What other Easter present would be better than an up-close& personal interview with one of Mzansi’s Upcoming Hip Hop’s Finest Artists?!

Being on twitter has truly opened new doors & introduced me to a new world & humbled people, Lelo Meslani an SA Blogger,Publicist,& Fashion writer at GP Online Magazine is just one of those people. About a week ago,he introduced me to One of the Artists that he publicizes, probably Thee most humbled Artist I’ve ever came across, Sanele “Valentino” Nhlangothi &I did an interview with him,I have no words except PERFECTION!

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Before we start,is “Valentino” your stage name or your actual name?

“Valentino is my 2nd name,I am Sanele Valentino Nhlangothi. But it’s also my stage name”.
Where were you born?

“I was born in new castle,In KwaZuluNatal.”

Apparently you fell inlove with Hip Hop at a young age,What or Who inspired you to choose Hip Hop&not other genres,perhaps be a House Music DJ?

“I fell inlove with Hip Hop in 2002,I used to listen to Busta Rhymes,because to me the way he was rapping was all new&I wanted to be different,because everyone was doing house music.”.

That is a wise move,Being Unique proves independence,So Do You Perform for a living or you have a full time job&do the music Biz part-time?

“I’m in the music bizness full time, its what I do for a living,&I’m into Fashion a lot”.

Is that so now?,I’ll get to that in a bit though. Let’s talk about your parents,Most parents are usually never supportive of their children doing “uncertain” careers like music,especially hip hop,as its associated with rather what I can call “bad behavior”,how did your parents take it when you went that route?

“*Chuckles* Haha Well my dad still doesn’t get it,but I’m lucky to have his support,&the rest of the family,is behind me all the way,there is nothing as difficult as trying to explain to your parents that this is what you want to do,when they have seen so many musicians fall in front of their eyes.”.

Certainly,that must be really hard,well I’m glad that they support you,as Family is everything, Amongst your influences,you mention Mr Slim Shady,Eminem as one of your great influences of all time,When writing Lyrics,Do you also base your music on life experiences as he does mostly?

“Well I didn’t wanna be like them&write like them,but as I’ve been around for a while,I’ve seen that the world is a dancing nation,So I just mix Hip Hop with Electro,so I can make people dance”.

Alright, Electro Hip Hop,you say,The FloRida Typa Music Right?

“Yeah,that’s what I play. Mostly anyone can relate to that typa music,anytime,anywhere,people just want to dance&sing along”.

Ofcoz,that’s what brings people together, So You are a former leading member of the Durban based Hip Hop crew “Black Swagg” right?what made you part ways?was it rather a choice of wanting to be a Solo artist?

“Yeah hey,that was the time of my life with Black Swagg,We parted ways because I wanted to be solo &grow more as an artist,because each tome you grow,you always believe that you can make it work”.

Oow Yeah definitely,So did you make it work as a Solo Artist,Did your decision help you in anyway?

“Yeah,Most definitely,it helped me understand myself better as an artist,The growth that came along with working with many people,taught me how to be a leader&give advice,&that for me was perfect growth.”.

WOW,You are truelly a wise man,you surely know what you are doing. Now let’s talk about what I Love Best…Fashion,I hear you are quite a Fashionista,tell me more….

“*Chuckles*, Well Thank You, Fashion is a part of mylife,I Love looking good,&being around people who look good from different paths of the world”.

Mmhh Don’t we all,&what kind of Style would you say best describes you,what are your latest favorite trends?

“I’m into formal classy &the Hip Hop look,that’s what I’m all about, something that makes a person stand out from the rest”

Tell Us more about “Bambatha” clothing.

“Bambata clothing for me is a world class clothing its hip hop. You can rock it where ever you go,Its out of this world”.

Is it a brand or “Bhambatha” is some sort of word that explains the clothing?

“Its a brand. Its new, the likes of AB Crazy from Kalawa are the ambassadors for it, its really nice.”.

Oow,well I’m embarrassed that I don’t know about it yet. Would you consider having a clothing brand of your own? Which market would you target?

“I do have plans of having my own brand,Soon. and the target maket is the youth you know we love dressing up.”.

Ofcoz,I do hope we’ll hear about it soon! just to wrap up,alongside your many projects on the pipeline,You have The Biggest One, A Brand New Single coming out in April, please tell me about it, Excited?

“Well I decided to do something no artist has ever done,I’m gonna deliver 3 singles in 1 day,I’m busy working,targeting the 15th of April. And I’m excited about it because its 3 different sounds.”.

That sounds exciting…how’s the pressure?

“The pressure is there because I have to make sure they don’t sound the same but working with Skandalas (Musa Zwane ) I’m confident about it.”.

Aaww…confidence is good,so other than that what more can we expect from you during the course of the year & the future ofcoz.

“Well this year you should expect a smash hit album. Hit after hit. For the future only God knows what’s out there but I’ll still be doing music and making hits believe me on that.”.

Sounds very promising…work hard and all will work out. Where can we contact you,for bookings etc, Email,Twitter,Phone,Website?

“Well for bookings u can contact my PR manager @LeloMeslani. Mr L Mkhize on 078 753 0465. And On Twitter halla at me,I’m @valentino_swagg .”.

Awesome…Well Sanele it was such an honor talking to you,good luck for everything that you do,remember to never give up what you believe in. I’m adding you to my blog because people like you inspire me. Thank You so much for your time and co-operation.

“Thank you very much, best of luck to you too Lolo”.

Styled Love
LOLO***