Mthatha trap artist finally gets his big break

At the age of 36, Mthatha rapper Snethemba “Snymaan” Bibi has finally achieved his big break after signing with Ambitiouz Entertainment record label.

From dropping out of university due to financial constraints to working as an assistant driver, the trap artist’s first single under the label is a long-awaited nod for his career.

Bibi recently released his single Umvulo after finally receiving a life-changing call to sign with Ambitiouz Entertainment in 2019.

“Umvulo is all about giving hope to those who are on the verge of giving up, a new beginning to a fresh start,” Bibi said.

For someone who has graciously pushed against all the odd for the realisation of his dream, Bibi knows all about the importance of not giving up.

Hailing from Corana village in Mthatha, Bibi was part of his school choir and a local Isicathamiya music group in the village. Simultaneously, the multi-talented musician was actively involved in soccer, but it was his pleasing looks that earned him fame and the title of Mr Freshers at a high school pageant.

After his catwalk stint, the trapper (a style of hip hop music that originated in the southern US during the late 1990s) and his friends put his acquired fame to good use, forming a music group called Snymaan Mavusana and Syda (SMS) and performed at school events.

SMS revealed his musical talent and gave him the confidence to pursue his artistic journey as a songwriter and performer.

With a dream and half of his mother’s salary in his hand, he headed to Johannesburg with the hope of studying music after matric.

While waiting for his big break Bibi registered to pursue a medical science qualification through Unisa but eventually opted for IT, which he later had to drop out of due to a lack of funds.

The artist was then hired as an assistant driver at a logistics company.

After a long and slow process of making music, Bibi finally released his first single title Sus’bambezela independently in 2016.

The song was playlisted by radio stations such as TruFM and bagged him two nominations — for best newcomer and best hip hop song — at the Kumkani FM Hip Hop Awards. He won the best newcomer award.

“I eventually left my job to fully focus on music, leaving myself to face the reality of not having an income to support my family,” the father of four said.

Bibi’s first encounter came when he was featured in Kid Tini’s 2017 offering, Imali.

“I feel excited about the release, I want this song to motivate people and give them the drive to start afresh. I hope it will give people the enthusiasm to start over and keep pushing, no matter what the circumstances around them suggest,” he said.

Umvulo is available on digital music platforms.