White light in local rap

At a time when we try to ignore race, Chad Da Don's skin colour works in his favour.

The 20-year-old rapper is getting attention with his first single, Hola, which has been playlisted on urban youth radio stations YFM, Ndebele-language station Ikwekwezi and SeSotho station Lesedi FM, and receiving a lot of airplay on Channel O.

"It's funny how once there's a white guy in the South African industry [making black music], it's a big deal," he says.

"I'm trying to change that. I'm trying to break through so people can get out of the mindset of 'he's a white rapper'. We should have more white rappers."

Chad (birth name Donovan Chad Mansoor) adds elements of motswako in his music. Motswako is a hip-hop sub-genre that is primarily rooted in Tswana rhyming, with artists such as HHP and Khuli Chana among its stars.

Growing up in Pretoria and playing soccer in his youth, Chad's friends were primarily black.

"From a young age, I only had black friends, so that's where I learned the slang and to converse, because that's what I had to do. This white boy doesn't try to put it on - it's just natural."

For this, Chad is getting Twitter love.

"This Hola track by Chad Da Don is flippin' good ... White boy! Motswako vibes!" @ImTheRealSOAK tweeted yesterday. Another Tweeter, @UnathiSipika_ called Chad a "black guy in a white boy's body".

Gusheshe rapper Cassper Nyovest, who features on Hola, says he knew he wanted to be on the song the first time he heard it.

"[Chad is] a breath of fresh air. I think he's gonna become a star."

Nyovest says the response to Hola has been overwhelming: "I wake up to 10 tweets about it every morning. It's going to be such a big song. We didn't really push it that much. It is pushing itself."

YFM and Club 808's DJ ZanD agrees, saying he gets a huge response whenever he plays the song during sets: "From how he sounds and flows, you wouldn't think [Chad is] white. He's dope."

Chad Da Don's debut album will be out in September.