A revolving conversation I’ve had a tough time deliberating on is how the early 2010s up until the pandemic period of the 2020s was the golden era for South African Hip-Hop. The burgeoning influence stemming from the creatives of that time has paved the way for the new school to align themselves with commercial success, brand identity and a renewed parameter for self-expression. At the forefront of fashion, music, radio, television, and the cultural renaissance of the time was a collective called Boyz N Buck$, primarily comprised of OkMalumkoolkat, Scoop Makhathini, Bhubesi, the late Riky Rick, Stilo Magolide and our featured artist for this interview, uSanele.

Born, raised and educated in Durban, uSanele sees himself as a conduit, a vessel to bring out the best in those around him, and this was primarily the reason why he decided to become a musician (among his vast forms of creative expression, which include graphic and fashion design). Having built a solid foundation in the creative scene via his brother Zamani, who would later form Dirty Paraffin With OkMalumkoolkat, uSanele had little to no idea of the significant impact being at the right place at the right time would have on him.

Experimental, daring, anti-establishment, much like their influence, Skwatta Kamp would define the early years of Sanele’s career as a member of Boyz N Bucks who shook the core of mainstream culture with posse cuts like “mswenkofontein” and “COMBO”, to name a few. uSanele was able to continue this spirit of innovation with his venture into being a solo act still in hopes of inspiring and influencing the next generation of artists who will forge their own path into culture.

Viewing the process of creating music as spiritual and reflective of his personal healing, Sanele shares: “I’m particularly drawn to African spirituality and the power of language—noting how in my culture, ‘iSangoma’ (healer) and ‘ingoma’ (music) share linguistic roots, highlighting music’s healing purpose”. His latest offering “USANELEUYIGHOST“, an amalgamation of his previous efforts “Gangular” and “Mvelase”, continues the cultural essence of paying it forward and respecting the craft in a digital age where artists often have to compromise for clout. 

With standout singles like “CNR. JUTA” and the title track of the album, we experience a well-curated tropical sound that is brewed with authenticity, suave, depth, narrative, craftsmanship and perspective of a creative who is not worried about appealing to a younger audience playing industry politics but calmly embracing his position in life and OG status in the industry. Our candid conversation unpacks his humble beginnings, the discourse of his catalogue and the essence of community. 

Take me back to the beginning. How did growing up in Durban influence your decision to become a creative?

uSanele: “I was born, raised, and educated in Durban. My biggest creative influence was my brother Zamani, who formed Dirty Paraffin with OkMalumkoolkat. From a young age, he influenced my creativity—he excelled at drawing, initially studied mechanical engineering, then switched to graphic design around ’98. This introduced me to design programs and Apple machines, completely transforming my perspective.

Though my brother was into music, I wasn’t initially interested. He disapproved of my pop music choices and introduced me to Hip-Hop. I later became involved with the BAT Centre’s creative scene in Durban, starting as a breakdancer with no musical ambitions. My exposure to Star Wars and American Hip-Hop documentaries sparked my interest in Hip-Hop culture, which led me from dancing to becoming a backpack rapper and battle rapper.

Moving to Johannesburg to pursue a creative career opened my eyes to much bigger possibilities. I arrived fresh from Vega and joined Petro with Jack Gorton (Phat Jack), importing vinyl designer toys and participating in sneaker culture. Working with AmaKip-Kip was significant, and I should credit Scoop Makhathini—my high school senior from Durban, who I reconnected with in Johannesburg, where he worked at YFM and Street Journal.

I also reconnected with Smiso (OkMalumkoolkat), whom I met at Vega. I encouraged him to move to Johannesburg, believing our work could gain more traction there. After showing him around, we met MK Fresh (working at YFM), who was friends with Scoop and Nkosana from AmaKip-Kip.

When OkMalumkoolkat relocated to Johannesburg, he and my brother started Dirty Paraffin. We had previously created another music collective called Zulu on my Stereo, but I couldn’t commit to it due to work. Through Dirty Paraffin, we met Bhubesi, who was doing interesting work.

