Interview by Qaqamba Mathanda

(Promises)

Yeah, I made a promise to my brothers

A promise to my sisters

A promise to nephews and a promise to my nieces

A promise to my mama and a promise to magogo

A promise to my friends and a promise to myself

Ngelinye lamalanga ndizobhabhela pha

Phezulu emafini up, up in the sky

So, grab a telescope and turn the TV on

Igama lam libhaliwe in the stars yeah, yeah

This is who I am and all I have

Thi song right here is all I am

All these dreams and all these visions are the reason

For who I am

Sis'thembiso sami (Who I am)

This is all I am (Sis'thembiso sami)

I made a promise to my brothers

A promise to my sisters

A promise to nephews and a promise to my nieces

A promise to my mama and a promise to magogo

A promise to my friends and a promise to myself

A promise to my sons and a promise to their mamas

I promise them the world and ilizwe they will get

I promise them the freedom from the chains zentlupheko

Promises of peace in their minds k'pheli ixhala

Promises of greatness kwiz'duko nale fani

A promise is a promise ewe ndizolakha ikhaya

Imfuyo nomtshato, ishishini liqaqambhe

Iz'qhamo zichume kumhlaba woBaba

I promise them I won't change xa izinto zitshintsha

I promise you I won't jade xa k'ngena imali ne-fame

Never will I do drugs ndiy'yekile nentsangu

And when I fall down I promise to get back up

When the world shuts you down I'll put the lights back on

That's my promise (Sis'thembiso sami lesi)

To love unconditionally, eeh

Ngelinye lamalanga ndizobhabhela pha

Phezulu emafini up, up in the sky

So, grab a telescope and turn the TV on

Igama lam libhaliwe in the stars yeah, yeah

This is who I am and all I have

This song right here is all I am

All these dreams and all these visions are the reason

For who I am

I promise to keep

A promise to keep

A promise I'll keep yeah

I promise to keep

This promise for me

Eh

Ngelinye lamalanga ndizobhabhela pha

Phezulu emafini up, up in the sky

So, grab a telescope and turn the TV on

Igama lam libhaliwe in the stars yeah, yeah

This is who I am and all I have

Thi song right here is all I am

All these dreams and all these visions are the reason

For who I am

Sis'thembiso sami (Who I am)

This is all I am (Sis'thembiso sami)

Interview continuation

(Journey)

Uzund'gcin' und'thande und'phathe kahle

Mina, ndicela kuwe Baba

Us'khusele nabantwana basekhaya

Ndicela kuwe Baba

Ubagcine ubathande nabo ooNhanha

Yho mina ndicela kuwe Baba

Kwande, kukhanye ndicela kwizinyanya

Kwande, kukhanye ndicela kuwe Baba

What a journey, yeah, what a journey yeah

Lendlela ndiy'hambile what a journey yeah

Endleleni yeah, endleleni yeah

Ndihlatyiwe ngameva, endleleni yeah

Endlebeni bebehleli bendilahlekisa

Emgaqweni bebehleli bendibalekisa

And I pray, pray, pray, pray, pray

Eh, I pray, pray, pray

A journey of a thousand miles takes off with one step

Took a giant leap Nkosi put me on the right path

Inyawo al'na mpumlo ngeke wazi when you're off track

No map nd'qhutywa yiFaith, no cap just small steps

No naps and detours, a million miles I endure

Mine starts where you end yours

Will I make it I ain't sure, But I promise I will know

What happens when you don't fold

A King in me this life mould, made light work of this road, yes

Uzund'gcin' und'thande und'phathe kahle

Mina, ndicela kuwe Baba

Us'khusele nabantwana basekhaya

Ndicela kuwe Baba

Ubagcine ubathande nabo ooNhanha (Eso, Olo, Lilitha, Nhanha)

Yho mina ndicela kuwe Baba

Kwande, kukhanye ndicela kwizinyanya

Kwande, kukhanye ndicela kuwe Baba (Inkwenkwezi, Ingonyama)

