Who is Mochen?
Discovering his music online
Growing up in Soshanguve, I have always been curious about the music scene in other townships. What is the culture like? How do they express themselves? Are their song's content relatable? These are some of the questions I have about artists in other townships.
I got exposed to Mochen's music for the first time earlier this month, on the 8th of September. I was viewing a friend's status on Facebook which was a video of Mochen spitting bars. I approached my friend and he told me that it's "Mochen, from Block U". Without any luck, I could not find him online but a few days later his social media post appeared on my timeline 😃.
Trapboyz Freestyle #traplivesmatter pic.twitter.com/B5fABuOKkJ
— SUPERMAN. (@MochenRSA) September 13, 2022
Anyone from Pretoria can identify with the slang being used by Mochen called Spitori and it is quite exciting witnessing the rise of musicians originating from the city that bring light into some of the culture in the capital city.
The only downside is the lack of content from Mochen but judging from the quality of music he has been putting out, it's only a matter of time until the audience gets served with a significant body of work that certifies him as one of the pillars of Hip Hop in Pretoria.
I was quite excited to approach him and get some insight into who he is and what we should look forward to next. Here is my 5 minutes conversation below with him.
Interview
Who is Mochen? Where are you from and why did you pick the name Mochen??
My real name is Happy Nkuna. I was born and raised in Mabopane, a township on the outskirts of Pretoria. The name directly translates from the English word "Machine" and was given based on my abilities to master everything I touch. In short, I am a machine.
So who inspired you to rap the way you do?
I grew up a big fan of Lil Wayne, hence tactically, my rhymes are a little too refined for a commercial rapper. My emphasis is on punchlines and "in-pocket" delivery. I blend it with the stories from where I come from. Most of my songs contain a bit of everything from storytelling to switching between flows and alternating between English rap and Pitori lingo.
What would you like your audience to take from your music?
I would like for my fans to understand that all I am doing is painting a picture of how the hood is and how we grew up. The things we had to learn to live through and survive in the hood.
After discovering you, I searched for any previous projects and I could not find any. Is there any past projects that you have previously released?
I haven't released any projects. I have since released over 30 songs for download but those weren't on big platforms. Right now I am working towards releasing my debut EP.
Oh I see, so the content you have been pushing is promo leading to the EP. Is the project finished and who are you working with?
The EP is still a work in progress, it's almost complete. I can't reveal the people on it yet but for me it is very important I put on some of the very talented people from where I come from.
Outside rapping, do you have any other talents? Are you involved in other things when creating music ?
I co direct my videos and I write for other artists.
Any other artists or producers we should lookout for from Mabopane?
Loatinova Pounds, Tizza D Mane, Iceman Beats and D.C.