The post “They Gave Me a Chance”: iFani Opens Up On The Support Behind “Msebenzi Wam” Mixtape appeared first on SA Hip Hop Mag.
“They Gave Me a Chance”: iFani Opens Up On The Support Behind “Msebenzi Wam” Mixtape. South African hip-hop veteran iFani is making sure the people who helped bring his latest music to life get their flowers.
The Eastern Cape-born rapper, real name Mzayifani Mzondeleli Boltina, recently took to social media to acknowledge Asanda Empires and Riley Auctions Africa for giving him the opportunity and financial backing to deliver his latest mixtape, Msebenzi Wam.
“All I needed was a chance to try again,” iFani wrote. “Thank you @asandaempires_ for givin me that chance 
Thank you @rileyauctionsafrica for financing my mixtape 
Msebenzi Wam is top quality because of the financial muscle of these 2 companies.”
He then added a brutally honest punchline that captured just how significant the support has been for him: “Without them I’m just another broke 
from the West Side with 3 kids.”
The candid admission shines a light on one of the less glamorous realities of making music independently. For iFani, having the right people behind him has allowed him to move beyond simply creating music and focus on producing a project with the quality and polish he believes it deserves.
Msebenzi Wam, which translates to “My Work”, arrived at the end of July as an eight-track mixtape and represents another important chapter in the rapper’s journey. Known for his sharp Xhosa lyricism, humour and unapologetic celebration of his culture, iFani has continued to carve out a distinctive space for himself in South African hip-hop.
His partnership with Asanda Empires earlier this year was particularly significant. The rapper previously described the new chapter as the end of his “lonely days”, with the management company helping create a collective centred on vernacular music, isiXhosa heritage and African storytelling.
Riley Auctions Africa also played a key role by providing the financial muscle behind the mixtape. The Level 1 BBBEE auction house, which operates across South Africa, effectively helped give iFani the resources required to turn the project from an idea into a finished body of work.
And Msebenzi Wam is far from a lightweight release.
The project takes iFani into darker and more mature territory, with songs including “West Side”, “Corrections”, the two-part title track, “Kwakhe Kwanje Phi Na” featuring Csana and Snymaan, “Ndivuselele” featuring Vuyo Manyike, “Bendingayaz” and “Into Zomhlaba” featuring Vee Sholo.
The rapper has described the mixtape as music “made for only”, signalling a departure from some of his more family-friendly material. Across the project, he draws from experiences of struggle, growth and resilience, turning the lessons of his own life into music.
That honesty has also caught the attention of Podcast and Chill co-host Sol Phenduka, whose praise for the project clearly struck a chord with iFani.
Phenduka described Msebenzi Wam as “a beautiful, brutally honest and vulnerable piece of work”, a compliment iFani shared while reflecting on the experiences that came before the music.
“It’s music now. But first, I had to live the hard-knock life,” he said.
That statement perhaps captures the essence of Msebenzi Wam better than anything else. Before the polished production, before the performances and before the recognition, there was the life that had to be lived.
Now, with Asanda Empires providing management support and Riley Auctions Africa helping shoulder the financial load, iFani is showing what can happen when an artist gets another chance to create on his own terms.
For a rapper who has openly spoken about stepping away from the industry, reassessing his priorities and rebuilding, Msebenzi Wam feels like more than a comeback project. It is evidence of an artist entering a new chapter with the support to match his ambition.
And if iFani’s latest words are anything to go by, he knows exactly who helped make that second act possible.
The post “They Gave Me a Chance”: iFani Opens Up On The Support Behind “Msebenzi Wam” Mixtape appeared first on SA Hip Hop Mag.
The post “They Gave Me a Chance”: iFani Opens Up On The Support Behind “Msebenzi Wam” Mixtape appeared first on SA Hip Hop Mag.
“They Gave Me a Chance”: iFani Opens Up On The Support Behind “Msebenzi Wam” Mixtape. South African hip-hop veteran iFani is making sure the people who helped bring his latest music to life get their flowers. “They Gave Me a Chance”: iFani Opens Up On The Support Behind “Msebenzi Wam” Mixtape The Eastern Cape-born rapper, …
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