Bow Down: Dicing with fame

To hear him tell it, Leslie Mampe jnr, better known as Da L.E.S, is a man of myriad talents. Ever since his days as part of the award-winning yet ill-fated rap group JOZI, his exploits have drawn celebrity watchers.

Now, eight years since we first learnt his name, South Africa's "freshest" MC is on a new quest for world domination. He has put all his other projects on the back burner and returned his energy to his music.

His new music video, Dice, shot in Los Angeles with the help of famed music video director Matt Alonzo, is designed to spearhead his upcoming South African tour and help him crack international markets.

"One of the reasons we shot Dice in LA is because I wanted to get into the US market. One of my goals is to try to break into any and every market I can," says Da L.E.S.

His re-entry into music comes on the heels of a stint on Real Jozi A-Listers, a mockumentary about celebrity lifestyles.

"Real Jozi A-Listers was an amazing experience and I made so many friendships but music is what I'm most passionate about," Da L.E.S says.

His first order of business will be to ensure the success of his Mandela Money album and its eponymous tour in South Africa.

"The tour is the perfect way to celebrate the release of a video that I'm really proud of. I hope it will be a success all over [Africa]," he says.

Cracking markets north of the Limpopo, particularly Nigeria, may prove tricky. Over the years, artists from that country have come to dominate the African music scene, regularly cleaning house at the MTV Base Africa Awards.

But Da L.E.S is nothing if not confident and says he is one of the strongest in hip-hop at the moment.

Having spent eight years at the forefront of the South African hip-hop scene without entirely enthralling international listeners, 2015 looks set to be a watershed year for him. Should his efforts have the desired result, the name Da L.E.S could be mentioned in the same breath as Nigeria's D'Banj. Should they not, then South Africa's sonic borders may turn into something of a gilded prison for him.

The Mandela Money tour will stop in Cape Town on January 30 at 47th Avenue Club, in Durban on February 7 and at Taboo in Johannesburg on February 27