Young, gifted with rap. You’d be forgiven for thinking this is hip-hop artist Sizwe “Reason” Moeketsi’s moniker. Having broken into the music industry as a youngin, this now 23-year-old has a starpower (and longevity) that belies his age.
Reason’s come-up is that of most South African rappers: the tall rhyme-spitter started out slaying many an emcee in rap battles. However, it wasn’t always freestyles and battles with this Tembisa-born and Katlehong-raised rapper. With his first mainstream appearance on Gauteng’s popular radio station YFM in 2005, Reason delivered ill jingles on ‘The Unrestricted Freshest Breakfast Show” hosted by the legendary DJ Fresh and side kick Mr.T.
His accolades include being named South Africa’s hip hop journal, Hype Magazines King Of The Bedroom and their Top 5 Hottest Unsigned Rappers in the country. The rapper who has been at it since 1999 was also “Emcee of the Month” in March 2006 on YFM’s hip-hop show “Rap Activity” hosted by Lee Kasumba. A regular guest on these famed sessions and a subject of many articles in Hype Magazine, newspapers like The Star, appearances on TV shows like Shiz Niz and a role in SABC 1’s Mthunzini.com, it’s clear Reason is a staple of the industry.
His work on YFM saw him form a close musical relationship with hip-hop icon Pro-Verb. The two later collaborated on Pro-Verb’s MaNuScript album on a track titled “Street Music”. Next Reason worked with ProVerb, Tumi, Zubz, Infa from Skwatta Kamp, Mawe2, Nthabi, Anvils, Maggz, Genocide, Hoodlum and Beats Against Beats on many other projects. Reason enlisted the likes of producers Battlekat, PH, Hoodlum and others for his own mixtapes.
This rapper’s highly anticipated album, “The Reasoning”, boasts the production talent of Battlekat who brought us Zubz’s “Listener’s Digest”, H2O’s “Amanzi Mmtoti” as well as Mizi, Rastic Ras and Ootz The Afronaut. The lead single from his imminent album is called “Testify”, produced by the young and musical genius Instro.
A firm favourite among hip-hop heads, and their girlfriends no doubt, this Art Director by profession is a permanent fixture in hip-hop and believes he was destined for it. This view is expressed in his stage name, which borrows from his motto: “everything happens for a reason.”
“I believe in a higher power and that it has placed everyone on this earth to fulfill our destinies. Everything we go through leads us to that destination. That’s why I apply the name Reason to my music.” It’s clear that where music is concerned, wisdom comes from the mouths of babes.
Reason - The Reasoning Album,
