Neo Schesele, who is famously known for making people trap hard, is a father, a crypto currency trader, 'For The Culture' founder, a beat maker and a music producer. S-Jizzle says Jiji-F brought him lots of customers to buy beats and sessions with him. Where he stands, the Lesotho music industry was exciting back then, not now when there are less opportunities, less or no gigs etc.. Below is a conversation Login Radio through Elnolo had with S-Jizzle.
How, Why and When was S-Jizzle born? NOTE: not Neo Schesele but S-Jizzle? i.e. how did you discover your talent?
" I never really knew I had a musical talent until of my school mates jokingly said we should write Lyrics because we always used to talk about rap. It gradually become a norm and I started writing rap verses when I was alone. I linked up with a beat maker in high school back in 2010 and he inspired me to produce... I always created melodies in my head when I rap so I figured why not make beats too? I fell in love with beat making more and I let the other guys rap. Maybe one day I'll rap again. MAYBE!", S-Jizzle said. It looks like the Naledi based producer will no longer rap, maybe we will only hear him in the add libs like we did in the recent hit by Gee Flaggz, a young hip-hop/trap artist who always comes with a storm whenever he drops new music, well that's according to how he describes himself on his previous EP titled 'Once Bitten, Twice Shy', back to S-Jizzle.
How was Lesotho's music environment and reception by the time you joined the industry? How is it different from today?
"When I joined the industry... Basali Basali dropped, KOL still had Ghetto Iz , Blak Ink & KI... Lithuoa Majoe were killing it... The industry was exciting. The energies were fuego..."
S-Jizzle talks of the MIP Basali Basali, this was a team built up of a number of then great artists; T-Mech, RMC, Shuffle 44, Jiji-F, Motlatsi etc., whom we know not where they disappeared. I(Elnolo) had a chat with RMC in Morija while he and his team had a music video shoot workshop at The Hub Morija where they taught youngies the 'how to part' and shot a music. RMC pointed out that he was then into Videography and radio industry and that music has no money in it as compared to Videography - obviously there is a wedding every weekend, social media users now want good quality visual content etc., you might want to venture into it if you have its passion and you are a person who networks with people.
Neo Schesele continued, "...There were so many gigs, competitions... Award ceremonies! The game currently is at it's worst... Minimal opportunities! We have to rebuild and bring back that hype. There's a lot of talented musicians right now and definitely better quality but the hustle is not impressive... also the people who get these bags to host awards and competitions should stop with the corruption, they are killing the game. UMAs exploited artists. Ultimate managers looted funds. ..."
I had to comment in and say "Whoa! What the...?", when S-Jizzle said UMAs exploited artists and that the Ultimate mangers looted funds, I mean we thought they were reconstructing the premises kanthi...? Hehehe Jesu o tla neng banna? The UMAs was hope to the whole culture, that finally Lesotho is growing as in LS music industry, SA has The SAMAs and many other ceremonies that appreciate and empower art creators. I must say that is the reason I (Elnolo) came up with LS Billboard Charts Awards, and I believe we will grow and be what our vision is, even though we just turned into a Radio Station Login Radio due to events which were not allowed because of the covid-19 pandemic, but the charts are now on the radio and nothing can stop them from happening. Back to S-Jizzle, he continued...
"...These shenanigans are pushing sponsors away and killing the industry. Step Up never delivered on their record deal promises. To hell with the gimmicks, we need organizations who truly love this industry and desire to see it grow. People's livelihoods are at stake. ..."
Neo says he started off as a rapper but later focused on the other side of songs - the production side. "I focused more on production because I realized I'm not really a lyricist, I don't find much fun in writing lyrics... I'm also not too keen on performances lol. I'm a computer geek bro... I like being indoors and getting creative : That's my true personality and I'm sticking in my lane klaar." It's funny how high IQ characters in technology movies are always in glasses, and this is because they are always in front of their computes so they protect their eye sight. Haha, S-Jizzle is no exception, his putting on sunglasses is maybe not only inspired by the fashion love but self love also.
