"Rap literally saved me - it made me realise that I was more"

"Rap literally saved me - it made me realise that I was more" - Slikour

6 May 2015 3:51 PM

Siyabonga Metane is a South African musician best known as one of the founding members of the record-breaking hip hop group Skwatta Kamp. Having featured in the news recently he joined 702's Sam Cowen in studio talking about the influences in his life - how he found rap, and how he feels it gave him a headstart over all the other children he grew up with.

Rap literally saved me - it made me realise that I was more. I believed I'm worth something, and that was because of rap.

Since the rise of the attacks on African foreigners living in Durban, there has been an outcry by many local artists who have called for all South Africans to help put a stop to the xenophobic attacks. Slikour, as he has become fondly known, has been one of the artists who made his voice against xenophobia quite clear.

He gave a profound definition of what Xenophobia is and how if we as a nation do not break free from Xenophobia’s evil clasp we could surely see ourselves fighting against each other as a nation.

Xenophobia is when people give up on themselves so badly that anything or anyone who has some sort of hope or ambition terrifies them to a point of violence. Xenophobia is not brave, it’s fearful. It’s only a matter of time till that fear sheds its own native blood ‘cause it doesn’t fear foreigners it fears hope.

Listen to his full chat with Sam Cowen...