In the middle of the night ndicinga izinto

Cry, cry, cry, cry, cry in the middle of night (ezinzulwini zobusuku)

Xa ndicinga ubunzima esisuka kubo

Umama, uTata, uKhulu, uMalume (Pha ezantsi k'lapho s'qale khona)

Basebenzile, basebenzile

Basebenzile, basebenzile

And I pray, pray, pray, pray, pray

Basebenzile, basebenzile (I pray, pray, pray)

Xa und'bona ndiy'lendoda ndiyiyo

Ndinje-nje-nje ngabo

Uzund'gcin' und'thande und'phathe kahle

Usikhusele nabantwana basekhaya, Ow

Ubagcine ubathande nabo ooNhanha, yeah

Kwande, kukhanye yho, eh

Kwande, kukhanye yho, eh

Interview continuation

(Ndikucinga)

Yeah

I wanna love you

I wanna treat you right

Ndifuna thina sobabini s'thandwa sakhe ikhaya

I wanna be your shelter

I wanna be your knight

Ndifuna u'nika zonk' izinto, won't you be my bride, ngoba

Ndihlala ndik'cinga nana (Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla Baby)

Ndihlala ndik'cinga nanana (Zonk' izinto ozenzayo)

Ndihlala ndik'cinga nana (Ubuhle bakho baby, uthando lwakho Baby)

Ndihlala ndik'cinga nanana (Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla)

Ndihlala ndik'cinga nana yeah (Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla sthandwa sami)

Ndihlala ndik'cinga nanana (Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla)

Ndihlala ndik'cinga nana (Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla)

Nana yeah, yeah Nana yeah

Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla Sthandwa sam

Zonk' izinto ozenzayo

Uthando lwakho babe, uthando lwakho babe

Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla

Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla Sthandwa sam

Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla

Ndik'cinga yonk' imii-ih-i-i-ih--i-ih-ih (Yeah, uh)

Ziy' 25 i-yure, ay'8 wona amalanga

You're running on my mind like a lab mouse on a wheel

366 straight days, I'm stuck deep in your maze

And my cage is your face that don't age, and that brain

That brain, xa uguqe ngedolo, insane

Blows me off like the big bang, with a sweet voice but straight talk

And deep thoughts, Intloko ithambhe i-hypnotise iCobra

And'lazi uthando olunje ingaba uphume from the black hole

Thatha konke, konk' okwam and make yours

Mna ndifun' isandla, isandla sakho z'khoni inkomo

Yeah, and back home kushoth' umakoti, tie the knot let's build a home

Till we grow old, till the teeth fall, hair's grey, till the tombstone

Ndihlala ndik'cinga nana (Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla Baby)

Ndihlala ndik'cinga nanana (Zonk' izinto ozenzayo)

Ndihlala ndik'cinga nana (Ubuhle bakho baby, uthando lwakho Baby)

Ndihlala ndik'cinga nanana (Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla)

Ndihlala ndik'cinga nana yeah (Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla sthandwa sami)

Ndihlala ndik'cinga nanana (Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla)

Ndihlala ndik'cinga nana (Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla)

Nana yeah, yeah Nana yeah

Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla Sthandwa sam

Zonk' izinto ozenzayo

Uthando lwakho Baby, uthando lwakho Baby

Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla

Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Ndik'cinga yonk' imihla

Ndik'cinga yonk' imii-ih-i-i-ih--i-ih-ih

Interview continuation

(Umgowo)

