Mabopane’s Khazamula Wit’a Mic unlocks his sound

Ofentse Maluleka (Khazamula Wit’a Mic) is a Mabopane-born rapper, poet, historian, and creative who uses his music as a canvas to depict ordinary people’s everyday experiences and struggles. His style is a fusion of lyrical and classical rap, and a style called The Never Heard Before of the Universe.

“My sound was inspired by the realization that I was not helping my self-esteem, which was exceptionally low at the time, by replicating or building on the sounds of those I looked up to in rap,” Khazamula shares. “I wanted to make songs like Tupac, have a smooth flow like Biggie, tell stories like Nas, be as aggressive as Busta Rhymes, as witty as Stogie T, and push creative boundaries like Kendrick Lamar. But I had to realise how that made me respect my work and opinions less.”

“I saw more value in the creative works of others than my own and so I vowed to strive for originality. I became determined to produce my ideas and became brave enough to push them despite being labelled as weird, strange, whack and criticised in some ways. My goal then became doing what was unpopular amongst my peers. I went for what would be more challenging to sell than what would potentially leave me complacent.”

His hometown has played a hugely inspirational role when it comes to creating his music and finding his voice.

“I came across many people who have had similar experiences in life as mine, even experiences that felt as though they were mine only, such as suicidal thoughts and alienation,” he says. “I realized that when people know that what they are going through is only common human experiences that are relatable to most people, they build strength to fight harder and longer for their lives.

Khazamula’s commitment to authenticity extends beyond his music. He actively involves himself in the community, collaborating with organizations and individuals outside the music sphere to gain a deeper understanding of different lives and experiences.

In his pursuit to travel the world through music, he envisions engaging with various nations, cultures, and histories. His aspirations include learning about the business side of music in the Western world and collaborating with native artists across Africa.

“I aim to engage other cultures and their history as a history graduate. I have learned about the Serengeti, remains of ancient civilisations, tourist, and cultural sites. I am only left with pushing my dreams extra harder to get me there and experience it in real-time.”

Through his music, he aims to promote liberation, freedom of expression, social consciousness, and youth activism. He recognizes the impact music can have on shaping values, particularly during adolescence, and actively creates platforms, such as Mabopane Block Volumes HipHop Sessions, to foster artistic collaboration and share diverse perspectives.

His approach to working with other artists is seen in his featured projects like I Know, Picture That, and Bophelo Ke Plaka, “It all depends on the reasons as to why I am interested in that collaboration. I may collaborate based on creativity only; it could be business whereby a collaboration with an artist promises to bring business opportunity or I am being paid for it.”

“Most of the time I collaborate to test my ability to collectively create with others, to hear how I do when I’m placed in different environments, to explore other people’s ideas and how they approach expressing themselves. Primarily I prefer collaborating with artists who are different from me in terms of their personality, style, creativity, status or brand. I always approach other artists respectfully and look at collaborations with the possibility of them becoming long-term relationships that are beneficial to both parties,” explains Khazamula.

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