‘The musical genius’, the intricacy of ATI’s journey
Spira Tlhankane | Friday September 5, 2025 12:14
“I believe I am a musical genius,” the late musical symbol ATI, real name Atasaone Molemogi, said so himself, and it is extremely difficult to argue that any local artist of the last two decades has reached the trailblazing standard of the ‘Ke lekhete’ hitmaker. Although time will tell whether anyone retroactively earns the title, what is certain is that ATI meant something to almost everyone.
“Hey kere naare dintshang, batho bame naare dintshang” ATI’s unparalleled voice and precocious talent as a teenager in the My African Dream talent show hinted at the stardom that awaited him. The year was 2007, and ATI did something others would consider radical as he competed against groups during a time when Kwaito dance outfits reigned supreme at My African Dream. Competing against Unified and Scandals in the grand finale, he managed to scoop position two in the senior category, which was won by the latter. This was the same year Amanandos, a group of gifted dancers, were causing havoc in the teen category of the competition. ATI was still a senior school student, but that did not stop him from pursuing his dream.
By 2009, when ATI began his Public Administration and Environmental Science degree at the University of Botswana (UB), it was already written in the stars that he was going to be a star. “I am surrounded by stars, but the biggest one is me,” ATI later sang in the hit Ke Lekhete. Speaking of stars, ATI was rejected by My Star singing talent show around 2009, and it later turned out to be a loss for the show as it could not spot or see the shining flair in ATI.
That is when he broke out of the shell with his first hit single called Skeleton in 2010. At the time, ATI was a rapper pushing hip-hop during the height of the Motswako genre. Working on the Batho bame mixtape, ATI’s solo career took flight, marking the beginning of an extraordinary journey.
During his UB days, the genre was blossoming well with a new generation of young cats dominating the scene as mixtapes were becoming fashionable. Notable names from artists to producers at the time included Ozi F Teddy, E.P.I.C, PK Maada, M.O.I, Karli Beats, Rimzy, Ramos, Tswello, Risq Da Villan and Zane Aftermath, just to name a few.
It was no coincidence that all of these unique and innovative musical minds were of a similar generation, starting work in the 2010s at the very latest, when Scar, Zeus and others had laid a foundation.
ATI took the lead as the industry was there for the taking, and was basically featured in every song as producers came up with a sound that was infused with an all-new attitude.
He started as an intensely complex and controversial figure with an unusual makeup and a huge black teardrop. ATI was accused of being a Satanist, but the hype worked for him at the time when he was making waves with the hit song Ke Lekhete in 2012. People’s perception fuelled the Satanism rumour, and he chose to offer them what they wanted.
He even told the media at one point that it is the misperception about him that has worked in his favour. Even the title of his maiden album, Polao ya motho, fuelled the gothic rumours, and ATI later shot a rather interesting video in Motho le motho. 2012 was a big year for ATI as his first-ever biggest hit, Ke Lekhete, was nominated for Song of the Year at the BOMU awards. The award was won by Vee Mampeezy, and although ATI was disappointed, he marched on as he had a lot of respect and admiration for the Letlhale hitmaker. A formidable duo between ATI and Noello reached its greatest height that year with the release of ‘When I Grow Up’ hit single.
Still in 2012, ATI was featured by Ozi F Teddy in the single ‘On My Way’ as the latter marked his entrance into the scene. ATI also spiced up Oatsdona’s single Udabadaba, a song that also launched the late Sasa Klaas. ATI was hot property, and everyone wanted his magic touch; he was the Lil Wayne of that time.
With the late Motswakolista, Dramaboi, having made his mark with the hit Godzilla a year earlier in 2011, the collaboration between the two was overdue. “Oka mpotsa batho ntse ke tshegwa ke batho,” ATI’s verse in the collaboration with the late Dramaboi in the song Holyghost was regarded as dope in the hip-hop language. With so much hype and reputation created by Ke Lekhete, ATI collaborated with Noello on the 100% Mixtape and before its release, ATI told his fans that if the song did not reach national anthem status, he would quit music.
