When Lemonka first came onto the scene he wanted to give young ones a platform to step to enter the industry and thus the birth of the Motswakotape which he dubbed “a professional demo”. The tape went on to produce famous hits like Mo’lemi’s ‘10111’, Hakeem’s ‘Thwansa Monwana’ and HHP’s ‘Jabba Nthuse’ to name a few. That was 4 years ago and the tape has served well for the artists and Lemonka himself. He’s back at it again and this time we wanted to be the first to find out the goods.
Tell us where the concept originated from?
I wanted to introduce new talent because at that time it was just Morafe, Tuks, HHP and Mo’lemi on high popularity. I felt there was so much more talent but nobody was doing anything about it so I wanted to be an A&R on the streets. I was with HHP in studio 24hrs after he had won SAMA’s for the Best Hip Hop & Best Male Artist and he was recording a song titled ‘Hot ‘after getting so much hate for winning the awards. He did the intro as Motswakotapes on the song and it ended up on volume 1. Basically, I just wanted to bring a different sound to motswako and it worked.
How do you choose the artists/tracks that are to feature on it?
You firstly have to be dope and not sound like anyone else. Secondly, you have to be passionate and dedicated. Finally, you must have a buzz in your own hood.
With Volume 2, are there any differences and pressures since the success of Volume 1?
Definitely! The sound is lighter on the ear, there are a couple of vocalists on the hooks so Motswakotape 2 will have a larger female following in comparison to the first edition.
What (and who) can we expect on Volume 2?
There is a Pedi song which is very new to myself and rather interesting. Lookout for the video on your TV soon. There will be videos for every single track and the tape will be available in stores. HHP, Mo’lemi, Notshi and K.T are back on it, along with Cassper and new talent.
When will the tape be out?
At the end of July into early August
Peep the tape’s tracklist below (in no particular order though):
1. Notshi – ‘Strictly Besig’
2. Spacemunna ft Po Box (Kwani Experience) – ‘I’m A King’
3. Cassper – ‘Dreams’
4. Tattoo Lefoko ft Obk – ‘Hold You Down’
5. K.T ft Mo’lemi – ‘Ja Pele’
6. Vx – ‘Who Dat’
7. DeeQ – ‘Lemonka Otla Go Konka’
8. HHP – ‘Airport Music’
9. 2Klaps- ‘Dipotso’
10. Sotho Mafia – ‘Maftown’
11. Eazylap ft Obk – ‘Wantlatsa’
12. Zeus – ‘Go Get Them”
13. Gc’s Finest – ‘The Hustle’
14. Flo, K-Method & Mathematix – ‘Tlala’
15.Nomadic – ‘Greezy’
16. Rough ft Apu – ‘Shayashaya’
17. Tattoo Lefoko – ‘Going Back’
18. Mogomotsi, Baile & Kea Mmoki – ‘Botho’