Shane Eagle on how Lil Wayne influenced his rap style

As part of a recent Okay Africa feature which focused on the American rap sensation's influence on South African rap, local rappers and producers shared anecdotes of their earliest memories of being introduced to Wayne and what he taught them about the game.

The likes of Zoocci Coke Dope, Priddy Ugly and ByLwansta all shared stories of their childhood memories of Wayne and his music in the feature but the anecdote that stood out the most is the one shared by SAMA-award-winning rapper, Shane Eagle. 

In it, Shane states, "at age 13, 14, when I was getting into high school, I remember writing down Lil Wayne lyrics. It started with just me wanting to hear what he was saying."

"There was no Genius at the time, so I had to listen very closely and write it down. The more I wrote, the more I started understanding patterns subconsciously—how to place this, how this will work. From that, those lyrics started changing into my lyrics. So now, I had a reference. With every craft, whether you are a painter, when you are starting out, you always need a reference. I was obsessed with Lil Wayne, still am, I'm a big Lil Wayne fan," he added. 

And it paid off! 

Shane, who recently won a SAMA for his debut project, titled 'Yellow' is one of the few South African rappers who is considered 'conscious' and he stands firm in his decision to not "dumb it down" in order to feign commercial appeal.