The son of kwaito legend Mduduzi “Mandoza” Tshabalala is following in his father's footsteps as he gears up to launch his music career.
Tumelo, who is studying sound engineering, said he's been finding his own voice in the music space.
“My dad wanted me and my siblings to be the best versions of ourselves, but I don't feel the pressure of living up to my dad's potential because I'll have a legacy of my own. I need to find out who I am. I'm not just a hip hop artist, I rap and I sing,” he told TshisaLIVE.
“I have been rapping for as long as I remember. I'm trying to use this album to portray me as an artist. Sometimes I rap in vernacular when I'm trying to uplift people ekasi. Me growing up ekasi and going to school in the suburbs shows a bit of my story.”
Tumelo is set to make his acting debut on his father's biopic Nkalakatha: The Life of Mandoza on BET where he plays the role of his brother Tokollo.
“It's a humbling experience. It's nice to take all of it in. I don't really have a perfect idea of how big my dad was, so things like this give me a glimpse of how big he actually was.”
The rising star recalled his last moments with his father before he died of a brain tumour at age 36.
“He died smiling. That kind of shows you the kind of person he was. Being a part of the production was like reliving my childhood in a way and then getting to notice some things that maybe I was too young to notice at the time.”
Mandoza’s son Tumelo chats about his acting debut and stepping into music
Image: Supplied
The son of kwaito legend Mduduzi “Mandoza” Tshabalala is following in his father's footsteps as he gears up to launch his music career.
Tumelo, who is studying sound engineering, said he's been finding his own voice in the music space.
“My dad wanted me and my siblings to be the best versions of ourselves, but I don't feel the pressure of living up to my dad's potential because I'll have a legacy of my own. I need to find out who I am. I'm not just a hip hop artist, I rap and I sing,” he told TshisaLIVE.
“I have been rapping for as long as I remember. I'm trying to use this album to portray me as an artist. Sometimes I rap in vernacular when I'm trying to uplift people ekasi. Me growing up ekasi and going to school in the suburbs shows a bit of my story.”
Tumelo is set to make his acting debut on his father's biopic Nkalakatha: The Life of Mandoza on BET where he plays the role of his brother Tokollo.
“It's a humbling experience. It's nice to take all of it in. I don't really have a perfect idea of how big my dad was, so things like this give me a glimpse of how big he actually was.”
The rising star recalled his last moments with his father before he died of a brain tumour at age 36.
“He died smiling. That kind of shows you the kind of person he was. Being a part of the production was like reliving my childhood in a way and then getting to notice some things that maybe I was too young to notice at the time.”
READ MORE:
‘The weight of portraying an icon was heavy on my shoulders’ — Wiseman Ncube on playing the role of Mandoza
Kabelo Mabalane remembers Kwaito icon Mandoza on his birthday
POLL | Who would you like to play Mandoza in a future biopic?
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