Ever since he stepped onto the television scene three years ago, talented actor, writer and rapper Tebatso Mashishi has become a familiar face in the entertainment industry. 

Mashishi burst onto our screens with his portrayal of the cool wannabe entrepreneur called Papi on the highly acclaimed film Matwetwe, which he believes helped enhance his impeccable storytelling skills.

Mashishi was born in Limpopo and moved to Mpumalanga at a young age, before his family finally settled in Atteridgeville, Tshwane.

While he now assumes the role of Kgosi on SABC 2 soapie Muvhango, Mashishi has also been feeding his rap career by creating music that helps him keep a level head. 

He goes by the stage name Prodykal Son, derived from the Bible’s prodigal son story. “Funny enough, I started out as a musician. My life soon changed from music to acting but I’ve been doing music for the longest time. 

“[It was] only in 2019 that I decided to do things right by working with creditable producers and connects. I even started using my acting money to invest in my music. I do this because I know that acting gigs aren’t really guaranteed.” 

Although he got his big break on Matwetwe in 2019, Mashishi denotes that moment in his life as “bittersweet” as his co-star and friend, Sibusiso Khwinana, got stabbed by muggers shortly after the release of the movie. 

The 29-year-old described losing Khwinana as a “drastically change in my life” as he concurrently had to deal with the loss of his mother, who had been his biggest champion throughout his journey in the entertainment industry. 

“Having the ongoing case take place was like the sore wound being opened again. It sort of gives me closure now that the killer was found guilty.

“It’s great news that Sibusiso’s killer is behind bars but that won’t bring my friend back. We were robbed of such a talented human being.” 

Mashishi uses his music as his outlet that allows him to deal with any pain or issues he might be facing in his life. 

His latest album titled A Lot Happened speaks on losing his mother, battling depression and suicidal thoughts, and finally finding hope. 

“My favourite song on the album is track number three, titled Modimo ase Sny (loosely translated, God is not an idiot). This song is like a prayer to me… when everything was happening around me, I was asking God whether he could see my suffering. 

“But as the situation got better, I could see that God was there and was helping me through it. Whenever I go through suicidal thoughts, that song reminds me that there’s hope.”

As he was tested quite a lot in a short space of time, Mashishi explains the experience as “an elevation to a better understanding of who I am”.

“Therapy helps you to deal with issues that you’re going through. I mean, 2019 was not so long ago and I had to deal with a lot of loss. 

“I still suffer from a few triggers which led me into not going out that often at night, I always make sure to watch my back when I walk in public… triggers such as these that don’t just disappear in three years but I’m getting better,” he explains.