Based: KwaZulu Natal
Dubbed as a refreshing voice to the South Africa hip hop industry, Yanga is taking over the airwaves with his banger titled ‘Mantshingilane’. The track describes a situation where party goers are convincing bouncers to let them into the hottest party in town. The track is released under Vth Season.
Yanga Ntshakaza was born in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape in October 1987 and grew up in Queenstown. Arriving in Johannesburg in 2006, he studied towards a BA degree in Audio Visual Production Management at the University of Johannesburg. In his 2nd year, he got a junior position in the University’s SRC. This is where he met Skwatta Kamp member Slikour during an event at the University. Slikour hired him as a Website Administrator for his company, Ventilation Productions.
Through the watchful eye of the company, Yanga was moulded into a music video director; a role which has saw him direct videos such as AKA’s ‘Run Jozi’; JR’s ‘Bob Mabena’; Kwesta’s ‘Boom Shaka Laka’ and Kid X’s ‘Cooler Bag’.
Yanga got his musical break in 2014 after featuring on AKA’s ‘Run Jozi’ also featuring K.O. He wasted no time in expressing his talent on the mic by releasing a smooth summer jam produced by pH titled ‘Awuth’Yam’ featuring AKA and Kid X in October.
Yanga closed off 2014 by releasing the ‘2015 Freestyle’ which caused a rapture on social media and got Yanga acknowledgement by local rap stars and media personalities as being a refreshing voice in the hip hop industry. He also toured the country with both AKA and the Cashtime Life family last summer. He also featured on DJ Vigilante’s ‘Sorry Makhe’ with L-Tido, Kid X and Maggz and featured on AKA’s ‘Baddest’ with Burna Boy and Khuli Chana.
Yanga signed to Vth Season Audio earlier this year, which is home to the likes of multiple award winning hip hop artist, AKA, and multi-platinum songwriter and singer, Tresor.