Mbongeni ‘King Bae’ Nkosi is ready to release his debut album

Mr Mbongeni ‘King Bae’ Nkosi’s dreams of being a hip hop artist are slowly coming into fruition.

The 25-year-old from Diepdale, Fernie is well on his way to achieving his goals of producing an album before the end of this year.

It has not been an easy road to recognition for the young man, but a bumpy road filled with detours.

With no money to further his studies after completing matric, King Bae moved to Ermelo to look for employment in 2012.

After working odd jobs in Ermelo town, he was lucky to land a permanent position as a security guard in town.

The music industry bug bit him when he was in high school when he was participating in rap battles with his schoolmates.

However, his love for music began at church as he is a worship singer.

“I am a singer in my church and I love gospel music, but I just gravitated towards hip hop and it has become my favourite genre,” King Bae said.

Moving to Ermelo meant leaving all his friends behind so King Bae had to start from scratch making a name for himself in the hip hop circles.

With limited funds and assistance, he only released three music singles last year (2018) after years being active and pursuing his dream of being an artist.

His singles, namely ‘Khanda’, ‘Thembelihle’ and ‘Face’, made fellow artists take note and be recognised as an artist in his own right.

It also kick-started a successful media tour and he has been featured in various local radio stations around the region.

His music is also receiving airplay on these radio stations and his goal is to get it played on commercial radio.

Although King Bae is of Swati origin, he raps in other vernacular languages, mixing languages sticking mainly to Zulu.

King Bae cannot be boxed however, as his sound is more of the soulful hip-hop than hard-hitting lyrics.

A vocalist in his own right, he mixes his singing voice with his rap lyrics to create his own unique sound.

“I do not want to be just a hip-hop artist with the usual hardcore lyrics but I want to bring something new to the industry.”

With his unique sound, King Bae raps about his life, the struggles he has had to overcome and he sprinkles it with words of inspiration to motivate his audience.

His gospel influence is also heard in his music as he incorporates his faith into his lyrics. King Bae hopes to release a full album this year and feature artists who have been a great support system for him in the local music circles.

“I do not want it to be a solo project but include my peers, because I strongly believe if we all work together, we can go far.”

The young rapper is praying for a person who can assist him with his project.

“If I can just get into a studio and do my work, the sky is the limit,” King Bae concluded.