Stogie T speaks on why he didn’t respond to Big Zulu ‘diss track’

Renowned rapper Stogie T wants to fill the cups of others in the same way his cup was filled by the generous.

Big Zulu released a diss track, titled 150 Bars, taking aim at Cassper Nyovest, AKA, Emtee, Stogie T, Nasty C, K.O, Nota Baloyi and podcaster Slik Talk in a 5-minute audio.

Many hip-hop heads were left questioning why the Lyricist of the Year and sharp-edged MC didn’t hit back with a masterclass in rap.

“It’s weird, it’s hard to call it a diss track. I battle rap as well. So when you are on that stage you are battle rapping and all the rules go out the window except for [the] physical, don’t hurt anyone. I respect the sport of dissing,” he told TshisaLIVE.

He said he chose to focus on what he wants his legacy to be and the effect he has on up-and-coming artists.

“It’s always through how you give back. I’m always excited about working with people like A-Reece, Touchline.

“Working with young artists and newer artists like Msaki is a great way to learn and spreading what you’ve learnt … pouring that into people’s cup. I’m a product of people who were generous to me.”

T, real name Tumi Molekane, has been in the rap game for two decades but took on a different stage persona a few years ago. He put the change down to evolution and delivery.

“[Things] felt a bit narrowing [as] Tumi . I was a guy from exile who spoke of the world in the specific and had a certain position. Whereas with Stogie T, I can’t talk about anything, and I will just present it rather than give you an opinion on it.”

He doesn’t want to be boxed in or defined as a conscious rapper.

“I always hated the term conscious rapper because it sounded like people were saying I didn’t want to be successful or that people were saying I didn’t want to have a successful song or commercial viability.

“That’s not at all what I was saying. I came out at a time were Tracy Chapman and Bob Marley were on the radio, so there was no difference between being conscious and being commercial.

“Being conscious is who you are, it’s what you express. You can play dance music or say something socially conscious, that’s not what determines if it’s successful, what determines if it’s successfult is how good it is.

“When you talk about Cassper you must talk about me or when you talk about this underground rapper who is good I want to be mentioned because I’m dope. I don’t want to be left out of any of these spaces.

“For me, it’s always about focusing on what’s dope, focus on how dope you can make it, and I think the rest will take care of itself.”

TshisaLive