Tributes pour in for King of Motswako

Messages of condolences for Hip Hop Pantsula (HHP), real name Jabulani Tsambo aka Jabba, have started pouring in since the tragic news broke that he has been found dead.

Celebrities and fans have expressed their heartbreak over the 38-year-old’s passing and his family has reportedly confirmed his death but not how he died. But it was no secret that the artist who pioneered Setswana rap struggled with depression throughout his luminous life.

We called up some South African artists who were close to the King of Motswako.

DJ Oskido – Godfather of kwaito, producer, deejay, Kalawa Jazmee co-founder

Oskido

“I met him on Thursday when he was at Metro FM, heading to do an interview with Thomas. We spoke and when we said goodbye he said, ‘No, we’re gonna meet at the studio.’ I didn’t know he was saying goodbye. He was at Kalawa often, he was always working a lot with Mandla Spikiri. Actually even now he’s on Spikiri’s new album that’s coming. HHP loved that old school kwaito sound. He loved it. But he also broke new ground; he was different. He was the king of Motswako, the face of Motswako. The first to say, ‘Listen, I’m gonna do this in Setswana’ when all the others were rapping in Nguni [isiZulu and isiXhosa]. He took great pride in his language and culture, in Mahikeng, taking from the streets he knew and making it mainstream. He was the first to go live, with a live band, a female bassist even, I remember it well. He was a game-changer in the hip-hop scene. Just a year ago he was on my radio show talking about his war with depression. He spoke about how he had tried to commit suicide three times, but even so I was hoping that he was better. Even right now I can’t believe it.”

Thembi Seete – Former Boom Shaka star, TV host, actress and businesswoman

Thembi Seete

“It is painful, it’s scary ... You know I cannot believe it, it is just so messed up. I have known this guy for such a long time, from Mahikeng days; we frequented there a lot as Boom Shaka. He was a young boy who always wanted to be in the industry. He was outspoken, not even shy. We have lost a very amazing artist once again. If it’s true that he had depression, I feel like it’s something we don’t talk about, we do not discuss it. Maybe it’s the way we were raised, we do not know much about it. I think it’s time we dig deep and find out what is this depression thing because we go through so much and we never say anything about the stuff and challenges we go through.”

Zwai Bala – Former TKZee star, musician, producer and businessman

“I am still shocked. I knew Jabu from when he was still at school, I had a little set-up in Randburg where I started TKZee and he came to see me with a school friend of his. They played me some beats, they were school kids who were rapping – that is the first time I met him. He appreciated keeping it real, especially in the hip-hop arena – I call it an arena because there is a lot of competition and focus on things like what cars people drive. Jabu was extremely intelligent … He loved and he respected what he gave to his audience. It was not just about him, but his own growth.”

Dj Cleo – Deejay, producer, artist and businessman

“We go back to tertiary, I did sound engineering and he did film production. We stayed at the same residence. I did his demo of one of the songs, which was later released on his first album. Funny enough that was the first and the last time I ever worked with him. He was the funniest person to be around. He was also random, he only spoke to you when he felt like it. I could never find him when I wanted him … and then when he calls he’ll want to speak for 10 hours.”

Twitter responds to HHP's death:

- Compiled by Lerato Morotolo