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South African rapper Usimamane is among the few artists who were swiftly embraced by both fans and the music industry.
Usimamane was named an ambassador of sneaker brand, Converse. Picture: u.simamane/Instagram
It takes several years for artists to be recognised and embraced by the industry.
South African rapper Usimamane is one of those who was rapidly embraced by fans and the industry as a whole.
“It’s really an honour, I feel so blessed and grateful”, real name Omuhleumnguni Simamane, told The Citizen.
“I feel so seen and heard, you know. And you know, when you’re doing what we’re doing [rap], not a lot of people believe in what you’re doing. So finally I get to have these global brands doing what they’re doing for me.”
The 21-year-old spoke to The Citizen on Thursday at the Converse Love Chuck event, where he was named as an ambassador of the global sneaker brand.
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Usimamane the fashionista
Usimamane says he always had a dream of being a model one day, despite his shy personality, and says his collaboration with Converse is somewhat a ticking of that box.
“I’m not into fashion like that, but I’ve always had a dream to be a model one day. I always wanted to be on the runway,” the rapper said.
He says being an ambassador of a fashion brand had its challenges.
“Getting dressed and putting on new clothes and all of that; that was a little bit tricky for me since I’m camera-shy. I’m not too comfortable when it comes to being on camera,” said the rapper, adding that being in front of the camera is different from recording in studio.
“Recording in studio is one thing, going outside to perform the song in front of like 2000 people is one thing. But like cameras… I’m not doing what I’m really good at, I’m still new,” he said.
“I’m very honoured to be in that position, to actually be like the guy who’s gonna be a bridge when it comes to fashion and music…a lot of guys have been doing it, but they do it by making clothes and stuff. I can make clothes, but I just wanna rap.”
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New music
Despite not winning the Hip Hop artist of the year award at this year’s Metro FM Music Awards, Usimamane was named the Best Male artist of 2025, owing to a successful 18 to 20 months.
Usimamane said his debut album, 19th, didn’t fully capture his life story and said he will unveil more of who he is in upcoming projects.
“With my first album, I didn’t actually bring everything to it, in terms of explaining where I’m coming from, and you know when I dropped my album, a lot of stuff happened, new inspirations…now it’s no longer talking about the grind, the struggle. Now it’s about being free and doing what you want to do.”
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