Local artist strives to live his hip-hop dream

Born and raised in Free State, young rapper Edwardo Motsiri moved to Johannesburg to pursue his mission of becoming the next big artist of Mzansi.

The 26-year-old, who has been asking Sandton residents to assist him to pursue his passion, is determined to grab his dream with both hands, but life has not been easy for Motsiri.

His peers encouraged him to give music a go as he struggled at school. “Hip-hop truly saved me, I wasn’t doing well in school and I lost all hope of a happy future as my peers progressed in life. I had a couple of people who would hear me rapping at school and telling me to go for it and I did.”

Driven since he was 16 years old, Motsiri has always been on the rapping radar. “I use to rap in Sesotho then I changed to English. I had to adapt or die and I’m not ready to unplug the cord. It was a challenge in the beginning but I learned,” he said.

The young rapper travels to Sandton on a regular basis from Soshanguve, where he lives with his uncle, to share his passion and stories with the locals.

Motsiri explained his music process starts with the development of the beat his producer has created. Then he writes down what he feels when listening to it. The majority of the rapper’s music can be accessed through SoundCloud under his full name.

With four albums to his name, Motsiri only asks for the support of locals to give him a chance as he ventures into the world of hip-hop. Residents can support him through various ways, such as engaging with him as he promotes his work on the corner of William Nicol Drive and 2nd Road in Hyde Park and through listening to his music on SoundCloud.

“I witnessed the evolution of South African hip-hop and I think, with the knowledge that I have, it will definitely help me make a name for myself in the future. I just hope that people give me a chance.”

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