08 November 2016 2 Min Read

I was hustling so long, I had begun to lose faith! How Khuli beat the blues to go solo

in TshisaLIVE by TshisaLIVE
Khuli Chana opens up about his early years as a solo artist.
Image: via Khuli Chana Instagram
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He has inspired countless rap artists across Mzansi, but there was a time when Khuli was on the cusp of giving it all up.

Khuli Chana first burst onto the scene as part of popular hip-hop collective Morafe. But when the group hit a rough patch, he decided to go solo.

Speaking to Anele Mdoda on Real Talk recently, Khuli Chana opened up about the challenges he faced as a solo artist.

"The game was changing and it was changing really fast. We (Morafe) hit a dead end and our confidence was a little low. And then one night (Morafe member) Towdee said, 'I think you should go solo'. I was like, 'Are you crazy?' In the group I wasn't that guy. People loved my flow and how I delivered but I wasn't that guy," Khuli recounted.

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Together they came up with a plan to launch Khuli's solo career. But record labels wouldn't listen and soon Khuli was himself facing the prospect of hitting a dead end.

"Record labels felt like hip-hop doesn't sell. So, we went indie (self-funded). It got to a place, for me, where it was now or never. I had been hustling with it so long, I had begun to lose faith in the whole thing (going solo),” Khuli revealed.

Khuli said that things changed when he decided to get a life coach.

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"My breakthrough happened after I got a life coach...I had a friend whose aunt was a life coach...I went to go see her and had a couple of session. I later took a course on life consciousness and that changed my whole perspective on life, career and moves. I started moving differently. I kind of learnt to see my worth and became more resilient. I became persistence personified," he explained.

Two albums later, with another one on the way, Khuli is still as hungry as the day he first went solo.

He recently released a new ep that is currently soaring up the charts.