I've been sippin' and drinking this whiskey all night

Kodwa xand'thethi inyani and'kho right

Smiling and laughing but deep down inside

I know I'm dying I know I'm gowing

Forcing this beer and liquor all down

Kodwa nd'yayazi it doesn't taste nice

Sippin and smoking, joking and faking

I know I'm stressing, I know I'm a hypocrite

I know I'm gowing I know I'm gowing

Nd'ya gowa, nd'ya gowa

Breathing through wound, drowning all these blues

Cover all my bruises when I'm swimming in a pool

Full of booze in the dawn till it's dusking, till the sun rises

S'phinde s'hlanganise another two till the pockets are bleeding

And never minding, living in the moment till the guilt starts to kick in

That's life knocking, the mind sobering, reality of things

Is that this pain is never changing

No matter how many drinks I drink

How many blunts I hit, how many shots I take, yeah

I'm drowning in this bitch

Gowing ain't shit kodwa umgowo is a bitch

I've been sippin' and drinking this whiskey all night

Kodwa xand'thethi inyani and'kho right

Smiling and laughing but deep down inside

I know I'm dying I know I'm gowing

Forcing this beer and liquor all down

Kodwa nd'yayazi it doesn't taste nice

Sippin and smoking, joking and faking

I know I'm stressing, I know I'm a gowing

Yes, I know I'm gowing, I know I'm gowing

Something keeps telling me, to never give in

Nd'ya gowa, nd'ya gowa (one day its coming)

Over 10 years in this bitch, and I'm still doing this shit

Intanga zam zatshata k'dala zade zakha nekhaya

Pressure cooking this bitch, tortoise pacing this shit

Ixesha lona al'manga soze and'linde amalanga

Inoba ekasi ndiy'ntlekisa, zitha zam zona z'ncumile

Xaz'bona ikhaya likaTata ngoku l'bhodlokile

At times nd'yay' doubta yonke le shit, at times I feel like giving in

At times I wanna cut my wrists and end all this bullshit

Shit, until I see the youngin' looking

I-Tymma ain't the one I had to look to, so I try and be a better him

Break the cycle and generational curses

Bring in the riches ngomculo I'll avenge you

Oladi nawe Sbu, nd'yayazi nind'jongile

Lisakhanya ungaze uy'libale uyak'thanda uMalume

OoZizi bas'gadile, s'bonge owakh' uMakhulu, s'bong' uNkulunkulu

Ngamandla nange mpilo (Yeah it's so dead and burried)

Yes

UMgowo doesn't last forever (Yeah it's so dead and burried)

we keep going, we keep marching (Yeah it's so dead and burried)

Interview continuation

(Sometimes)

Cry Sometimes in the middle of the night

When things go South and you're feeling all down

Let it all out was words from the wise

And get back up and give it a fight

Fuck a hater

Fuck a stressor

Fuck uSathana and non believers

Fuck the enemy and demotivator

And fuck everybody who wanna fuck with your demeanor

Will I ever make it

Will I be the one to end generational curses, yeah

Will I be the one to free the masses

Free the mind from the lack of faith and the doubt

Put a smile on their faces, knots on their laces, yeah

When I write I let my heart speak

It's the pain in the curve of my cursive

that cuts deep, got the skill of the Tai-Chi

Bear the sword, I'm the master of my Shaolin

Music avatar, bend sound like a violin

Eyes on the prize I'm all about the double U's

Keep the consonants and give me Z

Keep the vowels and give me U

Together you'll find ZU, nothing but the real me

Pupil and the graduate of hard knocks school

Fuck the sing rap shit, fuck the industry rules

I'm a prodigy the last one too

Royalty from Timbuktu

And my tomb shall lay at the Valley of Kings

Cry Sometimes in the middle of the night

When things go South and you're feeling all down

Let it all out was words from the wise

And get back up and give it a fight

Fuck a hater

Fuck a stressor

Fuck uSathana and non believers

Fuck the enemy and demotivator

And fuck everybody who wanna fuck with your demeanor, yeah

Let the skies above fall in order to see beyond

The mind clouded by the fog from a dying flame

Voices screaming help with a bruised diaphragm

And I'm numb to the pain, from the bottom we came

Nothing new in the strain, same bull new day

Aah, Mama went insane and it took her to her grave

At a very young age, God never heard us pray

Guess the devil got his way

Read the poem wasn't wary of the Ides of May

Yeah, that's the life at the bottom

Of the belly of the Beast and it's turmoil

Watch it turning and the acid boil

So we ride that reaction up the throat till it burps

Yeah, that's the life of a ghetto ****

Half a lifetime trynna get out ****

Broken homes is what we wanna trynna mend ****

I come across cold coz I was born in Winter, yeah

Interview conclusion