Every artist is unique and has a distinctive factor that distinguishes them from the next. It can be argued that to be a great artist, you must look, dress, and act a certain way. Then there’s an artist that goes against what is considered the normal standard. An artist that surprisingly emerges from nowhere and instantly changes the game with a look and sound so unique, that it becomes hard to deny their arrival.
In the movie Django Unchained, Jamie Foxx’s (Django) character puts the above theory to the test when he tells Samuel L. Jackson’s Steven character that he (Django) is “that 1 N***a in 10,000” – meaning, he is unique in every shape and form.
To the untrained eye, Blxckie’s rise to superstardom may appear to have happened overnight, but upon taking a closer look at his jump into SA’s mainstream arena, one realizes that there are peeled scabs beneath the smooth surface.
For Sihle Sithole, better known as Blxckie to his throng of adoring fans, the music grind has long been in pursuit since 2017. Although a music career had been an afterthought for the Durban native before his uncalculated blow-up, Blxckie was actively pursuing a Degree in Psychology. It was during the height of the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020 – precisely, during the initial 21-day lockdown that was imposed by the government – when Blxckie found himself ‘’stuck’’ in Johannesburg for what would be the next life-altering 3 weeks of his existence.
“Somnyama” as Blxckie is also affectionately known, due to his shadowy melanin skin tone – another distinct factor that he uses to his benefit – used this time to lock in with fellow coastal rapper Lucas Raps and Dr. Pepper and began churning out a slew of SoundCloud cuts. It was the catchy ‘’BIG TIME SH’LAPPA’’ tune that garnered national attention and helped catapult Blxckie into the forefront of the SA music scene. It was also around this time that he was announced as APPLE Music’s Up Next Artist. Soon thereafter, Somnyama was tearing up stages all over the country whilst simultaneously killing every verse on every single song that he featured in.
There’s another exceptional trait about Blxckie…his sound! Only Somnyama (yena yedwa) can pair melody with his raps seamlessly – like how a seamster sews threads, albeit this is merely a tiny spec in the grand scheme of his artistry.
“I am versatile but if I had to classify my sound, I’d say I’m expressive. I make expressive music”, Blxckie affirms.
It is his relatability and real-time interaction with his fans that has seen him amass 580,678 Spotify monthly listeners, a cumulative 2.5 million followers across his social media platforms, and a few coveted accolades under his name. Not shabby for a dude who began doing music professionally 3 years ago.
“My journey as an artist has been somewhat quick. Now that I think about it. I’ve been in the mainstream for about 3 years now, but a lot of my success is a result of the work I put in before people started watching’’, Blxckie explains.
In 2021 Blxckie released his debut album, B4Now much to critical acclaim and mainstream success.
“I think that’s why my debut album did so well, and the (B4Now) deluxe too. Since then, it has been a steady rise to where I am right now’’, he reflects.
It is public knowledge that in the music industry, you are as good as your last project, and the pressure to prove your staying power can weigh heavily on an artist, especially one that blew the floodgates open from the onset. Blxckie is calm and confident and reassures that he takes his time with each project.
“In the beginning, I put pressure on myself to prove that I can make really good music but as time goes by, I find it more valuable to create pieces that people can relate to, no matter how long it takes’’….
Although Blxckie is confident about his craft, he is wary of complacency and ego. “I try not to let too much get into my head, I have a fear of becoming too comfortable or complacent. It does help to know that what I’m doing is correct because it helps me map out what I need to do next musically. I know what people want to hear but other than that, I approach making and putting out music the same way I always have. I believe in consistency’’, the ‘Ye X4’ hitmaker confidently enthuses.
Blxckie has been fortunate to be embraced by his legion of fans and peers alike. In 2022, he featured on arguably the biggest song of that year, K.O.’s ‘SETE’. “Sete is a massive song, I’m grateful to have been a part of it. K.O. is one of the most celebrated artists in our country and for him to have me and [Young] Stunna on that song was monumental because we (myself and Stunna) were both at the beginning of our [musical] journeys’’.
Blxckie expands on how the historic collaboration came about:
‘’He [K.O.] told me about the song when he was dropping off the Skhanda World merch. I told him I’d be glad to hop on it. K.O. pulled up again, a week later, with the song and only my verse had not been laced. I do features all the time so it wasn’t a hassle, and I too didn’t have any expectations. I was just happy to be on such a beautiful song’’, he adds.
Reflecting on how far he has come and some of the highlights of his music career, Blxckie is grateful. ‘’There have been a few [highlights]. I think being able to travel, is up there as one of them because I never saw my music getting to the places it has, let alone me getting to go to those places and witnessing it for myself. TheB4Now tour is another big highlight for me. [Specifically] the Durban show. The album had not been out for long but the fact that people came out in those numbers was amazing to see. It’s different when you are in the same space with so many people that believe in you and understand the content of your songs’’, he says delightedly.
While discussing shows, Blxckie is quick to express his desire to do his own one-man shows, like most of his musical peers.
“Doing my show is something that is in the works. I think it’s dope that so many of our artists are doing their shows. It highlights the growth in the industry and the maturity of the listeners to be able to support their favourite artists to that extent. If it all goes well, I’ll be doing something special in 2024’’, says a cheerful Blxckie.
The platinum-selling rapper is not one to be idle, fresh from a USA trip, where he was putting in some work with some of Atlanta’s prolific producers and musicians, Blxckie elaborates on his expedition to the States.
‘’The US trip was mainly to record music and I did a whole lot of [recording]. The experience was a bit surreal being that America is what we always imagined as the pinnacle of hip-hop music and entertainment, in general. I met a lot of cool people and was fortunate enough to get in the studio with people like Smino and Wale, both of whom I’m a big fan of’’…
Blxckie is determined to maintain consistency and hints at what to expect next from him. “There’s always new music coming. I’m hoping to release a single or two for this fourth quarter and then [drop] a couple of projects next year amongst other things’’, ‘Somnyama’ concludes.
Somnyama is indeed, ‘’That 1 in 10,000’’…
Writer: Teboho Kawawa