The song, specifically called Tshoo pau, never reached that stardom, and of course, he did not quit, and it seemed like the rapper was done at that time. He was not done as an artist, but abandoned his rapping skills for singing.
Conversely, ATI showed that he found solace in singing rather than rapping with the collaborations he later did with Spiza in ‘Who You Are’ and in ‘Promises’ with the latter and Motswafere.
He transformed his mrepa version into pop, releasing emotional memoirs with a new single titled Poelo Morago in early 2017. After failing to live up to Ke Lekhete’s standard for almost half a decade, ATI had taken a backseat in the few years prior. His ‘Thanya Lekhete’ tagline was a clear indication that the rapper was determined to get back up there.
In Poelo Morago, ATI showed the world that he had improved his singing voice from the time he did Hey You with DJ Kutchi in 2013. “You can’t sing, ako o repe,” Ozi F Teddy’s lyrics stated when he dissed ATI a year before in 2016. Ozi was wrong because ATI‘s technical abilities as a singer improved with every release. Just like the year 2012, 2017 was ATI’s biggest year because, after Poelo Morago, ATI released what is arguably the biggest hit of his short-lived career, Khiring Khiring Khorong Khorong Khorong. The moment Khiring Khiring Khorong Khorong dropped, it became a national anthem that claimed the solid return of the artist after a dark spell of having to push back the release of the album, Envelope, for close to three years.
Everyone knows how the song hit hard, and the impact was felt. As the legend rests, one cannot talk of the famous local hits and leave out Khiring Khiring Khorong. That same year, in 2017, ATI proved once again that he is one of the best performers in the country.
He brought the house down at the St Louis Music Festival, and his grand entrance had everyone on standstill as the Department of Fire Services lowered him on stage with a crane that scales 86 to 262 feet. With the superb performance, ATI stole Nigerian music star and event headliner, Davido’s thunder.
Even though he was notoriously known for missing appearances, ATI delivered great performances each time. At some point, he was carried on stage to perform at a festival.
In the past few years, it has been hit after hit from Komirrsoo to Lephoi and the talented musician was determined to record his feelings and share them with the world. As big as he was, ATI also helped launch the careers of others in the industry, and he murdered his verse in Ice Cold Mob’s 2019 hit titled About You. ATI basically collaborated with everyone in the industry, from Amantle Brown, Motlha, Veezo View, to Han C, Chokoma, the list is endless.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world in 2020, ATI single-handedly fought for his passion with all the arrests, court appearances and the eventual release of the hit Stimamollo produced by Slimkidd. At the height of Covid restrictions, his music was banging in every stereo around the country (Volume radio ae okediweng, fullu bolast ae helelediweng), his music proved to be a rare musical remedy in the time when people were dying like flies.
In 2022, ATI took up the challenge when he was called out by fans to host a one-man show, and indeed, he hosted the event in Francistown. The Show turned into a messy affair after the singer clashed with the event organiser and partner following claims that proceeds from the show were stolen. ATI bitterly moved on.
ATI was an iconic singer, performer and songwriter who transformed poetry into pop culture. With his later songs like Nrelease and the rest of the Mankalakaleng EP, ATI was in a class of his own, and he was communicating a lot about his life and battles. “Gakologelwa gore aint nothing but an ordinary guy running out of time, ke leka gole tlhaba podi matseba,” he sang in his single Thenyathenya from the EP.
He continued to share his troubles in one of his last works released in July this year, titled Shimmy Shim, ATI did a remake of Ashley Gops’s Moshianyana gaona tsebe. “In my mosepele (journey), there’s always a challenge everywhere,” he sang. By the time died, ATI had already shown the longevity of his mass appeal and on top of that, he did something lyrically fundamental by creating an entirely new sound. Like he sang in the collaboration hit ‘Don’t leave me’, with Chokoma, we will never forget ATI, and it’s ironic that he left us last Sunday morning.