as to why the obvious choice, kat surprised us with the shortest response of his whole digital wrap up interview. All we got was "it's God given". Perfect answer rounding up all the other leads he has given to us as to why he would select emceeing among the group of available mediums. It could have been clear to us that poetry is in his blood from birth, right? wrong!! we still launched the interrogation the best way we knew how to. lol!

Hahahaha!! that right there is the face of a kat who describes his relationship with rap as a sunny spring day spent in the garden watering plants.

That's certainly how you supposed to look while saying something that far from the ordinary, lol.

The next question aimed at delving into his writing process and revealing how he cooks up his joints in the studio giving us insider lenses into the process, only to find that kat here is as original as they come. He described his process as simply listening to a beat for a few days untill inspiration wells in, and then from there allowing the words to naturally flow through as patterns of flow in rhythmic arrangements..... our response when reading that was (froze for 2 minutes) Word!! so that's where all that smooth delivery... iyoh!!

Asked about the pressures surrounding the reality of being a performing artist, Shinzo kicked back with...

Growing under the mentality that I’m an “underground rapper”, I remember performing at “The swag Uprising” in 2011, an event promoting “commercial” artists (so to say).  It was a little bit frightening as my concern was to rock the crowd, and, at the end of the day I guess I gave out one of the best performances judging from what the organizer had said to me, “You bring hip hop back”.

What do you have to say to all the kats out there who measure the validity of an emcee on how conforming they have been to traditional order of doing things? Which is going from the traditional cypha, into battle and freestyle and then into writing, doesn’t this type of thinking defeat innovation in that it excludes all the other ways of climbing that same ladder, and what is your opinion on this matter? 

 I’ve been through all those forms of expression myself, but nowadays that has all changed, and we must accept the fact that we can’t turn back the hands of time.  I don’t really think it defeats innovation rather just one of the stages you choose to pass.  If ever you have the chance to go through this experience try it, I believe it’s where one learns the most about themselves, not only as an artist but as a person in general, and I’m not saying it’s a must, it worked for me.

When did you decide to yourself that " this is what i want to be doing" and why?

From the day I first battled with a blank page I knew that writing is somewhat the most relevant place on this Earth; it’s the only time I feel free to express whatever it is without having to judge myself for it.  I've been on the grind since late 2008, and I'm led to believe that my satisfaction will come with the masses, when my music and writings are appreciated and exposed throughout the world.

As for what to look out for, kat is working on 2 tapes at the moment 'I got the cheeze' and 'Growth of self' along with one other project with vike theKing that much of the Free State is looking out for "the beginning: Welcome to the fewture"

crushing any gigs?

As for the gigs, be sure to check me out on the 27^th July at ‘Cuddle Sessions: The Titans Are Ready (Niki's Oasis Lounge & Restuarant- 138 Bree Street)’, ‘The Soco Show- Rappers Delight  (OST Newtown)’ and on the 28^th July ‘Poets in Offices (948 Msolodi street Klipspruit Formula Bar -Soweto)’

What are your last words to any of your new supporters who went through this interview and gravitated to you as an artist and have become your new fans?

 “Do not dwell too much on expectations therefore growth is an ongoing process” Boukobostrong 93*

What is your twitter handle so all those who wish to follow and keep up with your movement can catch you on?

@TaShinzo

you gotta love this guy, brothermayn fo real wan time!!! Shinzman wa SiQwathi...lets gedit!!!