Sabelo Soko
Sabelo Soko is a poet, writer, actor and voice over artist from eMkhondo, a small town in Mpumalanga formerly known as Piet Retief. He relocated to Johannesburg in 2003 and studied dramatic arts at FUBA; Sabelo also holds a marketing qualification from Intec.
FEELS RIGHT – SABELO SOKO feat. VANGILE GANTSHO
HOW COULD I – SABELO SOKO
Though based in Johannesburg, he is a non-executive member of Injobo Foundation, a youth organization based eMkhondo; he is also the founding member of Mpumalanga Made Me, a lifestyle brand that seeks to promote self pride amongst the youth of the, sometimes deprived, province.
He writes his poetry in English, isiZulu and Tsotsi Taal; sometimes he fuses these languages to produce a proudly South African poetic punch. His work has been published and translated in various anthologies, magazines, journals and newspapers.
Sabelo Soko has worked with BKO, an online poetry magazine, as a contributor since its inception.
He is a regular writer for Hype, South Africa’s leading hip hop magazine. With GEKO Publishing, Sabelo Soko facilitated the Hip Hop Meets Literature Workshop at the 2013 Jozi Book Fair.
He has collaborated with the multi award winning hip hop group, Teargas, on their album, Dark or Blue, where he rendered a spoken word piece. That album went on to reach gold status in terms of South African CD sales standards.
He has performed his poetry on various television shows over the years including Shift, Morning Live, Sunrise and Dlala ngeringas. Apart from reciting his work on commercial radio stations some of his poems, from his 2014 independently released a 10 piece EP, have been play listed on stations such as Ukhozi FM, Ligwalagwala FM, YFM, Metro FM, uMkhondo FM, Alex FM.
2014 also saw Sabelo Soko honouring an invite to perform his poetry in Italy.
Sabelo Soko’s voice has been heard on various radio and TV commercials. Having recently extended his acting portfolio to include TV acting to his stage experience, he has starred in a number of Mzansi Magic movies.
He just rounded off a national tour, where he was promoting his EP in different townships by performing his poems at taxi ranks, libraries, community halls, car washes and even at soccer stadiums.
Under his media company, SabzHero Creations, he is working on a full length poetry album and an anthology, both scheduled to be released in the second half of 2015.
2380 Album
2380 is Sabelo Soko’s first offering as a recording artist. A brave effort that seeks to bridge the gap between old and new by staying true to poetry as an art but also using catchy beats to make the message easily digestible. The EP is called 2380 to pay homage to Sabelo Soko’s beloved home town, eMkhondo formerly known as Piet Retief. 2380 is the towns’ postal code. The EP has a total of 10 well oiled pieces, features 5 musicians (including the auto tune) and 1 poet. Rapper Maraza produced 90% of the project and also lends some vocals on some tracks including Eduze Kwami, a nostalgic piece that talks to being raised by a single woman. Sabelo Soko also includes some heavy social and political commentary in a way only he can; Confusion unashamedly mirrors day to day South Africa. On Imali he flexes his comedic muscle with township flair, a strong social commentary piece; some recognizable public figures make an appearance on this piece. A truly South African product offered in isiZulu, English and Urban Lingo with proudly (or shamefully) South African stories. A family friendly CD, that moves you to the edge of your seat only because of the amount of truth in it.
Sabelo Soko - Artist Feature,
