I hardly make music to inspire people; I mainly make music to inspire myself…

Image Sourced From @flowergirl.bonnie / Instagram Styled by @sometimes.eye.wonder

To truly describe one as a creative, the passion and thrill of doing what you love is essential to becoming who you really want to be. Talent isn’t everything - the work and drive are needed for any individual to make it in this competitive world of music.

I met Bvse a few years back at my close mate's 21st birthday bash. On our first encounter, I just knew something was intriguing about his persona and it made sense when he told me he was a musician trying to make it in this world.

Since then, I have closely followed his growth and evolution with his sound and musical output. I always knew that once VERVE had become a reality, a deeper chat between the two of us would need to happen.

And that’s exactly what occurred. We got to catch up over a beer while also breaking down his growth as an artist from high school to the present and what creating music truly means to him.

Image Sourced From @flowergirl.bonnie / Instagram

You’ve mentioned briefly to me before about your background but if you could refresh the story for me once again, who is Bvse?

“Right, the story of Bvse. Well, my real name is Okuhle Ntshona. I was born in Mdantsane, East London, and I was raised in Bisho, which is about ten minutes away from King Williams Town.”

“I connected with music from a young age, and it started because my dad and my brothers used to play music a lot. I think my first connection with music was when I joined my first dance crew. Yeah, I used to dance bro, way back in like Grade seven. But I want to say, that back in Grade six, I had a friend called Peejay, shoutout Peejay, he would come to my crib and there was a radio station a couple of minutes away from where we stayed, but obviously, we were young, so we weren't allowed to go that far out, you know.”

“So, he’d come to my crib, and he’d always be like “Yo bro, let’s just go”. And there were these riddles we’d do as kids where we’d lay down beats with our mouths, like “boom boom check”. So, he’d hear me do this and he thought it came out so nice and he’d want me to go with him. So, I’d go with him and hang around the guys who were rapping, but those guys used to smoke a lot, and I grew up in a religious family, so I wasn’t trying to be around guys like that.”

“But we recorded our first song in Grade six. It was never serious though. That’s when I disconnected from music because I never really saw myself doing music. It was never a dream bro. Back then I was just doing it because I was just a kid bro.”

So, it was really all just simply for fun back then. After that, how did you grow and evolve as an artist?

“Yeah. Well, fast forward I came to Cape Town to study Civil. In 2017, I was doing my practical’s, and I was staying in Malmesbury, which is a very remote place. The first week of that was when I had a stopwatch, a book, and my mind. So, I had a lot of time with myself, and the realisation didn’t click then. I just wrote and sang along to songs. I listened to a lot of PartyNextDoor, a lot of Priddy Ugly, and a lot of 6lack. I tried to sing exactly like they would and eventually ended up being able to come up with my own shit.”

“I had always been able to write stuff. Let me actually backtrack to 2014. Do you remember “Heaven” by AKA and Da L.E.S? My one homie remade that beat, his name is John-A, and I asked him to give that beat to me and rewrite it because “Heaven” was my favourite song at that time and I made a song that never actually came out.”

“So, it was really in 2017 when I had my first recording that was actually released. It was called “Savage Talk”. It’s because I wrote this shit on Facebook that I could do this rap shit better than these other niggas. That’s just how I felt about it and I thought that feeling was needed. We recorded that shit and it was good. It was really good. The bars weren't corny, and it had good flows from both sides. Two guys approached me, Bandile and Prince, and that’s when I bought my first equipment. I bought everything from the mics to the stands, and to the cables. That’s when we’d link up to record more of our songs.”

“In 2018, I hit up my best friend, VillainbehindXX, he’s my homie who produced most of my music and he came down to Malmesbury for six months. He taught me everything about sound and that’s when I learned how to make my own music. I didn’t have money to buy beats or to afford my own engineer. I would just record myself and release it in whatever quality it came out in.”

“In 2019 is when I met my guy called GZS,and he used to sell me crystals. But I saw on his WhatsApp story that he had directed a music video which I had no clue he did. I told him I had a studio, so we had to link up and we did and the first session we went to the top bro. We then started a group called The Fallen Monks and we did about two projects which was all produced and engineered by me.”

