Mohalenyane Phakela
AFTER an almost eight-year hiatus since leaving Ultimate FM, Tlali “Mr Maps” Mapetla has returned to radio as host of a youth musical programme on the new radio station, Mxxl 91.0 MHz.
The new station, which also goes by the name Space Age Radio, focuses on youth-oriented current affairs and music. Its diverse roster of presenters, which includes veterans and new entrants, is meant to cater for the 25-45-year-old audience demographic.
Mr Maps co-founded Ultimate FM and hosted the then popular Hip Hop show Backdoor Sessions that used to air on weekends between 2006 and 2008. The programme gained renown for showcasing local artists and raising their profiles.
“When I was at Dope and Ultimate FM, presenting was just a hobby fueled by natural talent, so I quit radio to go and study sound engineering in South Africa so I could go professional,” said Mr Maps this week.
“The programmes I did presented back then were about promoting local Hip Hop and Lesotho had real rappers then. This station is not government-owned which gives me flexibility over content.”
He said his new programme, The Juice, focuses on “classical and urban” sound such as Kwaito and urban jams.
“It aims to teach the current crop of musicians what to aspire to so as to bring back the standards.
“It is the first urban radio show that is fast paced, full of relevant content and that does not focus on presenters but on the listeners,” said Mr Maps, who is also the station’s public relations officer.
The Juice is co-hosted by Nuch and Ms Kay with guests coming from a cross section of fields to create a platform for future leaders.