Coming from Durban’s diverse background, I initially rapped in English, influenced by American Hip-Hop. OkMalumkoolkat, originally a dancer, challenged the B-Boy scene and later encouraged me to rap in my mother tongue, IsiZulu. Though intimidated by pure IsiZulu rap, his encouragement helped me develop my style.

Bhubesi’s approach to Hip-Hop/Kwaito fascinated us. While I was working at Nike designing shoes, we collaborated on music, and Scoop (who was on Vuzu) coined the term “Boyz N Buck$.” We continued working together and met the late Riky Rick and Choc (Stilo Magolide) through Cream Cartel.

In my professional career and music, I was at the epicentre of progressive culture. We established our collective as an underground, anti-establishment creative group rather than a boy band, drawing inspiration from groups like Skwatta Kamp without aspiring to mainstream success or record deals. The rest is history!”

Your catalogue has a distinctly tropical sound, with the exception of the experimentation with Indie Nguni, Gqom and Mature Trap, to name a few. How do you determine which sonic direction personifies each project?

uSanele: “To be honest, I’ve never approached my music with intentionality—except for my most recent album “USANELEIGHOST.” My earlier projects were pure experimentation, reflecting where I was then and the influences around me.

Ironically, I never saw myself as a solo artist. I made music primarily to inspire my friends because I saw potential in them. They would encourage me by saying, “You’re good at this; you should do this,” but pursuing a solo career wasn’t my plan, even though that’s what I was doing in Durban. When I came to Johannesburg, I was overwhelmed by the scale of the scene. My real passion was design—fashion and sneaker culture—and music emerged through proximity and experimentation with everyone in our collective.

My perspective expanded through exposure to different studio sessions with other artists. It was eye-opening compared to my bedroom studio experiences. My approach to music became similar to my design process—looking at references for inspiration, taking elements I liked from various sources, and combining them into something unique.

It’s always been about experimentation for me. “USANELEUYIGHOST” represents my near-final form because it reflects what I learned from my previous two projects—what people responded to and what actually worked when I took it in certain directions. I took successful elements from each project and asked myself what fresh perspective I could bring.

My music has evolved and combines my first two projects with my current life circumstances. I believe art imitates life—to tell a story, you must draw from lived experiences.

One of the standout moments from the album was the lead single, CNR. JUTA, where the visuals were very fashion-forward, street and immersed in urban culture. How did you go about the styling element and conceptualisation of those visuals?

uSanele: “I’m fortunate to live in Cape Town, surrounded by young and talented creatives. Lethabo Motlatle (@styledbylthiiz) was my stylist for the video, and Mvjor Plvg Christian served as the director and shooter. It was more about them taking my vision and interpreting it their way. Other creatives like Wes (@wes_thesis), Simba (@simba.raws), and several others whom I can’t name right now were also deeply involved in the creative process, rather than everything coming solely from me.”

There’s an interesting point on “iJampile” about the notion of OGs not knowing when to leave. Are you of the opinion that the music industry is a young man’s sport and artists can reinvent themselves as they age?

uSanele: “Absolutely, it’s definitely a young man’s sport. There’s never a right time to leave, but leaving isn’t necessarily about exiting the game completely—it’s about recognising you’re no longer at the forefront of defining what’s cool. You can remain stylish and influential for a long time, but you won’t always determine what’s next because younger creatives will build on your foundation. I’m not claiming that groups like the Qwellers or Broke Boys directly took inspiration from us, but we might have been an example for them, just as Skwatta Kamp showed us how friends could collaborate creatively.”

Watch “CNR. JUTA” here

Thank you for joining us for this interview; before you leave, please let us know your plans? What does 2025 and beyond look like for uSanele?

uSanele: “That’s a tough one because I’m constantly toying with the idea of not releasing music. But as a creative individual, I won’t stop making it. I was conversing with my son recently, and I will put out more music because of him. He’s 16 and has started making music himself. During our conversation, he shared with me the depth of impact I’ve had, and to be made aware that my music was connecting with such a young audience was encouraging. It means there’s still a need to do that work.

I’ve got music in the vault, and while I can’t say I will put out an entire project this year, I plan to release more songs. Right now, I’m focused on mentoring my son and helping him navigate the creative space.”

Written by Cedric Dladla

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Follow CEC on Instagram