“Now in 2020, I realised that I now actually didn’t enjoy making beats. I figured I would just stick to recording and engineering myself. That’s when I sat with my team, Master Jay and Kobi! and we dropped my first song called “My Mind”. That was my first release on all platforms.”

“And over time I had done so much. There was a project I had produced from 2018 to 2019 which you can’t find online because Distrokid is a bitch. And I also produced another project with these other two guys, Chevy Chef and Lux, which I would say was my first executively produced project. It was called “Trap Void” and we actually hit Apple Music and landed number three which was really the sign for me.”

“2021 is when I hit up George the Groove who helped me with everything and I didn’t mind handling the costs for everything. That's when we moved in together and that's when I started caring about my appearances and drip. That’s when I released the project “Wait Till August”, which I produced with Kobi!, Midnight Hubris, and Tonic Suave.”

“2022 is when me and the boys went our separate ways. I guess we had to find ourselves and it was like that until like 2023. But 2019 is when I feel I made the best music. I’m not saying after that it wasn't like that, but at that time, I was really cooking. I also linked up with LwaiStar in 2022, who I looked up to a lot and I started linking up with the people that I looked up to which really gave me that push.”

“I’m not playing games with this. This shit is really happening. I’m serious about it. But hey man, I’m sure you know how it goes with the parents right?”

Yeah, of course I can relate. How did your parents take it? With your new direction in music and all?

“I’d say my dad was always there for me. He understood and I had to explain to him that this would take time, but I’ll eventually make do. I tried with my mom and explained to her that for these years, I would be doing this shit, so just let me do this shit.”

“My parents have made it hard for me dog. I’ve always had to compensate for their feelings. Like yeah, I’m doing this engineering thing but bro, I just really want to do this other thing, you know what I’m saying?”

“That’s when I dropped my project, “TLC:Pretty Girl Package”, in 2023. I’d say that was my first high-quality project and is when I felt really confident in my releases. Even the artwork was really good.”

“And from there, I didn’t record a lot. I don’t record a lot because I believe in firstly living life and then the songs come from that. Most of my music comes from just living. Even with how I put together my projects, I never sit down and plan how I want to work on a project. I just talk about life bro. From all of that, I pick up on what the message is of my music.”

“And then in 2024 was the change. My friends had always wanted me to make music in isiXhosa. They felt that they resonated more with my music when it was spoken in isiXhosa. That’s when I made “TLC: EzamaThsothso” and that was my best project to work on. Like, the best bro.”

Why do you think that? Is it because it was in isiXhosa that you felt it was more authentic?

“Yeah bro. It’s because I don’t speak English at that high level, you get what I’m saying? I resonate more with myself when I perform it in my mother tongue. So, I loved it more, because it was actually me being myself and I loved making that.”

“We even did a whole dinner party for that release, which was very dope. I realised that I have to connect with the people and how I put my music out there. And also, just to connect to people who are just human.”

“They have their own careers and goals and that made me relate more to the creative space. I’m nothing without my music. That’s when I started thinking more strategically about my marketing and positioning myself with humans who I can relate with and who are just dope in general.”

“I won’t hit up creatives just because I would like to work with them. It’s because I genuinely fuck with them as a person. That’s when I started to learn how to link up genuinely with people. And I now make music with people that I connect with. I work a lot with Thabangsworld, Katzbru, Peejay, Master Jay, VillainbehindXX, and even with my producers, I work with my friends bro. I realised these guys are really good.”

“And I also was hesitant to mention, and I don’t know if I could talk about this, but back then was when I was heavily using substances. But by 2024, it stopped, like completely.”

“From there is when I started making positive music. If you listen to “linto Zam”, I’m speaking about what I desire. Even my new project, “international guluva: prelude” is the same conversation. It’s like, this is how I run my life and how I want anyone that taps into my music - I want them to know that positivity and spreading of the message in your native tongue is not necessarily cool, but it’s essential for their spiritual connection as well.”

