Tembisa lad fights youth challenges through music
There are many young people who can relate to the challenges he raps about in his songs
It has become apparent that hip-hop is rooted in the hearts of young people and it cannot be disputed that the genre is a readily available platform for the youth to vent their frustrations.
Tembisa youth are no exception when it comes to social problems faced by the entire country but instead of taking problems to the streets in protests, Kasi youth pick up the mic and express themselves through hip-hop.
Amongst those youths is Tedical who dropped his debut ‘mixtape’ project called The Visionary – a project that looks at the power the youth have and which needs to be leveraged to change their future circumstances.
Tedical, whose real name is Advocate Mokoena, said The Visionary helped him to raise his fan base to more than fourteen thousand followers on all his social media pages put together.
He said this proves there are many young people who can relate to the challenges he raps about in his songs.
“When you listen to my project The Visionary you’ll notice how versatile I am in my music. I rap about anything related to youth.
“The first single I dropped which introduces the mixtape is a song called Problems.
This song is intended to motivate and uplift the hustling spirit of young up and coming musicians,” said Tedical.
He said he realised why some of the youth end up losing hope in the music industry – a lack of resources is the ultimate reason for their ‘fall-off’.
One thing that makes Tedical unique is the fact that he knows what he is worth, he said he has been approached by a number of record labels since the year began but the record labels couldn’t impress him with their offers.
“I have worked hard to build my skills and be at the level where I am as a musician.
Therefore I cannot sign up with a record label that disrespects my journey and potential.
I will still make it on my own if I don’t find the right people who believe that I’m destined to be a global star.
I’m an upcoming artist and I’m not saying we should make huge demands, but I feel we should know our worth as musicians,” Tedical said.
One may wonder who this Tedical guy is; Tedical who also goes by the name of KingTed said he hails from Bushbuckridge and came to resettle in Tembisa three years ago.
Tedical said he got introduced to hip-hop when he was only nine years old and his development in this art form was honed by listening and getting exposed to artists like Eminem, Proverb and Reason who inspired him each day.
“My innovative skills prove that as a musician you can inherit the lyrical skills, the ability of storytelling and tactical wordplay from the people you listen to daily.
Tembisan people have shown love for my music and as a resident in this township, I feel duty-bound to raise the Tembisan flag in the music industry.
Tedical wants to build a business out of his art and assist Tembisan musicians to rise and shine in the music industry.
“I’m planning to study anything business related because I don’t just want to be an artist, I also want to own my record label in the future, including a commercial radio station. I understand I need more knowledge about how I can make profit and create my own empire. I will do anything to advance my ambitions,” said KingTed.
