Having just signed DJ Switch to his business Show Love Music, we managed to delve into a deeper conversation with business man and musical mogul, Tibz (Don't forget to read part 1 of our interview with him!).  he gives his opinion of the state of hip hop in Mzansi, his interns and of course kind words he has to share about his industry peers. 

In your opinion what is the gift and the curse of local hip hop right now?

I think the gift and the curse of local hip hop right now is this facious presentation of swag.  A lot of the time the reason why the musical greats like your Kalawa Jazzmee are still at the top of their game is because they get involved with the people. Whether it be in a taxi rank, rural areas or ekasi they’re involved, they’re constantly WITH the people and are FOR the people.  

Sometimes I feel like the people in the rap-game just constantly want to be in the VIP-section and not bring themselves down to reality. I think as a hip hop community we haven’t fully grasped the business and the grass-roots of this culture. The fact remains that as a genre in this country we’re still very young; we’re literally kids. So I think it’s important that we, as a culture, go through the motions, go through the ranks and actually do the ground work before we consider ourselves as the greats. I, for one, don’t understand why rappers aren’t selling their stuff at taxi ranks. People are there, you can rap, so why don’t you go there and sell you craft to those people? Because trust me, they’re willing to listen and something will happen!

You also have your own website that you sometimes treat as your own personal diary.  There’s an article you wrote titled “Dear May” that caught our attention could you tell us more about that article?

That article was about this young lady who interned for me for a couple of weeks and she was just courageous enough to realise that the job she had been given wasn’t for her.  Generally as her “boss” I could’ve easily become disappointed and could’ve lambasted at her for wasting both our times but I looked at this as a blessing, especially for her.  You know these days we are so married to titles, we all want to be CEOs and MDs not knowing the hard work and sacrifices that come with those titles.  

This young lady was just honest enough to tell me that she needed some form of security at the moment and maybe she could find that security and come back to this world because she did learn a lot and enjoyed the experience fully. I appreciated her honesty because in hindsight she didn’t waste my time and she could’ve easily disappeared on me.  So that’s basically what the article was about.

Who has the best brand right now in the South African entertainment industry?  Whether it be a musician, actor or agency. 

I’d definitely say Farah Fortune, I’ve always respected her work ethic and hustle.  She knows who she is and she understands the ins and outs of the industry we’re in which is why the people that are in her books do very well in their careers.  She has an amazing brand as an individual and as a company.  

​

I also consider Proverb to be one artist who has taken his brand to greater heights; he alone has shown rappers how things can be done. 

He hasn’t stopped rapping, in fact he’s in the All Love album too but he’s just transformed his brand into an all-rounded entertainment business. hHe’s an executive producer of possibly the biggest show in South Africa (SA Idols) because he put his hand up and he got involved.  

Any last words for aspiring individuals who want to leave a lasting legacy in the South African entertainment industry?

All I have to say is that a manager can’t be waiting for bookings, the same way an artist or TV presenter can’t be waiting for bookings.  You have to go out there and create them. Once you create you have to take ownership of your craft and position it in such a way that it is financially beneficial for you.  

The All Love deluxe album is available on iTunes; PLUS the Head Honcho winter range is also out.  So do the right thing and support both of these awesome, local brands!