Mohalenyane Phakela

SOTHO-HOP exponent, Skebz D, put the proverbial cat among the pigeons on social media after intimating he intends to take South African rapper Cassper Nyovest’s cue by filling up Setsoto Stadium.

Cassper Nyovest made South African music history on 31 October 2015, by headlining a sold-out concert at the 20 000-seater Ticketpro Dome in Northgate, Johannesburg. Previously, the feat had only been achieved by international acts.

In the build-up to the show, Cassper Nyovest – whose real name is Refiloe Phoolo — dubbed the project #FillUpTheDome on social media, arguing that a South African artist can also sell out shows.

Drawing inspiration from the Doc Shebeleza hit-maker’s milestone, Skebz D also coined his own #?FillUpSetsoto hashtag saying a sold-out concert at the 20 000-seater national stadium was not a farfetched dream.

While some of his social media followers scoffed at the idea, others commended the Naleli-based muso for daring to dream big. Born Mokebe Mohasoa, Skebz D, is regarded as one of the pioneers of Sotho Hop in Lesotho. Skebz D’s lyrical prowess and ability to engage with audiences has, over the years, endeared him to fans of the genre.

The Money, Cars and Girls hit maker has become a regular feature on the local entertainment events calendar, having performed at the Spring Madness bash on 31 October 2015.

In an interview with Xpress People on Friday, Skebz D said plans were afoot to hold a show at Setsoto Stadium in collaboration with other artists.

“Some people misinterpreted what I meant with the #?FillUpSetsoto hashtag I posted on Facebook. I did not say that I would fill up Setsoto Stadium on my own or that it would happen now,” he said.

“Next year would be a viable proposition for achieving this goal since it is already in the pipeline. It will be a joint venture between my team, Sotho-Hop, MIP crew and Stlofa’s Lefate Entertainment. Our combined groups are called Tlama Thata.”

Skebz D said holding a show at Setsoto was feasible because of revelers’ positive responses during their performances.

“It is viable because of the positive feedback we always get from revelers at major events since we are now able to go toe to toe with foreign artists,” he said.

“The show would only be possible through the support of the corporate sector and promoters with the capacity to organise high profile events.  We don’t intent to hold the project on our own but to involve other artists as well. The objective is to keep it local.”

On the allegations made by his detractors that he was a copycat of Cassper Nyovest, Skebz D said: “Cassper might have influenced the idea but this is something that should have already been done. American rapper Jay Z had a sold-out show at the Madison Square Garden some years back, so it is not about coping each other but rewriting history in your locality.”