A new kid on the block

MEET Lerato Modumaela, the new kid on the Hip-Hop music scene.
Lerato or ATO as he is affectionately known says he found his love for music last year and believes it was because musical friends surrounded him.
“I went to study Sports Management at the Vaal University of Technology in 2012 and fell in love with music whilst doing my second year,” he says.
This young artists says that he had to make the crucial decision between the career he was already studying for or his one true love, needless to say, music came out tops at the end and thus began his journey.
With the help of Boston Media House, ATO turned his musical dreams into a reality and finished his first mixtape titled ‘Isiqalo esingenasiphetho’ (the beginning with no end) in November this year.
The title was inspired by his motivation for beating the odds and making it in the music industry.
“I know that a lot of people raised their eyebrows at the fact that I dropped my Sports Management degree for music and with this title I was saying that this is the beginning for me,” he said.
Tracks to look out for include ‘Kings and Queens’, a track which he says he wrote as a means to motivate other local young people to believe in their dreams and to not belittle themselves because they are from a small town or disadvantaged background.
Another track to look out for is ‘Fly High’. This song, which ATO produced himself, features local Hip-Hop sensation MNE.
ATO says that he has been humbled by how positively locals have responded to his music and he urges all young people like him to follow their dreams and listen to their hearts when choosing a career.