This Xhosa trap/hip-hop artist hails from East London and is about to drop his debut EP
Benjii_SA is a vibrant up-and-coming rapper, songwriter and record producer who catches people’s attention with his flow and word play. He draws inspiration from real life events and uses vernac to proudly show his cultural roots and pay homage to where he comes from.
How long have you been making music, and how did it start for you?
I started playing instruments at a young age; like the guitar and piano, because my grandfather was a musician. So I think that’s where I got the love for it. Rapping only came in high school in grade 10 when a group of my friends started writing diss songs to each other. From there I never looked back.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would you choose and why?
I think I would go for Anatii. I’ve always looked up to him as a blueprint or forefront of this Xhosa trap thing we do and enjoy. Being able to tell a story about struggles and achievements while people jam to it in the clubs is amazing to me.
What is your proudest achievement to date?
My proudest achievement would have to be working with iFani on a song. I think after that moment everyone realised that I could be one of the top xhosa rappers around. It’s also when I started getting gigs from even outside Eastern Cape, like in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Bloem etc.
Which artist is, in your opinion, is the GOAT?
Cassper Nyovest, not only cause of the music, but artists think differently now because of him. Every artist wants to run a business and not only focus on music, and I think that he implemented that over the years.
What can we expect from you in the coming year?
This year I will be dropping my first ever debut EP, filled with a lot of talented and well-known artists and producers.
Benjii_sa’s song, ‘Ndibuyile’ featured on HYPE Sessions 95 in our April issue.
AVAILABLE HERE