07 Aug 2018

A hip hop artiste, Boyson Mokone, trading as G’word and aged 38 has said as a music artiste, he is a story teller and his versatility in the structure of songs is the one that determines the type of music that he does.  Speaking in an interview in Gumare recently, G’word narrated his journey in the music industry and he also unveiled the details of his debut album titled That’s me; The transition.

Born and bred in Gaborone, his journey in the music circles dates back to the early 90’s as in 1994, he started a musical group called Able Bodied with Tebogo ‘Tab’ Kgaodi and the late Tiroyaone Morentwa under the mentorship of DJ Easy B.

They were the first musical group of that nature in Old Naledi in Gaborone and they focused much on Kwaito due to its popularity at the time.

It was mostly influenced by local groups such as Tribal Monks, Da Vet Crew and internationally, Mashamplani and Skeem of South Africa.

After completing his Botswana General Certificate in Secondary Education (BGCSE) in 1997, their group disbanded but the music bug still bit G’word and he explored other avenues and teamed up with Naledi “Slizer” Kaisara to form a group called Nu-Clan with another guy called Patrick ‘Zee’ Jonas.

Yet again, their group disbanded before releasing their album titled “Are Bineng” due to differences.

However, this did not deter G’word anyhow but rather, he strived to breakthrough in the industry and gathered his courage and decided to go solo to show how much he believed in his craft. G’word put his name out there, branded himself by familiarizing himself with the ropes of the music industry.

“I decided to perfect my rapping skills through entering My African Dream Competition, open mic sessions where rappers battled it out on stage as well as Maitisong Festivals,” he said.

Fast-forward to 2014, G’word teamed up with New Age Boiz, a group in Mochudi to create his first ever single titled That’s me produced by Pro Lanez.

According to the savvy hip hop artist, the single was only produced for radio listenership in 2016 where it received massive air play in Duma FM, as well as kudos from the general public in a show called The Grill.

The year 2017 saw G’word make a comeback and released an album in July titled That’s me; The Transition.

It featured a couple of artistes like New Age Boiz, Te Amo and Kelly who are great vocalists and was also recorded at Mollo Records in Mochudi and produced by Pro Lanez.According to him, the album was self-funded, however, he did not pay for studio time and he is notably the first artiste to release a full album from the stable.

He is optimistic that his album will have a valid impact on music lovers especially in growing his fan base.

G’word explained that his debut album is simply Hip Hop with a fusion of other genres as well like Reggae/Ragga, gospel and Motswako.However, the one thing that sets him apart from other hip hop artistes is that God is the centerfold behind his music.

His emphasis on God is a true testimony of where he is coming from and where he is going thus the naming of his album “The transition”.

The hip-hop artist  gave a reference that he made away with his habit of alcoholism and drug use and is now the advocate of anti-substance and alcohol abuse through an organization he kick started with his fiancé called Youth of Hope Safe Haven Organization (YHSHO).

“I am also involved in another initiative with fellow artistes like; Juju vine, Mojamaica, Patricia Nkwane and Botswana Police Crime Prevention Unit to reach out to the masses, especially students about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse,” G’word explained.

G’word also draws inspiration from general issues and social ills as the overall message when writing his songs and also explained that his humble beginnings also made him who he is.

As a Mokgatla native from Mochudi, song and dance is not foreign to him through dikhwaere and at the age of seven, he was poet. He encouraged aspiring artistes that patience, perseverance and commitment can do wonders, and if one multiplies that with passion, the sky is the limit.

“It took me over 20 years to have my own music on record. I was even brave enough to enter my first single in the Botswana Music Union (BOMU) awards. Never give up,” he said.The hopeful enthusiast encouraged aspiring artistes of all sorts to fully register their works with the relevant organizations to benefit from them. He highlighted that having knowledge about patenting and copyrights issues is key to maintaining a successful career. ENDS