Bongani Fassie checks in, talks about picking up the pieces with new music

Controversy-prone Bongani Fassie, the only child of late pop icon Brenda Fassie, says he's working to rebuild his life the only way he knows best – through music.

The 40-year-old artist and founding member of 2000s hip-hop crew, Jozi, told Sowetan he has been in the studio cooking up a storm.

In his quest to revive his brand, Fassie has teamed up with motswako rap queen Fifi Cooper on the new song Jehovah. “I’ve been going through a transformation in my life for the past six years – ever since I came out of rehab,” he said.

“I looked at my catalogue, from all the songs that I had done, the one thing I always wanted to do when I got back to the studio was to acknowledge the Lord for sparing my life and allowing me to survive. I’ve been in and out of hospital but looking at my life through a microscope, and now that I’m stepping back into the light, and reclaiming my throne, I had to acknowledge God and all that he has done for me.”

Redemption and rebirth are a recurring theme in his new sound.

Fassie described Cooper as feisty, just like his pop superstar mother. “She’s a Scorpio, like my mother. She behaves and has similar mannerisms as her. She and my mother even look alike, and have the same talents. Everyone knows Fifi as a rap queen but she has a beautiful [singing] voice too. She demonstrates that in our new song, Jehovah," he said.

Fassie also hopes to collaborate with Emtee, who has also been under public scrutiny in recent years. “Not a lot of people are aware of my friendship with Emtee. There was a point where he was going through a lot and he stayed at my place,"  he said.

"This is when him and I got to know each other. While his mind was not in the right place at the time, I got to know his heart. Like me, he is a Virgo and I hope we get to work and release new music.”

Last year, a half-naked Fassie went viral in video footage that showed an unpleasant altercation with presumably complex security. He said he was trying to move on from the incident. “I’ve been in a good space for some time now. However, the situations that have happened behind the scenes have obviously put out a bad description of me. Usually, when people don’t know the truth, they speculate and fabricate,” he said.

“Yes, I’ve had mishaps in my life, and I’ve owned up to them. However, if it’s not something that’s coming from my mouth – that definitely wasn’t me. I’ve had my ups and downs in the public eye and run-ins with the media, who just want to sell papers and make you famous. Just like my mother, she never responded to any of them, hence, I did the same. I let people run their mouths and just continue with my life.”

Fassie also plans to honour his late mother with a concert in May. “I’m a responsible father now. This stems from my ups and downs with a lot of individuals who were not in synchronicity with what I wanted to be and do with my life as the sole beneficiary of Brenda Fassie's estate,” he said.