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HARD KNOCKS: Hip-hop star Xolani Fani, aka Chronic X. PHOTO: MOHAU MOFOKENG

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• In the limelight - finally

HIP-HOP star Chronic X this week related how he narrowly escaped from an initiation school in the mountains of Eastern Cape.

Born Xolani Fani at Dimbaza in Eastern Cape, the musician says he ran away from an initiation school in 2000.

"I had only R300 but I also had a dream: I had to run for my life."

These tales are embedded in his Xhosa/English debut album, Miss SA, and a music video for the track Look At That. Most of the songs in the album are about Dimbaza in Eastern Cape; the streets, the people, the love and the cruelty that left his community in distress.

"But one song that still rings new every time I listen to it is Big Brother," he says.

Big Brother recounts the death of a friend who died as a result of a circumcision gone wrong, which doctors say was pneumonia. But Chronic X is sure that whatever happened in the mountains killed his friend.

"My friend went to the mountain and on the fourth day he was dead. I was scared. He died on Saturday, we buried him Sunday and I was gone on Monday.

"Surprisingly, my parents understood that I had to leave, something they would not have done under normal circumstances and given that I was 17 years old," says Chronic X.

"During that period more people of my youth were dying, some from petty crimes, some from community beatings. But most of them were dying from entabeni and that shocked the whole community. These are untold tales depicting events at Dimbaza in 2000."

Living in fear of death did not sit well with the youngster and Sea Point in Cape Town became his next refuge, backpacking with other homeless people. He pulled himself together and got a job as a waiter.

"The last thing you can do in a city like Cape Town is to feel sorry for yourself. The love of music and my family kept me strong. A hobo who works as a waiter . I would wake up at 5am to wash in the toilets of Golden Acres."

He saved enough to bounce back to music and set up a makeshift studio in his room. Soon underground rappers came in and "one day this Afrikaans boy Jack Parow, the Hosh tokolosh star, comes in and talks about rap, what does he know, but I let him flow", he laughs.

But Joburg was calling. He enrolled at Soul Candi Institute of music. "I got my qualification there and they asked me to lecture in production."

Chronic X came to Sowetan fresh from a live performance on e.tv breakfast show Sunrise.

Once a scared boy, Chronic X is clearly reaping the sweets of his sweats!

Comments

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Thu May 23 15:23:45 SAST 2013 ::

Mar 23, 2012

zukx

Thyini lentwana ayinantloni?hambokoluka mnqund'wakho!
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Mar 23, 2012

Ntjapeli

Oh my GOD.
Lord help Chronic X.
I hope he quits DRUGS
as well. Goodluck my Manz.
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Mar 23, 2012

Uncompromising

Peeps from Eastern Cape always have weird stories. Anyway, that story has so many holes a whole house would go through it ! Good luck, mrapper !
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Mar 23, 2012

Akhonto

@zukx - hahahahhahhahahhahahhah akana zintloni nyhani.... am a girl and out of respect of my x.hosa culture girls have no business talking about ukoluka but how is the part "escaped from an initiation school " relevant to his music????
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Mar 23, 2012

tsayaya

and whazzup with the hairstyle bro?, e ka re megwele ya pitsa,
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Mar 23, 2012

Curry

neva heard of the dude. Maybe his girlfriend thinks his jwabi is sexy
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Mar 23, 2012

bogogo

@tsayaya - cant u c that this is nice hairstyle
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Mar 23, 2012

dimpho_4U

Well done my brother..the hair style has to go....cut please!!
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Mar 23, 2012

tumzangwana

this guy o nkgopotsa malome wa ka straight. o tshwana le e na skono ka tshobotsi.
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Mar 23, 2012

iPhone4

His hair makes him looks like inqama (male s.heep). Isn't ihlazo ukuthi ubaleke entabeni as a X.hosa guy?
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