Let’s Meet: Swaziland’s Lyrikal Busta
by Contributor
Words By Philani S. Dlamini
2016 was a great year for Lyrikal Busta, from scooping two awards at the Swaziland Hip Hop Awards (SHHAs) to being signed by Swazi Boy Entertainment. Thando attributes all this success to hard work and teamwork, he further explains that “I couldn’t have done it without some people who have been there since day one and those include my supporters, family, Majestic Crew, M.Seth, Ncwiki F, Alex Muti, NevesAox, Jurie, Coddy Neyy Xoku the list is endless.”
Born Thandolwethu Masuku, Lyrikal Busta is a talented lyricist who burst into the local music scene with the hit banger entitled ‘Amanda Mo’ - an ode to the Swazi songstress of the same name. In this song he expresses his love for her as he narrates their first encounter. Though a decent effort it was not one of his strongest offerings.
The 20-year-old who hails from Mbabane, Swaziland’s capital. He fuses SiSwati and English in his rhymes to share his life stories through song. Currently pursuing a degree in journalism and media at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, the young lyricist was awarded the “Best Newcomer” and “Best Club banger” at the inaugural Swaziland Hip Hop awards in 2016.
“The name Lyrikal Busta dates back to my primary school years when I actually discovered my talent and we were deeply into hip-hop, and almost every kid in school was spitting. During that time I thought of a stage name that would describe how I saw myself and the type of route I wanted to follow as a rapper.” He further explains, “the name Lyrikal Busta has over the years helped me to up my game since I’ve been aware of the expectations brought by the stage name as I have to bust good lyrics.”
Being the only child, he had no one to play with asa youth and found music as a way to quell the boredom. “ I fell in love with hip hop at a tender age, with both parents deeply into music which helped me understand the basics and fundamentals of almost every genre,” he explains. His first encounter with hip hop was through influences from his friends at Saint Mark's High where hip hop music was the dominant genre amongst students. “My art is inspired by the life around me. My life growing up in the hood (Msunduza) and being exposed to different kinds of people. Where I’m from I see concepts and inspiration everywhere and every corner hides a new story to share to the world and that is what I base my music on.”
“My first step in writing a song and probably the most important is inspiration. The second one is actually planning and arranging the track that is the part where I actually get to see who I can work with in terms of vocals and production” he narrates his song writing process. “After that, I write down my lyrics either on a beat (if it has been produced already) or write the lyrics first then work on the beat. I’m a poetry fanatic so I try by all means to align my raps to poetry”
There is evidence of the growth of the genre in the kingdom, with the establishment of a local hip hop magazine called Thirty2b , the inaugural Swazi hip hop awards just to mention a few. The two time award winning artist believes Swazi hip hop has not reached its pinnacle yet and says they are far from that. “Definitely in not time Swazi hip hop will be a force to reckon with. Music has grown a lot in the kingdom as more people are starting to follow what we do, moreover the sound production, lyrical content and branding has improved tremendously” he explains.
With hit singles like Umculo neNdilinga, Awumenlancane just to mention a few, he mentions that his long awaited album entitled New Skool New Rules will be hitting the streets soon. He also states that he will be releasing a single song entitled Litfuba where he has teamed up with Zimbabwean born producer Alex Muti and one of Swaziland’s finest poet Sbu J. His new single Dance For Mi has been on heavy rotation on Swaziland’s radio stations.