Ntatao is an emerging talent within the game who is known for his unwavering dedication to the craft of rap. The young artist has received co-signs from some of the most prominent cultural commentators in the game right now. With his stock being as high as ever, it was only fitting we sat down with the artist to discuss the latest happenings in his career thus far.
How long have you been making music, and how did it start for you?
I started making music in 2019 and at that stage of my career, I was making a couple of freestyles which I would upload to Soundcloud because I was at the very infancy of my career. The freestyles were covers I used to perform of some of my favourite artists at the time. Prior to that, the only writing experience I had was for writing for theatre. In 2020, I took writing as a subject but I really struggled with that so I dropped out of writing and started writing for myself through raps and that is when I really started to get into the swing of things and that eventually ended up in me writing for my first mixtape, Bodega Baby, which came out in 2021.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would you choose and why?
I’m not entirely sure because I consider myself to be more of a beat nerd. So at the top of my list are producers like Steveisfrench, Michael Touhy, Trigganasty but Beatmochini. In terms of rappers, I would like to collab with Stino Le Thwenny, Khuli Chana and Maglera Doe Boy. On an unconventional note, I would like to make a song with Zuma from Amaroto.
What is your proudest achievement to date?
I am proud of how far I am in my rap career. Every time I release music, I am proud that I am taking this rap thing really seriously. However, I think my biggest moment would have to be receiving acknowledgement from The Sobering Podcast.
Which artist is, in your opinion, the GOAT?
I would have to say Cassper Nyovest because he is the one rapper that has influenced me the most based on how he managed to commercialise himself. AKA is another artist I feel belongs in the GOAT conversation because he is a brilliant artist. Furthermore, I would include someone like Khuli Chana because no one has managed to bend the language (seTswana) like that. I actually learnt seTswana through his raps. In terms of the pen, I would put someone like Mick Jenkins up there. I regard him as one of the greatest rappers I have witnessed in my lifetime.
What can we expect from you in the coming year?
I have a mixtape coming out called HaNtatao Radio. It’s a conceptual mixtape that I am currently working on and I already have some amazing features on it.