Bishop not in a hurry to release an album
Chippa Legodimo | Wednesday April 1, 2015 10:28
The light in complexion musician released his single, Remember, a remix of Lucky Dube’s hit song recently and it is doing well in the market. “I believe in doing things the right way. I am not thirsty for cash or fame. Those will come at the right time, but first I have to be content with myself that what finally goes out there is what I wanted to give the public,” Marumo tells Showbiz.
The 31-year-old was recently nominated for a South African Hip-hop Magazine Hype award under the New Rappers Delight category. Although he ultimately lost out to another, Marumo says it has boosted his confidence to break into the South African market. Despite producing good music and already attracting attention from abroad, Marumo hardly makes appearances at local shows.
While he admits that performing at various shows could boost his image and chances of breaking into the international market, he says he is discouraged by the fact that most local festivals use CDs instead of a live band.
“In South Africa for instance, even a relatively unknown artist rehearses hard and uses a live band and that is how I like my performances. But the other thing is that often as an artist you need enough time with your fans, but with a long list of performers you get very little time to interact with your followers.
But I will do that in future, especially after the release of my debut album,” he says. Perhaps another explanation for the musician’s absence from concerts lies in the fact that he also doubles as a businessman and gets very little time for live performances.
Apart from being a graphic designer, Marumo also owns an urban clothing label, GUeRRiLLa PUFF. “I used to work for an advertising company, but I decided to quit and use my artistic skills to start my own thing.
The GueRRiLLa PUFF brand is selling well and just like with music I have taken a lot of time designing before I produced the first garment. I started designing it in 2003 and the first t-shirt was only produced in 2008,” he says. The musician says he already has enough designs to fill the whole shop, but that they would only be available once he is able to meet the market demand.
“There is no point in producing 100 t-shirts and then being out of stock the following day. I am putting together a plan to ensure that I spread the brand throughout the country,” he says.