The Legacy of Lekompo: Into the Mind of the Sound’s Founding Father Ba Bethe Gashoazen
He is arguably the reason Lekompo is and why it is becoming one of Mzansi’s fast-growing sounds. With smash hits under his belt such as “Choke Slam” and “Mapara” among others, Lekompo record producer and progenitor Ba Bethe Gashoazen’s far-reaching influence has not merely sparked the birth of a genre, but of a movement that represents Limpopo, the culture of the people, and voices that are pure in their authenticity. The star might’ve been camping on the side for years in relative obscurity, polishing the next big thing, but his time is now, and he stands alone at the top as the mastermind with the blueprint of what makes the genre what it has become so far.
And while the crown might be heavy, Gashoazen spoke about not struggling to breath at the top, recognising that those who took after him in style only affirmed his status as the source of Lekompo.
“When it comes to Lekompo, I’ve done a lot not only for the genre but also for other people. I am comfortable with myself and what I do. When I see other people copying my sound, I don’t feel threatened because it just proves I am the Godfather of Lekompo. I don’t like shutting people out, and when something like that happens, I just take it as me being inspiring to them. I’m very creative naturally, so if people want to do things like me, let them,” he said.
Ba Bethe Gashoazen | SUPPLIED
Besides the creator’s mantle he wears with pride, one of Gashoazen’s defining features, and perhaps a characteristic that makes the “Aowa Bafana” hitmaker stick out like a sore thumb, is his signature half-peroxided hairstyle, with the top side of his hair assuming the white. Ba Bethe spoke about the significance of being inimitable, and being his own person in a movement he has jumpstarted.
“When I think of myself and how I want to be seen as an artist, my thoughts are always about how I can stand out and be alone. I just want to be different next to other artists, especially within the Lekompo movement. I’m a fan of Adidas, and that in itself makes me unique. But not only the looks matter, the beats I use are also something else compared to what others are doing right now. You’ll never hear anybody complaining that I copied this or stole that from them. No, no. Everything with me is different,” he said.
Dubbing himself as one of the chosen ones, Ba Bethe knew way before the lights, before the fame, and before the glory that he was destined to ascend the throne and be a great somebody in the fullness of time. However, one can never be too sure or too prepared for the future. Gashoazen revealed some of the minor inconveniences which are part and parcel of fame.
“I see myself as the chosen one, and I believe that’s why my life has turned out the way it has. It was bound to happen. One of the things, though, that has taken me aback about being famous is that I can’t even go to the mall alone and walk freely by myself. I mean, to be where I am is nice but it also isn’t because at this point I can’t even shop for anything. You always have to be clean and look nice when you go out because people are always looking at you and if you come out looking bad, there’s always a person out there ready to post you on social media,” he said.
Ba Bethe Gashoazen | SUPPLIED
Having recently signed a new partnership deal with Sony Music, Gashoazen, in the short time he has been with them team and after releasing his first single under the stable called “Di Number”, he talked about the impact of their guidance concerning his career.
“When it comes to my current phase and how I am to move, I would say that the guys at Sony have been of great importance to me. They showed me things about the industry that I wasn’t even aware of. They opened my eyes, wabona?” he said.
Gashoazen expressed a desire to see Lekompo reach global heights and foreign acclaim with him being the one to spearhead the charge.
“The only thing I want to see is Lekompo being recognised worldwide. I’d like to curate international features within the Lekompo space. But not just that, I’d like to put on young and up-and-coming Lekompo artists so that their names can become established so that we can all push the movement of the sound and the culture, in the very same way that amapiano has become the giant it is today. And it would make me happy to be at the forefront of all this happening,” he said.