“HELLO LIEFIES” is probably not the first thing you’d expect to spew from a dark-skinned fella rocking a wifebeater, chino pants with feet bare, in the backyard over Drake’s Pound Cake beat. But I guess that’s what makes Jabulani Majola- a Zulu man based in Cape Town, who has a slight lisp and enjoys his coffee- so unique.
“The word “liefies” is Afrikaans for lovers. It’s a word I started using a lot when greeting friends in the latter part of 2019 and it just stuck with me so I just started using it with everyone” Majola tells me. The young man from Greytown in KwaZulu-Natal, is one of the many emcee who stood-out during Stogie T’s refreshing Freestyle Fridays.
His geeky yet likable personality which is a mainstay in all his eccentric videos and Instagram posts might fool you into thinking Majola’s rhymes come softer than continental pillows, but the dude can actually rap. Enough to impress Stogie T.
“Every Friday during the early stages of quarantine Stogie T was hosting IG lives where he was looking for some bar spitters that would feature on his next Friday Freestyle. I joined him on one of them and he loved what he saw and that’s how I ended up on there,” shares the artist.
Stogie T’s Freestyle Friday movement reignited the love for dope lyricism, was entertaining and perhaps most importantly, shone the spotlight on dope emcees who rarely get the recognition for their skills. “I definitely think that Freestyle Friday has given me credibility as an emcee you know,” Majola says. “Being on platform like Freestyle Friday amongst some of the greatest bar spitters in the country and being shown love by one of the best to ever touch the mic. I don’t think people view me any different though. For most of them Freestyle Friday was the first time they saw/ heard me. For those that already knew me I think they always knew that I can emcee.”
Majola has been based in Cape Town for about five years now, after relocating to join a Christian youth organization called The Message Trust. “…I’ve been curious about Joburg, however never thought it was right to move that side over the years.”
During his time in the Cape Majola has been part of a band, Kinetic IV which can be categorized as a faith collective that has a strong pop sound- Gospel seemingly targeted at young people. But it’s the stuff he’s done solo that really slaps and is more compelling. The difference isn’t just sonically, but his rhymes and his storytelling have a wider reach than the material he records with the band.
“First and foremost I’m a big consumer of music, I listen to [it] all the time. I listen to loads of genres and in that I love to explore different cultures and sub cultures they represent,” Majola says. He is yet to release a solo project, but he’s done a number of freestyles which have managed to generate hype around him.
In a move that is of a bygone era of rap, he tried his luck on radio at Good Hope FM’s cypher sessions on a Thursday evening, and through that Majola left a mark on legendary DJ Ready D. “This [Thursday Hip Hop show] was a platform for all upcoming emcees to come through and showcase their skills and represent where they’re from and this is where we met initially. He then later on contacted me and started chatting on collaborating on a tune together that we then recorded at Redbull Studios.” The song is on DJ Ready D’s new album Ghoema Music.
Majola reminds me of artists such as André 3000 who are aesthetically-conscious in everything they do. This goes beyond being dapper or having drip, but having that innate knowing of what looks and feels good.
His vest and chinos combination with no shoes in the Freestyle Friday video is a case in point. “I use to thriftshop a lot, visit second hand bookshops, going to markets and art exhibitions. I love meeting new people and starting conversations. I’m also a writer, I write poetry and spoken word, songs and short fiction, I also love fashion. I read a lot of SA historic fiction and poetry and biographies.”