Querap releases 7th album
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Friday June 26, 2020 15:41
The offering is a studio album under Regalia Records.
In an interview with the rap artist, Querap, he said the album carries a lot of weight for him as it comes at a time when music changed and new wave of sound are being introduced. He added that he wanted his own sound to be heard therefore he uses his flowing style from the 90s. He also highlighted that he added a lot of Africanism in his toning. In this album, QueRap added IsiNdebele, a language he grew up speaking to make his songs more intriguing.
“I spent my childhood in Bulawayo where my mother lived and worked. I was introduced to hip-hop music by my brothers in the early 90s.
They listened to tapes/cassettes album from artists like Grand Pupa, KRS 1, Wu Tang, Rakim and others. Instead of just being a fan I picked the style of rapping these artists. In 1995 I presented a rap song at the primary school I attended.
I earned the name M.Q.O from the first letters of my name and never stopped rapping ever since,” he explained.
One of the songs from that album includes Can’Thola meaning you cannot find her. It is a word he said he coined from English and Ndebele.
Makwinja, a very versatile and talented young man, produced the song. QueRap also stated that he has the privilege to feature SA hip-hop artist ‘King’ on the song Ngilandeleni meaning follow me. He said he met King on his Botswana tour when he performed at Club Lizard in Francistown where they shared the stage. The duo kept in contact ever since.
The song was recorded during the current lockdown through Internet file sharing. Another artist who featured in the album is Flippa from Francistown on the song Se Katla Go Re Bora. It was the first single they released and shot a video for. The video is available on YouTube and on his music page Que Rap Tha Guv. The song is produced by Mullar who has also produced for artists like Vs Oicheke and Blakveld. This artist explained that he writes all his lyrics.
“Francistown has shown me great respect over the years. When I first performed my song, ToropoTrap at the Toropo Ya Muka music festival, I threw the crowd into a frenzy. The masses have always given me love it’s an amazing experience.
Ever since I have performed outside the city, thanks to the C-Ru collaboration that got us commissioned at shows like Clap Your Hands, Tswapong Christmas Fest, Radisele Festival and this year we were to perform in Maun for the first time but then Covid-19 took that away from us,” he said,
He said his music was fused with other elements of sounds and genres, which makes it rich.
He explained that it had cultural and urban touch, adding that his voice could switch in many tones. He also said he spoke five different languages, distinguishing him from other artists.
Speaking of challenges, he noted that local artists were not paid enough compared to their other counterparts as many citizen promoters consider an artist as a part-time jobholder. He added that established companies hardly considered hiring artists to be their ambassadors or for endorsements.
However, he said he takes pride in creating his brand, which sells only limited edition of t-shits under a Run Bw Trademark. He also said he collaborated with a legend Dr Vom and created the Visit Tati Siding Music Festival.