Rapping to greatness

The West Rand is home to many people who have high hopes and aspirations in the music industry. One such resident who is dedicated to their body of work is Oscar Mninimzi, known by his stage name Bad Boy Mo.

Born in Soweto, Mninimzi now lives in Kagiso and found his passion for hip-hop at a very young age and mentioned that 50 Cent was among his role models.

“A friend of mine back in primary school introduced me to 50 Cent. I only first knew about him when I watched his movie, Get Rich Or Die Trying. The next day, all I wanted was to be just like him so I started dressing like him and wrote down rhymes. I never looked back.”

According to the American Online subscription platform Masterclass, hip-hop is a music genre that originated in New York in the 1970s and has seen rapid growth ever since. The genre of music is most often characterised by a strong, rhythmic beat and a rapping vocal track. Since the genre became popular in the early 80s, hip-hop has birthed dozens of subgenres, including trap, grime, gangster rap, rap rock and conscious hip-hop to name a few.

Notable hip-hop artists and acts include Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., The Roots, Nas, Jay-Z, Lil’ Kim, N.W.A, Nicki Minaj, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, and Ice Cube. As a culture, hip-hop is built on four main pillars: DJing, rapping break dancing and graffiti. Many associate the genre with negative connotations as they believe it encourages violence a drug use but Bad Boy Mo loves to use his music to spread a more positive subject matter in his songs.

He describes his body of work as a tool to express himself and spread love but also to share pain and bring across powerful messages.

“Love songs are the easiest but I want to express my pain as well. For a long time, music has been something that can be very therapeutic for me. I also love to address things that happen in my life in general.”

He credits his childhood friends as his biggest influence and thanks them for having introduced him to the genre.

“My friend who lived next door handed me notes about rap and hip-hop when I started so a real big shout to him. We wrote lyrics together and tried to figure out what the best rhymes should be. We then wrote a song, recorded it and rehearsed it – all at home. This shaped me into the artist that I am today and I am truly grateful.”

Bad Boy Mo has accomplished so much in his career during the past 15 years but says it is still hard work going on stage. One of his most notable accomplishments was being recognised and praised by renowned actor Mduduzi Mabaso who is known for his role as Luyanda in the Western film Five Fingers for Marseilles.

He has also been featured on the 5FM hip-hop segment The Rap Factor, which is hosted by disc jockey Ms Cosmo every Sunday from 19:00 and 22:00. Here, rappers battle one another using a minute-long verse and listeners then vote for their favourite verse, thus crowning the winner of the week. Bad Boy Mo has won this accolade an incredible eight times. Among his other achievements, he has also been nominated at the Mogale Music Awards 2023 for Best Hip Hop Artist and Best Hip Hop Song.

For him mastering his craft also includes helping other aspiring artists in the area to create good music.

“I want to grow my brand more and invest in music and youth. I want to create a good platform so I can be able to help out other aspiring artists in the area.”