“I hardly make music to inspire people; I mainly make music to inspire myself. Like I said before, I speak about my experiences that I’ve already had, what I want to experience, and what I am experiencing.”

“And I feel like my latest project, “international guluva: prelude”, is a full introduction to who the fuck I really am. With the other projects, I feel like I was hella emotional, not to say that it’s wrong, but I was emotional with the things that didn’t really matter to me. With this one, I feel like I unpacked a lot of how I really feel about a lot of things that are happening around me and just about how I really want to see myself.”

“And I’m also that person who doesn’t chase. I’ve realised that a lot of good things are coming my way. I feel like when you’re chasing, you don’t actually know what you’re chasing. The universe knows what needs to come to you and you can really learn from that. That’s how I see it bro.”

Wow. That was a lot, but it was really beautiful. I loved how you spoke of your evolution, not only on your music, but you as a person. If I could then take it back to your sound, you have this incredible gift of blending both your melodies with your lyrical abilities. How would you define that sound that you’re pushing and performing?

“Hmmm, okay…to give it a name, I’d say it’s ancestral contemporary Hip Hop.”

“The ancestral part comes from the vocal projection, like how I use my voice. I used to listen to a lot of Ladysmith Black Mambazo back in primary when I was like twelve bro. That connected that with me. With the melodies that I always go for, in terms of the instrumentation, I realise they’re more on the contemporary side. I’m talking Jazz, Blues, and of course the drums of Hip Hop.”

“But, if we were to give it a popular name, I’d say Hip Hop, but I’d also call it Pop music. I don’t identify as a Hip Hop artist because if we were to put the criteria, I don’t think it’s really there. If you look at Pop, it’s there, you know? I dabble into a lot of genres because it is mainly AfroBeats and your soulful Jazz. That kind of stuff. And that’s because that’s what I like and it’s what I listen to a lot of.”

“I love Simphiwe Dana, Sjava as well, and recently, I’ve been loving Blue Pappi. I feel like Pappi is just like me. And especially Creed Oasis, I listen to him a lot.”

“But recently, I love music that doesn’t make me think a lot. With Jazz, especially Simphiwe Dana, it’s just good vibrations. In Hip Hop lately, it’s just niggas calling other niggas, niggas. You never hear that shit on other sounds. I don’t speak about drama and other people hating on me. That’s not who I am and that’s not what I want.”

“I think my sound comes from me just having fun. VillainbehindXX always tells me to just have fun.”

I love that having fun with your music is vital to you. However, do you care or worry about the public’s opinion of your music?

“Okay. To answer your question, on a scale of one to ten, I’d give it a four. That feeling only comes when I have to release the music. I know I don’t have bad taste in music, and I love my music.”

“I would say that I don't care but then I’d be lying. I do care. I remember when I sent you my video, it was because I wanted to know how you felt about it. I’m not going to listen to it just by myself, the public is going to listen to it. So, I do care.”

“But on the other hand, not to a point where it’ll affect my process. When I’m making my music, I’m alone. But yeah, I do care. But only to a certain level.”

So you’ve made it clear with your background that you’ve experienced both the scenes in the Western and Eastern Cape. To you, how different are those two worlds?

“It’s just a matter of resources bro. It’s a matter of the industries on that side and this side.”

“The people there think you focus on Hip Hop. If I’m being honest, I’d say only thirty percent of people in the Eastern Cape care about Hip Hop. Well, the people that I’m exposed to. The kids are the ones who are loving the stuff. Most of the people that side loving my stuff are the kids.”

“People my age love more of the Qgom or House music, which is understandable. That’s what they grew up on. I’d say again that the difference is really just about the resources and the audience. That’s what I’d say is the difference.”

I’ve seen how constantly active you’ve been when it comes to your output. I feel like it’s been a challenge for a lot of Capetonian artists, but how have you continued to stay so motivated with your output?

“You have to see it bro. It goes back to the public opinion thing. People want other people to like their stuff. People want other people to believe in themselves.”

