Bataung Moeketsi
VETERAN Hip Hop artiste Dunamis will tomorrow release what could be his “final album” titled UNDEFEATED.
Dunamis told the Weekender on Monday that he was considering retiring from music since he has achieved what he had set out to do in the music industry.
“This might be the last album,” Dunamis said.
“I feel I have reached the peak and achieved all I desired in music, and want to either help groom others to do the same or venture into other business.”
Born Retšelisitsoe Molefe in Ha-Mabote, Maseru, Dunamis got his alias from his friend, GLXRY, who believed it would attest to the impact his pal was to have on the African music industry.
With a stage name derived from the Greek word meaning dynamite, Dunamis said coming from a small country being able to “penetrate dense platforms like the South African music industry” is what makes him explosive.
Dunamis has won several awards among them the South African Music Awards (SAMA) in the best South Sotho category for his song Fabia Jo featuring Jane le Sam in 2009. He is also the first Mosotho hip hop artiste to have his music videos aired on international television stations including Channel O, Trace, SABC, ETV among others.
Bursting onto the scene over a decade ago and releasing his critically acclaimed debut album Mastered Seed in 2007, Dunamis went on to release The Glory and Da Street and G.O.D (God of Dunamis) respectively in 2011 and 2016.
He attributes his release pattern to the fact that he does not believe in saturating his audience will a lot of music.
In between albums Duna, as he is affectionately known, says he markets his releases through road tours locally and across the border.
“I always take a four-year interval when releasing albums so that my fans can absorb the project and fully understand my thought pattern,” Dunamis said.
UNDEFEATED, whose release falls on Dunamis’ birthday, is the culmination of his life’s work in the music industry. On it he will touch on matters of the heart and the people he has lost.
Recognising the pivotal role, he has played in the industry and the experience he has since acquired; Dunamis said the approach he took on this album was different from his past releases.
“I feel that I have been able to take on all the challenges that Lesotho artistes face and have used them as stepping stone for progress, hence the name UNDEFEATED.
“I try to be versatile and, on this album, I touched on topics such as love, being the most profound yet none tangible component of humanity.
“I also touched on losing loved ones such as Lebo, a very gifted, young and intelligent artiste who was under my wing and was still to reach great heights, who passed on in 2016,” he said.
The album will be released under K.O.L Music Productions, which Dunamis founded in 2007, and will feature the likes of Cape Town musician, Sylvia. Lesotho’s Flashy, Hfo, AxoMind, Devoe and AxoMind, who also produced the album, are also set to appear.
Local beat producers Skream Beatz, Taks Beats and Sy Soprano provided additional production.
With all he has achieved in the music industry, Dunamis promises to make a closing statement on UNDEFEATED by way of healing listeners and encouraging them to pursue what they love.
“My music is always therapeutic in nature and the greatest achievement is healing the next person who may be going through a lot,” Dunamis said.
