If Kanye West and Nas found a way to cheat science and have a lovechild, his name would be Khuli Chana aka The Motswakoriginator.
Born and bred in Mmabatho, he first broke onto the scene with Morafe - one of South Africa's biggest and most respected motswako bands - and their hits like 'Dula', 'Lekwalo To Motswako', 'The Whole Thing' and the unforgettable 'Here We Stand'.
Now Khuli is riding solo. Opening a serious gap within the new taste of South African hip-hop, his debut album, 'The Motswakoriginator' is a breath of fresh air. Not too much conscious rap. No bubblegum garbage lyrics. Not too overtly motswako. Instead, it's well crafted and brilliantly produced, featuring such hot names as TowdeeMac and Kay-G of Morafe fame, IV League, Octave Couplet, and Jazz Worx.
The collection opens up with 'Futhumatsa' simply meaning "Warm-up" which is what he does to you before blowing you away. Lyrically this guy is deadly. His flow is flawlessly amazing; his rhymes and punchlines are on point. And he knows how to move you with music.
The up-beat dance-along 'Tswakstikem' will have you clearing the furniture out of your way; 'Sthandwa Sam' featuring Towdee Mac quite rightly dominated the airwaves; 'No More Hunger pt.1' featuring Mr "Make the circle bigger" J.R is a hit waiting to happen; the soulful 'Freshe' is simply mesmerising; the kwaito-flavoured 'Kasi Yami' has mass appeal; and his Kanye-rivaling sampling skills come to the fore on the excellent 'Break Me Off' (even though there's someone's mama on the floor).
Clearly showing the talent Khuli has been suppressing when he's with Morafe, 'The Motswakoriginator' fully embraces the whole point of a solo album: go all-out. This is a one-size-fits-all collection - it has humour, amazing lyrics, and good beats - from the new hip-hop heavyweight slowly climbing to the top.
HHP, don't look back - Khuli is on your tail…
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