D.Y.K – DID YOU KNOW?

KENDRICK LAMAR

Kendrick Lamar is engaged to his high school sweetheart, Whitney Alford
Kendrick and his fiancee share two children together
Kendrick’s new album, Mr Morale & The Big Steppers, is his latest project after the release of 2017’s Damn
Kendrick Lamar was a straight-A student
He is 5’6’’ tall

CH’CCO

Growing up, Shiko Matlebjane’s grandfather could not pronounce his name and would often call him ch’cco. His family soon began referring to him as that, which is how his stage name came to be.
Originally a rapper, ch’cco has cemented himself as an Amapiano vocalist
He has worked with South African artists such as Pabi Cooper, Kwiish and Mellow and Sleazy
He is best known for his song ‘’Nkao Tempele’’ featuring Mellow and Sleazy
He prides himself on being part of a cultural movement helping put South African music on the global stage

DA BABY

The rapper’s real name is Jonathan Lyndale Kirk
He grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his mother and two older brothers
Da Baby was initially referred to as ‘Baby Jesus’ until he decided to change his stage name in 2017
After releasing numerous mixtapes between 2014 and 2018, he rose to mainstream fame in 2019.
In 2021, Da Baby made homophobic comments during a performance, which led to the rapper being widely criticized and dropped from multiple festivals

ED SHEERAN

LAKEYAH

Lakeyah is one of the first rappers from Milwaukee to make it big in the music industry
She started rapping at the age of 15
Lakeyah started pursuing music after admiring the state of self-expression through poetry
Lakeyah enrolled in the Arts Institute to pursue her love for Arts, but decided to drop out after only one month to focus on her music career
She recently dropped her new single ‘’Mind Yo Business’’ featuring Latto, after signing with Motown Records

BLACK SHERIF

Mohammed Ismail Sherif Kwaku, professionally known as Black Sherif, was born in Konongo, Ghana
He belongs to the Ashanti tribe of the Ashanti Region
He gained prominence in 2021 with his album ‘’Second Sermon’’
He is often referred to as Blacko by his fans
The young artist has confirmed that he draws inspiration from the streets

JACK HARLOW

Jack Harlow was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky but moved to Atlanta to further his music career
Jack has worked with superstars such as Lil Wayne, Bryson Tiller, Chris Brown and Lil Nas X
He is a three-time Grammy nominee
He prides himself in being sober since 2021
Jack is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and joined the march in Louisville in honour of Breonna Taylor

DRAKE

The Canadian rapper is famously and loved as ‘Drake’, however, his real name is Aubrey Drake Graham
Drake first started his career within the entertainment industry as an actor on the Canadian tv series spin-off, Degrassi: The Next Generation
Music runs in the rapper’s blood – Drake’s father, Dennis Graham, was a drummer who worked with Jerry Lee Lewis.
Drake is known for his charitable work. The rapper made a large donation that was used as bail money for the protestors who had been arrested for protesting in support of the Black Lives Matter movement
His love for Aaliyah runs deep. To show his admiration for the late singer, Drake has a tattoo of Aaliyah’s face on his back

NASTY C

Nasty C was only nine years old when he started rapping
His real name is Nsikayesizwe David Jr. Ngcobo
Nasty C is not only a rapper but is also a songwriter and record producer
He is the first rapper in South Africa to receive a Youtube Silver Button
Following his mother’s passing, he designed a tattoo on his left forearm dedicated to her and the impact that she had in his life

COSTA TITCH

Although he is famously known as Costa Titch, his real name is actually Costa Tsobanoglou
Costa was part of a dance crew, New Age Steeze, together with Phantom Steeze and Tumi Tladi
His breakthrough followed the release of his hit single ‘Activate’
Costa Titch has collaborated with some of South Africa’s most popular rappers such as Cassper Nyovest
He initially had no idea that he would end up in music

DOJA CAT

Although professionally known as Doja Cat, the singer and rapper’s real name is Amala Zandile Dlamini
Her father, Dumisani Dlamini, is a South African Zulu performer who is best known for his performance as Crocodile in the South African musical Sarafina!
Doja went viral as a meme in 2018 with her single ‘’Mooo!’’
Doja Cat & SZA won a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2022 Grammy Awards
Doja almost missed her acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards due to her having to take a quick bathroom break

KANYE WEST

MUNI LONG

Music runs in her family as her father played the trumpet and her mother was a singer
Muni Long, born Priscilla Renea Hamilton, began singing at the age of two
She has written songs for some of the world’s biggest stars such as Rihanna, Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey.
She was only 21 years old when she recorded her first album
Muni has been described by Rolling Stone as ‘’genre-agnostic’’

A-REECE

Before signing to Ambitious Entertainment, A-Reece was first signed by P Raw X at the age of 16
He dropped his first album as an independent artist titled ‘’From Me To You And Only You’’ in October 2017
The South African rapper clarified that there is indeed more to his stage name than most people know. His name stands for: A – Above, R – Reality, E – Exceptionally
When he was just 16 years old, A-Reece had Khuli Chana open for him at his first show
The rapper has received some criticism as a response to his bid to shift South African laws around the recreational use of marijuana

LIL NAS X

Lil Nas X was born as Montero Lamar Hill
He was born with a musical gift and began playing the trumpet at the age of ten while in elementary school
Like many other musicians, he made the decision to leave college to pursue his passion for music
He rose to fame with the release of his country rap single ‘Old Town Road’ which features Billy Ray Cyrus
He was the first artist to have a song remain at number one on the Billboard 100 list for 19 consecutive weeks