Kwaito artist Sgonondo released his new album, Amadragon, on Friday. The only problem is that he’s sitting in jail.
The rapper, who hails from Zola township in Soweto, is serving a jail term at a Johannesburg prison and awaiting his parole from prison authorities.
Sgonondo was signed under kwaito legend Arthur Mafokate’s label 999 Music after he continuously phoned from jail to rap over the phone to Mafokate.
Mafokate was impressed with the artist’s words and started work on the album even though Sgonondo was still in jail. Mafokate then handed the album over to Gallo Records.
But mystery surrounds the jailbird-cum-rapper. His managers, Mafokate and Thabiso Khati of Gallo Records, would not reveal how long Sgonondo has been jailed, why he was jailed in the first place or how he managed to record an entire album from a jail cell.
Mafokate told the Mail & Guardian Online he wants to keep it a mystery until Sgonondo is released. He said Sgonondo wants to remain underground, but that he aims to give the rapper the attention that he deserves.
”Lack of parental-child interaction, poverty and unemployment are some of the factors that lead many young people to be involved in criminal activities. Sgonondo is no exception. Just like many young people growing up under these tough circumstances, he found himself on the other side of the law.
”He has not lost hope at all; he is determined to make a meaningful contribution to the lives of ordinary South Africans with his forthcoming album,” Mafokate wrote in Sgonondo’s press biography.
Mafokate also says in the biography that young South Africans need to learn how to think positively, work as a team, overcome fears and move beyond obstacles. ”We are going to embark on an aggressive marketing strategy to push the brand. We will do everything in our power to support this artist, as he will be ploughing back in society in the form of workshops, performances and crime-prevention programmes with young minds,” he said.
Since recording Sgonondo’s album, Mafokate has received 17 phone calls from prison inmates — ”from Pietermaritzburg to Durban to Sun City” — all with the hope that he would like their rapping and sign them up.
The album is about Sgonondo’s life both outside and inside of jail, and track two of the album is suitably entitled Lifestory.
”The album is about hope and finds new ways to leave a better life … brace yourself for a positive social commentary accompanied by house music for sure, full of bumpin’ kwaito beats, basslines and wonderful effects, yet it’s raw and full of energy,” said Mafokate.
But at present, all that Sgonondo’s managers can do is campaign to get him out as soon as possible. ”We’re having the album’s launch party next week and we don’t have an artist to launch it,” said Khati.
As part of the marketing strategy, groups of young people were placed at traffic lights around the northern suburbs of Johannesburg on Friday. The people danced and held posters that read: ”Release Sgonondo.”
Sgonondo is supposed to be released in December or January, but Khati said prison officials should let him out sooner. ”The fact that they allowed him to record an album … I doubt they won’t let him out,” he said.
And what’s the first thing Khati will do for Sgonondo when he does get out? ”We’ll expose him to the public; do a big show so that people can see who he is.”
But until then we’ll just have to wait.