Poloko Mokhele
YOUNG rapper King Kris has embarked onto a mission to help the needy by collecting sanitary towels, clothes and shoes among other items, which he intends to donate to a yet to be selected orphanage in November this year.
Born Fusi Maoeng, King Kris told the Weekender that this was his way of giving back to the community “after realising that a lot of kids in Lesotho are poverty stricken and cannot afford many of their daily needs including decent clothes”
“The whole aim of this, is to uplift their self-esteem and help them know that being poor is not the end of the world,” King Kris said.
The 19-year-old told Weekender that he began collecting the items in May this year after hosting his one man show in Leribe. Since then he has donated to St Monica’s Catholic Church and St Luke.
“I want to involve young people in my dream of empowerment through which I hope to introduce different activities to help them expose their talents.
“Most Basotho youths are unable to achieve certain objectives because of their backgrounds and during the donations drive, I am hoping to use the platform to also help them achieve their dreams.
“I aim to also instil in the minds of Basotho the importance of oneness and giving back, especially my fellow artistes. We should not just enjoy the support we get from our fans but we should also learn to appreciate them,” King Kris said.
He explained that after collecting the items, he would open a poll on his social media pages from the beginning of November for the public to nominate an orphanage which they believe should get the donations.
The young rapper is working on the initiative with his friend Chartney Puffs but said he was ready to partner with anyone else who is interested. He was however, he was quick to point out add that he would not be accept money but instead, the donors can purchase different goods and present them to him.
“It is time that we all stand up and support each other and giving back to the community is a step in the right direction.”
King Kris started rapping in late 2016 and released his debut track Lems Chick, which was dedicated to his former schoolmates at Leribe English Medium High School.
“I was raised under Sotho Clique, a crew which helped me grow, after suffering rejection from some artistes who were already in the music industry. Sotho Clique helped me secure a record deal and this helped me develop my rapping skills.
“Since then, I have never stopped rapping. I kept my head high because all I wanted was to succeed in the industry,” King Kris said.
He has performed at various events like Miss NUL, BOLESWA Intervarsity Open Mic Concert, Mr and Miss Teen Leribe and Keys to the City in April this year, alongside LuSrenk. Among some of his achievements, he has worked on his first international collaboration with Russian producer 4th Coast.