Hanging out with Tumelo Tshabalala

Mandoza’s second-born son Tumelo Tshabalala is following in the footsteps of the late kwaito icon under the stage moniker “Harry”. 

Mandoza as a father:

• We knew my dad as Mduduzi and not Mandoza. I wrote my first verse in Grade 5 after I had told him about my interest in music in 2016 – that’s when I got to see the other side of him, which is Mandoza. 
• He was a very impatient man — if he wanted something, he wanted it right now. But he was also an understanding person. If there was a reason why things couldn’t go his way, he’d understand. 
• He was very unpredictable; he wasn’t easy to read — you couldn’t foresee his next move.   

 Lessons learnt from Mandoza: 

• To be confident and comfortable using my own voice. He always pointed out the importance of speaking what’s in my heart through my music.   
• Respecting and loving what you do. He emphasised how I needed to put my heart and soul into whatever I was passionate about or else I’d just waste my time.  
• That it’s good to have pride sometimes — it helps people respect your art even more.  
• To be as authentic as possible to myself. To live boldly and true to what and who I want to become.  

Dealing with Mandoza comparisons:   

• I’ve had to learn that it’s not about filling his “big shoes” but more about me making my own shoes.
• Comparison kills beauty. If the intention behind your work is trying to beat someone, that takes away the value of the whole experience.  
• I’m not focused on the big name that my dad was but rather on ensuring that I have fun doing what I love, which is music.

 Finding my own sound:   

• There is way more English in my music as opposed to his. I prefer to rap in English, because that’s the language with which I’m more comfortable in terms of musical expression.
• There is a song on my EP where I rap in my mother tongue, which pays homage to my father.  
• I partially produced only some of my songs, as I am still at the beginning of my music career.
• My music is a whole different genre compared to his. I am more hip hop and he was a kwaito icon.   

 What we didn’t know about Mandoza:   

• He had a thing for cartoons. He knew the theme song to Phineas and Ferb — you could tell he enjoyed that show.  
• He was a really good braai master. When there was a braai at home, he knew that was his job. From making the fire to marinating the meat, he did everything. And his meat would come out tasting so delicious... That man loved meat — maybe that’s why he was good at braaiing it.    

 Keeping Mandoza’s legacy alive: 

• I will continue to do more work with the Mandoza Foundation. That will be a passion of mine forever.  
• For as long as I live, I will make sure my mother is taken care of and that she has no worries about anything.  
• I will make sure that my dad always has a dignified name, be it in how I portray myself in the music industry or through any memory of his work.