We are working on Gee Flaggz's second Mixtape #Mfana_Lecopo. I don't want to over hype it or anything... I want the music to speak this time. Honeng ke lehlolia? Hahaha!
When was your beautiful young daughter born? and was she among your plans? How did you balance being a father and making good music, and staying consistent?
"Khanya was born in 2017 5th of October. She wasn't part of my plans... I honestly didn't know I'd have a baby then at that age but I embraced it, I'm not dead beat material...", S-Jizzle said. This is where we see people who really know and stick to their plan. Marriage or maybe having a kid does not shift their focus from their vision, it is as good as deciding to focus on building one's family and then refocusing on the dream. Till I Die producer continued, "I think I was able to stay consistent because I never really got married so I don't live with my daughter nor her mom. I still have my creative freedom. I can't give out advice to industry fathers out there who got married and live with wives and kids. I can't relate. I wouldn't know what advice to give. Our situations are different.".
Clout is a powerful tool in building any portfolio, it being professional or profiles for fun. We have seen people who loved posting good pictures per say, transition from just posting their good quality content for fun to making good cash from all that, amounts that some of the people who have so called formal jobs do not earn monthly. #The_Clout_Entrepreneur S-Jizzle also confirmed this, "Clout has brought me numbers. I only started selling beats after I worked with Jiji F. The demand was crazy. A lot of cats wanted to record where Jiji Recorded and they wanted to ride the wave he's on production wise. It's important to have clout because you need consumers. This helped me a lot when I started hosting my own events - S-Jizzle Beats Fridays & with merchandise too."
This to you should emphasize the importance of monetizing your skills on the internet, which brings me to the point that covid-19 was a good thing somehow, it's an opinion though.
Neo Schesele created for 'the culture' in an attempt to revive the Rap Culture in Maseru - Lesotho. He started off with merchandise but it was meant to be something bigger which he couldn't reveal, he said it's a movement that you should wait on. On the case of the worldwide covid-19 pandemic, Neo said, "Ever since the lock down I've been into crypto currency. I seldom produce beats so I'm a crypto trader until they open up the country. covid-19 has definitely slowed my progress. We had a mixtape to record with Gee Flaggz and we were separated for a while... I couldn't host shows anymore... We have to focus primarily on selling music now because we can't get gigs so we are currently working on new material." Looks like you should expect hits from the duo. He carried on, "Bro, they should open up the country. Seriously... My vision is blurry musically because funds are harder to raise now for projects. It's less exciting having the internet as our only accessible platform 'Ha ke bone hantle tjena'(translated 'I don't really see the way out'). ".
S-Jizzle went to Butha Buthe for a visit. He owns a farm and occasionally visits that side of the country. Corona happened and he couldn't go back to Maseru. Everything is easily accessible and his crypto business is very easy to run in Butha-Buthe district - I think it's because it's in the rural region so there's less distraction, the problem might be network sometimes, he might find himself going around the village searching for the signal, hahaha! Schesele also didn't find any reason to be in Maseru if his artists friends are not doing gigs. "We ain't making moves. I'll be back when they open up the damn country." He said.
What can people expect from S-Jizzle anytime soon?
"We are working on Gee Flaggz's second Mixtape #Mfana_Lecopo. I don't want to over hype it or anything... I want the music to speak this time. Honeng ke lehlolia? Hahaha. I hope people support us even after this pandemic. It's a good project. It'll be available on Hard Copies and Digital Stores. . PLEASE SUPPORT US!!!" He concluded.
S-Jizzle built his image for a couple of years, and I must say he boosted a lot of careers in the music industry, I'm talking from Kopano The First, Jiji-F, Gee Flaggz and many others. Haha! I also worked with him back in the days. Below is an old music video for a song he produced for Kopano TheFirst.
YOU CAN GET SOME OF S-JIZZLE'S PRODUCED MUSIC FROM OUR MUSIC SECTION HERE ON OUR WEBSITE.
Kopano TheFirst - Mamello ft S-Jizzle [produced by S-Jizzle]
S-Jizzle Beatz
The Music Will Do The Speaking