Hanging out with Ntate Stunna

Lesotho-born rapper Ntate Stunna has teamed up with Castle Milk Stout, aka Inkunzi Emnyama, for the AfriKaraoke campaign, fusing music, heritage, and culture. 

My fave African artists

I’m an avid lover of Ntate Budaza [Mapefane] music. He used to sing jazz, but in Sesotho. I also love Tsepo Tshola. I don’t have specific songs of theirs I like, but these two men have a plethora of classics from the catalogues.

I believe songs like Go Lokile will become cultural songs in the next 20 years — even though they are already sung at gatherings, people will adopt them more in the future. I love Stimela (his 2022 hit with 2Point1 and Nthabi Sings) — it’s one of the songs that showed me that you could go platinum by just singing in your own language. 

Go-to African meals

My top choice is dumpling and tripe. This is a meal I usually have when I’m in Joburg. I only eat traditional food; burgers are not my thing. My next-favourite meal is sour milk with pap or dumpling. Another favourite is skopo [cow, goat or sheep’s head] with pap.

How I’m preserving my heritage

It has to be through my fashion. I always aim to fuse my culture or garments from my heritage with whatever is trending. My music is the best way I capture who we are as Basotho and ensure our melodies or sounds are heard by the younger generation.I Carry the Lesotho flag high wherever I go and make sure my heritage is seen in partnerships I have with brands. 

A proud Mosotho

The Sotho language is super cool. It just flows. Every time we talk, it feels like we’re rapping a song. Our landscape is one of the most beautiful out there. We may experience the coldest seasons but our drip, meaning the blankets we wear, is what sets us apart and makes us unique. Our music is so intricate and unique; it sums up the kind of people we are as Basotho. 

Afrikaraoke validated me

This campaign with Castle Milk Stout gives me the validation that I’m on the right track regarding my music and how I represent my heritage. It’s made me so proud to be a part of an initiative that doesn’t require me to change myself to fit in, I don’t have to do much but be myself. 

I also loved how I got the best directors and cameramen to shoot a documentary (the AfriKaraoke docuseries premiering on SABC on Heritage Day) that captures the essence of who I am. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I also made a friend in Yanga Chief [fellow rapper featured in the same campaign], which is exciting.