“Ey brah…my music is good bro. Listen here, I quit school after having my baby, which makes no sense. I pursued music at a point where everybody expected me to be serious with everything. But it kept me even more motivated. It was myself, my friends, my dad, my cousin Zinhle, and just the people around me who kept me motivated.”

“When I see them around me, it’s a feeling bro. When I say you have to see it, it’s all in your mind. People speak about manifestation every day and that’s what it really is. I think whoever quits has always wanted to do whatever they’re doing now. Or they did it because they felt like they couldn’t do it. Nah bro, I started doing this shit because I had a book and a stopwatch. My mind couldn’t think of anything else. I can’t think of anything else.”

“I think people don’t understand the privilege that they have to be alive. I think that’s one of the things I got to understand. As long as I’m alive, as long as I have the mind to think, that means I can think it into reality.”

“What keeps me motivated is myself, my dad, my friends, my cousin’s sister, my son, and the people that believe in me. If you really desire it, you’re going to put your mind, your heart, and your body into it. Don’t live for it. I don’t live for my music. Nah fam, I live for myself and only myself.”

So then, what’s your favourite part about being a creative?

“Bro, it’s about creating reality. It’s about living bro.”

“It’s just about living and that’s the most important part about it.”

“Let me ask you something. What’s the most essential thing about your life right now?”

At the moment, I’d say my sanity. I’d say just keeping my head sane.

“Would you have any of that without your breath?”

“That’s the most important thing bro. Your breath. Being alive. Before me, before VERVE, before anything else. Meditation and the exercise of breathing and exhaling your breath are crucial. See how your body forgets about everything else.”

“Back in the 2020s, nothing else mattered to me. That’s when I learned that yeah, all these things matter, but they’re not essential. Just living is where you create reality. For me, the most important part about being a creative is being able to create my own reality. That’s living.”

Damn. You got me there yet I feel you. It leads me to my final question. What’s your journey been like navigating the cultural creative landscape in Cape Town?

Yoh! Damn…fuck bro!

“I feel like it’s like any landscape bro. It’s about what you have on your table. That’s what it’s about. Do you have a table is what I’ve learned. How much value can you bring to other people? So, it will be hard to navigate if you’re just going off just being genuine. Because at the end of the day, you are trying to make money. So everyone has to see what they’re about to invest in.”

“Like I said back in 2021, I had a clique bro, and I thought everything was going to happen. Until I realised people had their own things and I didn't have everything then. So, I had to circle back and work on my own table from scratch.”

“My advice would be to build your own values. If you’re still young, it can still genuinely happen for you. But at some point, don’t get cocky, forget your ego, and forget your pride. Your ego should just be what you identify as and not what you see over other humans. We’re all humans’ bro; we share the same breath.”

“I wouldn’t say don’t be egotistical. You need that shit. To just go in front of like a hundred people, you’ll need that shit. I think that navigating Cape Town, especially if you’re not from Cape Town, is hard bro. I’m not going to lie to you, it’s hard. Even if people show you love, it’s going to still get hard fam.”

“To get to that money, that’s the thing. To get to that coin where you break through, fam it’s tough. For me it’s been four years, I’d actually say five, it has been rough. But you see now, I’m enjoying it because I’m now not chasing any of that. I’m not chasing anything.”

“So, build your value. That’s the most important thing in Cape Town, or in fact anywhere. Cape Town is good to build resilience. But trust, being a creative in Cape Town, you’re going to be one resilient motherfucker!”

I feel like many people around my age fear getting older. And that’s reasonable. However, I love it. More growth comes with more maturity and truly understanding what life really all is about.

To see how much Bvse has grown since the first time we met, not only as an artist but as a human being, was a beautiful moment for me. The man has truly clocked what life really means.

I resonated with everything he said throughout our conversation, and it makes me so much more excited to see what else he can offer to the SA music scene.

He assured me more would be on the way. For now, peep his discography, available on pretty much all streaming platforms.

Bvse & His Destined Path For Music

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