Ch’cco – Amapiano’s Next-Gen Superstar!
- Providence: South Africa, Pretoria.
- Origins, Location, Heritage and ‘Bacardi’ music.
- Heroes and inspirations.
- Breaking through with “Nkao Tempela”.
- The Pitori Super League and the future of the golden boy.
Between destiny, luck, real talent and timing, Shiko Matlebjane, aka Ch’cco, is lined up as Amapiano’s Next-Gen superstar. South Africa’s favourite musical genre continues to redefine the rules and conventions of making music and producing heroes. As it conquers borders and infiltrates global popular culture with its beats, rhythms, viral dance moves, it also gives birth to sensational big names in the music industry. In Ch’cco’s fantastical rise, it’s clear you don’t even have to have an album.
The legend is building. In an explosive arrival in 2021 with the massive smash and already classic Amapiano hit, “Nkao Tempela”, Ch’cco broke into the mainstream. He disrupted the genre with his charisma and effortlessly cool flow. Fame is swift in the digital world, and in a lightening speed confluence of P.R, marketing and connectivity, 23-year-old Ch’cco would find himself cozying up to Amapiano royalty like Focalistic, Felo Le Tee, DBN Gogo and Pabi Cooper and filling up venues in South Africa. The buzz would lead to touring Europe, hungry not to be left out of Amapiano’s latest find, while creative collabs would manifest with other African artists like Nigeria’s Teni and Tanzania’s Marioo. All the while his frenzied fan following would continue to grow.
Origins, Location, Heritage and Bacardi.
The young Shiko Matlebjane grew up in Pimville, Soweto, raised primarily by his grandmother. The sprawling Soweto, shifting on the tides of economics and movements of people, would later expose Shiko to many cultures. A window into Zulu, Tsonga and Venda became the bedrock of heritage that the artist Ch’cco would later access. Mamelodi in Pretoria would bring into focus Ch’cco’s creative perspective, serving as a lens to both filter and zoom into an ever-shifting urban culture. He describes it as another country all its own. “When I went to Pretoria it felt like I was in a completely different place: the music, the language, the sound… That was how I understood Pretoria as a whole, everything was just boxed in. It’s so rich with the ‘Bacardi’, but at the same time we still had a lot of different music. Motswako rap, for example, which was not that big,” explains the artist.
A distinctive vein in Kasi culture and site-specific sound is ‘Bacardi’. Frequently described as a sonically innovative subgenre that fuses elements of House, Kwaito, and electronic music. Bacardi sees its origin in the works of the late DJ Spoko in Atteridgeville, just outside Pretoria. The once popular Bacardi house sound has been experiencing a renaissance through Amapiano as Pretoria producers merge the two sounds, by using signature Bacardi snares and hi-hats. It is safe to say that Ch’cco’s trademark, is a fusion of his laissez-faire, languorous delivery, and smooth flow, with a healthy dollop of American styled hip-hop swagger and strong Pretorian cultural references. The equation is both winning and intellectually adept. It tracks as an evolution of the seminal breakthrough of Focalistic and Vigro’s “Ke Star”, and most importantly, shows how quickly a sound routed in a cultural movement can progress.
Heroes and inspirations.
One need only look to those that talents are inspired by to gain a sense of their identity. In Ch’cco’s case, an earlier music project hinged on a homage to hip bop and rnb. The project, “Ch’cco’s Duo”, is a clear indicator as what he was inspired by at the time and an interesting breadcrumb path to his sound today. He respectfully namechecks Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Yemi Alade and Tiwa Savage, who heralded the arrival of the Nigerian superstars and the power of Afrobeats. On the local front, AKA, Riky Rick, Cassper Nyovest, Emtee, Nasty C, A-Reece and Shane Eagle would be the tuning fork for hip-hop. Yet the lightning rod for Ch’cco is Barcadi and Amapiano: “I think Bacardi is by far one of the most important genres, as far as its influence is concerned in both me and Amapiano,” he says.
Breaking through with “Nkao Tempela”.
Although it can be hit & miss, going viral is essential in breaking through in the music industry today. Ch’cco’s narrative, though, has a distinctive destiny as to how his single, “Nkao Tempela”, exploded on the music scene. He explains: “What happened was, I used to post a lot of videos rapping in front of the camera, and then (producer) Sleazy hit me up on Instagram, saying “Oh man, you must pull up and come record on some ‘piano a bit, your buzz is nice…”. That never happened but, long story short, one of my greatest friends, Fake Love, did a kind gesture for me: Mellow & Sleazy sent him the beat, and he told me I could have it. And that’s how “Nkao Tempela” was made! And it went viral on social media.”
There is an ironic inner joke to “Nkao Tempela” for Ch’cco. With all the traction, the exposure and industry growth, he notes: “Funny story. “Nkao Tempela” means “I can be too much”. “And I’m just getting started!”
The Pitori Super League and the future of the golden boy.
Getting plugged into the scene has already given Ch’cco access to money making events and parties. As a next gen artist, he swings the industry pendulum deftly between entrepreneurship and actively shifting culture. This has resulted in “The Pitori Super League”.
Ch’cco describes it as “a movement that we started. It wasn’t even a conversation, it just happened. Focalistic, Pabi Cooper, Mellow & Sleazy, M.J. Everyone else from Pretoria who is dope. It’s not a label, a deal, we’re just doing dope music together and we just happen to all come from Pretoria, so we are just embracing that and united in our mission.”
Amapiano artists are nothing if not prolific, with new agents of change appearing almost daily to drop the next viral hit. Ch’cco, thoughtfully, is considerate of his craft. “We actually honour the process of making music and engaging with people, because you are touching people’s souls. It’s not a joke. It’s a very sacred process. So, we are taking time to release music… But the music is there, trust me! It’s just about timing.”
C.S.A.’s monthly cultural portal, The WIRE connects the dots of culture. With concise stories, many with video content, take a premium dive into the world of African entertainment & cultural fluidity. It’s one thing to be hip to what’s happening but it is another to know why.
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