ZAKWE, A KASI RAPPER THAT HAS MADE A MARK IN SOUTH AFRICA'S HIPHOP INDUSTRY WITH HIS BOLD VOICE AND HEAVY PUNCH LINES OF TOWNSHIP STORIES.
HE IS A POETIC LYRICIST, HUMANITARIAN AND A VERY RESERVED BEING, WHICH QUALIFIES HIM AS BEING HUMBLE
NTOKOZO ZAKWE IS A MUSICIAN BORN, BREAD AND RAISED IN KWAMASHU, A BEAUTIFUL TOWNSHIP IN KWAZULU NATAL. ZAKWE’S FORMATIVE YEARS WERE SPENT SOAKING UP POETRY. ‘’I CATER FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO LISTEN,LEARN AND GRASP KNOWLEDGE. I ALWAYS MAKE SURE WHAT I SAY TO PEOPLE IS RELEVANT. I STRONGLY BELIEVE HIPHOP IS A CULTURE AND RAP IS THE MUSIC WITHIN THE CULTURE. MY MUSIC HAS THAT POETIC FEEL, THUS MAKING US RAPPERS, STREET POETS.”
ZAKWE’S MUSIC SEEKS TO BRING AWARENESS ABOUT VARIOUS ISSUES EMANATING FROM EKASI.
“I AM A SELFRESERVED PERSON, IF I ENCOUNTER ANY PROBLEM I JUST FIND MYSELF WRITING, SO THIS HERE IS MY LIFE.”
AFTER ATTENDING SECONDARY SCHOOL BRETTENWOOD HIGH SCHOOL, HE WENT ON TO STUDY INFORMATION ECHNOLOGY AT THE DURBAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY. DURING HIS SECOND YEAR OF STUDY, HE HAD TO ANSWER HIS MUSIC CALLING, FORCING HIM NOT TO FINISH HIS DIPLOMA
HIS RECORDING CAREER BEGAN IN 2008 WITH HIS MIXTAPE, STREET MUSIC.
THE MIXTAPE MADE A HUGE IMPACT IN THE UNDERGROUND SCENE AND AS A RESULT, ZULU BOY FEATURED ZAKWE ON HIS ALBUM. IN 2011 HE WAS COSIGNED TO NATIVE RHYTHMS AND RELEASED 2 ALBUMS, ZAKWE SELF TITLED AND IMPANDE