Heavenly music with the Pastor by Nkosinathi Msimango

 

 

Picture courtesy of Facebook

We interviewed a soft-spoken musical genius from Thokoza in the East of Johannesburg. He is a well known rapper by the name of Pastor Rasta who is known for his sublime metaphors and venomous punch lines, but he is also known for his magic on the piano which is incredible. He is also part of the band in the music show, Micro-Buzz. He now feels that it is his time and many do agree. Watch out for the genius.

1.       How did the Pastor Rasta name come about?

·         Well, I am from a Christian Background. My father is a pastor and well as you can see I am Rasta my king so it all just came together.

2.       When did you fall in love with music?

·         Uhm (thinks hard), from an early age my man, because I was playing the piano in church at the age of ten. Then making beats began in the 2000’s.

3.       What genre of music do you make?

·         I make music. Every genre my king. I don’t have any boundaries.

4.       Who and what are your inspirations?

·         I would say… *thinks hard*… Bobby McFerrin, my king. He’s a classic artist, he’s good my king. I find my inspiration there, the way he applies his notes, I even incorporate it in my art too and it works for me.

5.       When did you start playing instruments and is the piano the only instrument you can play?

·         I started playing instruments from the age of ten. It’s been a while, so it became easier for me in terms of beats and so on. Well, I’m still teaching myself how to play the guitar, but the piano is my speciality.

6.       Who have you worked with and who else would you like to work with?

·         Uhm… *thinks hard*… in the hood, I have worked with Kruna (well known Afro-pop musician), Zip Code, I’ve also worked with juice, T-B Mac and a whole lot more locally (in the Thokoza are) but there are artists I would also love to work with, such as, Reason, Kwesta, PRO, Blacklez and so on…

7.       Why do you think many artists don’t really make it?

·         Apart from exposure, many guys want to take the short route. We want to just record. The mixing is not right and the mastering is not on point and when you send your music to the radio stations, they don’t play it, but had you done everything properly then it would have worked out. *leans forward and sits properly* If you do something proper my guy, I promise you will never go wrong, with it.

8.       What is your take on our Hip Hop industry?

·         Our hip hop industry is big right now to the point that even house music fanatics are becoming hip hop heads. Hip hop has taken over, so it is the right time for a lot of emcees to stake their claim.

9.       What would you say to anyone who wants to make music?

·         They need to invest their time in their own craft because when you invest your time in your craft, you will be confident of your music and when you drop it, you will hear the confidence in your music.

 

If you would like to contact Pastor Rasta:

Twitter: @pastorrasta

Facebook: Dumo Khumalo