Spokes is gone but Rabaki remains

The death of South African musical heavyweight, Spokes H (Ishmael Letona Hlatshwayo) last week marked the sad end of an era in contemporary music in Southern Africa, perhaps Africa as a whole.

Even though the artiste has died, his influence and his all-time hit Rabaki will continue to entertain and inspire.
Spokes H broke onto the music scene in a big way in the late 90s, but he only reached for the stars in 1999 with the release of his album Nnete ea baba with the hit song, Rabaki. Rabaki solicited different reactions from music lovers because of its artistic impression and its attempt to discourage men from being lazy.The lyrics ridicule men who have a tendency to sit at home while their counterparts toil to take something home at the end of the day.

In the track, Rabaki is described as a man who has moved in with his lover. At home orders everybody around and when he returns home from a drinking spree, he first goes to the kitchen to fry something quickly.His lyrics spoke about various aspects of life and he attempted to address different issues that occur in modern society. For example, he was critical of abortion and wrote a song expressing his feelings. Through his music, he also sought to encourage people to make something of themselves.

Editor's Comment
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