uSanele on flying solo: It's taken a lot of effort to step out of the Boyz N Bucks shadow

He was known for being one of the biggest names in Boyz N Bucks, but uSanele is adamant to make it big on his own.

The rapper has worked hard on his music career since exploding onto the scene as a member of the popular local hip-hop collective. So, when TMG Entertainment caught up with him at the launch of the second season of Coke Studio, uSanele told us about his journey since stepping out from group's shadow.

"To be honest it has taken a lot of energy, a lot of effort, to get out of that but I'm glad that I am where I am now. Kudos to my brothers for creating a platform for me through the crew but it's my time to shine," he says.

uSanele has seen some real success since focusing on his music outside of the group but has remained largely humble about his achievements. He says the humility is down to knowing himself.

"I'm really good at being myself. There's nothing I know better than being myself and that has kept me grounded. People see that as humble. Rappers tend to have big egos but I'm not like that at all. It's just not who I am. I wasn't born that way," he says.

But one thing uSanele is not shy about is his ambitions to be the best and change the game.

"I really want to do amazing stuff. I want to bring more of the art into the industry, I think guys could do a little more of that. There's always that pressure to make a hit single or play to the radio format but I want to have more fun with the music. Basically, I want to take it to the pinnacle," he says.

It's an approach that he hopes more local artists will adopt as they learn to "tap into" South Africa's unique flavour in a trap-dominated local hip-hop industry. 

"We're not tapping into our unique identity enough as South African artists. Maybe it's the pressure, I don't know what it is, but I really feel like you can have fun with music and make it whatever you want it to be," he adds.