Tsonga's Pop Princess

Rapper Sho Madjozi chats to DRUM about staying true to her culture and being a role model to young African girls

- Siyabonga Dzimbili

SHE’S shared a stage with Beyoncé, posed for snaps with Cardi B and won over a host of celebrity fans, from Jidenna to Missy Elliot. Yet inspiring young girls is what brings Sho Madjozi the most fulfillment.

“Of course it’s nice when people like Missy Elliott, Chris Martin or John Cena acknowledge your work,” she says.

“That is exciting, but the thing that gives me deep satisfaction is when little girls are like, ‘I want to look like Sho Madjozi’, and not saying they want to look like Barbie.”

We’re chatting to the Tsonga hip-hop star ahead of the official release of her new single, John Cena. The track was recently debuted on Colours, a musical platform showcasing talent from around the globe, and already the video has been viewed online more than 3 million times.

Despite the happy beat and warm reception, the song is about heartbreak and rejection.

“It’s saying to a guy, ‘You act like you don’t see me, maybe I’m John Cena’. It’s a play on words since wrestler John Cena’s tagline is ‘you can’t see me’,” Sho says.

People certainly are sitting up and taking note of the songwriter. The wrestler even sent a shout-out on social media after hearing the track. But as much as Sho is gaining new fans, rejection is something she’s familiar with. Recently she voiced her concerns over the wave of xenophobic violence that wracked the country as she felt she needed to speak up, she tells DRUM.

“I know what it feels like to be marginalized,” Sho says.

“I come from a people [the Tsonga tribe] who were marginalized. We’ve been treated as if we don’t belong in South Africa. So I know how it feels to be the minority group.”