Once again, that anonymous character from L.E.S. (Lesotho) invades y’all systems with the latest greatest, as promised!  Check out the interview with El Kai, all the way from Lesotho, as they discuss his album “Nearly Had It

I’d like to jump straight into a character called El kai, who just released his album two weeks ago, independently. It’s called ‘Nearly had it’. As mentioned before, he’s a producer/emcee (check out the article about Hip Hop in Lesotho). Had an interview with him today, and this is whut he had to say…(most of it was in Sesotho, so I had to translate it)…

ME: whussup El kai?

EL: aah, it’s all good; it’s alright (laughs)

ME: Your album’s playing in the background

EL: yeah, mos definitely. It’s my first album, my debut shit right there

ME: tell me about the intro… whussup wid it

EL: yo, during the making of this album, something tragic happened, you know. Um, I lost my really good friend, ah, a girl called Joalane right there. So basically, the entire album is dedicated to her. Yah, so I wanted to keep the introduction really simple, and let everything out. Played a guitar rhythm on dat one

ME: so how wuz it made, did u record the riddim first or…

EL: oh yeah, I recorded the melody first (grabs his red acoustic guitar and plays the tune). It wuz just a freestyle, to let everything out.

ME: Aight, the second track… think I’ve heard the chorus from somewhere

EL: Yeah, it’s called ‘I wish you’. The chorus is from a boy called S’ygon (formerly 5th Element). Just felt that it’s very related to my situation. Apart from dat, my verses are all original. It’s not something I wrote down, so [Intro + I wish you] are more like freestyle setups.

ME: that’s very creative my brada. ‘Loxion’, track three…

EL: I wuz just kicking it. Hasn’t got any precise meaning, it’s just a track to all people out there who reckon they got everything… I’m telling ‘em that everywhere they reach, I also have the potential to reach, be it the next minute, or the next hundred years.

ME: track no. four

EL: It’s called ‘I don’t wanna be’, just an ode to my girlfriend, she’s called D. Was abroad during the album’s making, and I missed her a whole lot

(At this point, I just let El speak, no questions or comments. Dig it)

EL: The next track is ‘Me dipa’, meaning my diapers. Just explains that I got my diapers on, and no one can come close to undressing me. It’s a crazy, happy song dedicated to my motherland, Lesotho. There’s also another version, featuring my man Anone [unknown], and he just rips it wicked. There are trax like ‘I’m black’. It lets people know that even though the system calls us stupid, it’s only because we special. Another track, which has an original version, is ‘The Storm’. The concept came with Anone, and we just worked on it. Chorus is something like:

THE STORM: niggaz betta take fucking cover son
THE STORM: smoke ain’t coming from another blunt
THE STORM: hovers up and covers the rest/ it’s the fucking Brainchild leaving blood on your vest/

(Here, I chip in again)

ME: Okay brotha, dat’s phat. Haven’t you got a crew, because it’s just you on the whole album, with two, if not three, guest appearances from a cat called Core Wreckah. Production is also single-handedly done by you. What’s the reason behind this?

EL: The main reason’s that everyone’s lazy. Guess they just can’t be bothered about working and making a decent track. Maybe they too busy; but, I mean, u can always make time. Secondly, the computer I use is located in my mom’s room, so u can just imagine…

ME: tell me ‘bout your guitar

EL: still learning how to play this shit right here (he’s left-handed, so it’s Jimi Hendrix style). On my next album, I want to explore a more live instrumentation sort of vibe. Hopefully, I’ll have production from other cats also, like Tazz and the rest of ‘em. There’ll be guest appearances from my crew and other affiliates. 

ME: thanx for your time, any last words

EL: support hip-hop; believe that u can make it

Aight my peeps, dat’s all I have for y’all. Any comments, need a copy of the album? SMS-a-FELA on 083 987 3242 (phone is off most of the time, so text messaging is probably the best option). Or, you can always send an e-mail on thabo@ilesotho.com

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