Get to Know Rising Star Southern Hustler Giving Love Back to the Streets That Shaped Him
A Johannesburg native and an avid advocate of the streets that raised him, rising rap artist Southern Hustler is one of South Africa’s newest voices defying convention and defining what it is to be an indie artist. Born Cardoso Magul and signed to his own record label, the community-minded muso, driven by an undying desire to see the Black community rise higher, is the incarnation of what it is to be the table: the place where he eats and where others are more than welcome to dine with him.
He talked about the struggles of being independent, from the crests and troughs of the journey to coming back stronger after suffering setbacks.
“Because of the constant downs I suffered coming up as an artist, the only way for me to make something of myself was to start my own record label, Southern Records, and go independent. But it wasn’t all that bad because I ended up not being alone since I ended up signing a couple of other artists to the label. I encountered more challenges and I had to step away from the music in 2020 through 2022, before coming back stronger in 2023,” Southern Hustler said.
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The nascent rap artist talked about the origins of his love for music and the factors that spurred him to keep on in pursuit of a music career.
“I’ve always had a love for this since I could remember. I grew up listening to hip-hop legends such as Nas and Tupac and many more from their time.
“It was always a passion of mine and it was fueled even more by the streets. That’s why I believe a lot in hustlers and the grind because I saw a lot about that lifestyle in music from the likes of Tupac. The combination of the two, the music and the streets is what made me who I am,” he said.
Hustler shared the backstory behind the image of his extended play (EP) Black Queen, which includes a burnt bank note, something he calls “Lost money”, a term that originated from people not believing in his street vision and feeling as though he could do better with his energies and currency.
“I recently released an EP, earlier this December, with seven songs. The reason why I used the picture is because a lot of people call investing your time and your money in the streets and the music exactly that. They’ll talk about how much you’re wasting your money doing this. So I decided to take those words and put them on the album cover as well so that every time people look at the cover, they are inspired,” he said.
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Southern Hustler talked about the most important thing he learned during his time away from music.
“Lessons were definitely learned along the way during my hiatus. One of the biggest lessons I took away from the time while on the side was learning to be more transparent in my dealings. In particular, I’m more transparent with the people I’m working with on the record label,” he said.
At the heart of Southern’s hustle is the desire to edify Black people.
“One thing I want to be remembered for is uplifting the Black community, from the Black child to the Black queens and the Black men. Everybody, after all, has a purpose and a destiny. And I want to use my music as a tool to do this, to remind everyone that you can get what you want if simply set your mind to it,” he said.
He spoke about some of his interests outside of music.
“When I’m not doing music, I’m pushing my grind by organising events—that’s something I’m into. Another thing I do is selling clothes,” he said.
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Cardoso talked about what he looked forward to as the years pass.
“When I think about the future, I think of myself as someone who helps other people and gives them opportunities to showcase themselves. Because if you can check out my EP, there are a number of artists who are not known, and my putting them as features is giving them the platform and the chance to be out there and to be discovered by other people,” he said.