“I know that I’m not going to fail and I’m not going to lose.” Siyabonga “Slikour” Metane, 35, speaks with the confidence of a rapper but, at this stage of his 15-year career, he is so much more.
As a musician and businessman, Metane has wielded a huge influence on the South African music industry, especially hip-hop.He’s a founding member of the SAMA and Channel O award-winning rap collective Skwatta Kamp.
Before they became the first hip-hop group signed to a major label (Gallo) in the early 2000s, Metane remembers recording music at his mother’s house and distributing it on the streets and in taxis.
Two of Skwatta Kamp’s four albums achieved gold status. Slikour recorded three solo albums and racked up SAMA nominations and a Channel O award.
As an artist, Metane saw a gap for a comprehensive, indigenous platform that would promote South African music and stories about it. Slikour onLife, the website he founded, hosts music downloads, videos and news.
With over 180 000 hits a month, Slikour onLife offers artists analytics and metrics on their online reach. Slikour also founded 37618, the mobile music store where users buy local music with airtime.
Find Slikour on Twitter: @Slikour
