Local musician encourages people not to give up

A versatile local musician is encouraging others to push through their challenges as he has had to do.

Thato Rantekane (23) is a deejay, producer and songwriter who found a home in music as a teenager. He believes his passion for music will overcome any challenges he may face within the industry. The self-taught disc jockey, who was born and bred in Ikageng, is also known as Ooh Schucks. He can mix music of different genres but specialises in house music.

Thato kicked off his career when he was in high school and began creating mixes for a tavern in Ext 7. Over the years, his passion grew and he decided to expand. He started approaching bigger entertainment venues like local pubs and clubs and soon realised that it was not so easy to enter the industry. There seemed to be factions fighting for exposure.

“I struggled, I got scolded; especially if they didn’t know who I was,” he said. Thato was ignored several times and had blue ticks on his WhatsApps. His luck changed in 2016, however, after the owner of a club recognised his potential and gave him an opportunity to showcase his talents. The owner also helped him improve his skills in deejaying. The lucky break opened doors to many more opportunities.

At the time, he was still a student at Vuselela FET College, where he was studying electrical engineering. He is now doing public administration with law at North-West University.

Thato was a volunteer for Mama Angela’s Thuso ya Batho project in Promosa. At the time, he had a music tour to collect non-perishable foods to help feed underprivileged children, the sick, elderly and unemployed.

Before and after his tour, he was often not paid for the shows he performed at various venues across Potchefstroom. Before the performances, event organisers would tell him there was no budget for local artists. If he was lucky, the event organiser would pay him with a six- or 24-pack of alcoholic beverages.

Due to being conned for exposure and to increase his fan base, he’d end up performing. Last year, Daddy Masilo, the co-founder of Big Daddy Events, taught him the business side of making music and he learnt that he could make money, even as a local artist.

Thato has an upcoming music video titled “Beat by Beat” where he portrays his journey in the entertainment industry. Through the video, he hopes to entertain and motivate people that, slowly but surely, they will make it.

Along the way, Thato has faced many hurdles, but he has made it thus far. He has won the battles of alcoholism and depression. To get through those trying times, he adopted coping mechanisms like prayer, exercise, reading books and meditation. He encourages those who may be fighting similar battles, saying they, too, can come out as survivors.

Having a good support structure has also helped him get through tough times. He wants to thank his family, friends and all those who supported him throughout his journey so far, especially his best freind Nkagiseng Mogajane, who has always been there for him.

Finally, he advises potential artists to do thorough research before making any decisions and choose what works best for them.