Khayelitsha rapper Bravo Le Roux has been nominated for two SA Hip Hop Awards.
From working as a general worker at Kekkel en Kraai to grabbing two South African Hip-Hop Award nominations, Bravo Le Roux wants to win the awards for everyone in his township.
The Khayelitsha rapper’s first nomination is for mixtape of the year for The Rise of Istrato, a collaboratin with DJ Switch. His second nomination is for his feature on Flash Ikumkani’s Mhluzi remix.
The rising star said he could not believe the recognition his work was receiving.
“I remember pitching the idea of the mixtape to Switch and once he agreed, I knew this was the opportunity to get as many people on it as possible.”
The young talent said when he realised that this project had received a nomination, he knew it was going to elevate everyone featured on it too.
“This is bigger than just me. There are nine other guys from the township also winning awards. I hope this will positively impact the way creatives from townships are perceived.”
He added: “I don’t sell music, I sell hope.”
The hip hop artist whose real name is Sinesipho Peter, said he had always been creative, dabbling in various art forms.
“From dancing and painting to drawing and designing, I’ve always been involved in art. Music just happened to be the one that’s helped me make my mark,” he said.
He added: “I am getting back to dancing now and I still paint. I don’t like to be tied down to one art form.”
Bravo Le Roux, describes himself as a “township bru”. His love for music started as a hobby that he decided to take more seriously in 2018.
His stage name was derived from having played soccer at Kleinmond Primary School.
“I scored a goal and someone said Bravo! I had the word Bravo written in Tippex on my Karrimor backpack, and everyone started calling me that,” he said.
He added: “Le Roux came from having been black at a white school and I chose that to be part of my name."
Le Roux who is from Khayelitsha, also spent part of his upbringing living in Kleinmond and Port Elizabeth.
He said at some point he thought he needed a 9-5 job, and worked at Kekkel en Kraai as a general worker.
“We were selling chicken for a living. I received an opportunity to perform alongside Nasty C but two weeks after that I got to meet him,” he said.
He added: “I let my job know that I can’t come in because I have somewhere to be. I even hitchhiked from Kleinmond to Khayelitsha.”
Although he never completed any professional music training, Peter had a short stint in IT at Boland College in 2017.
“I felt like such a failure for dropping out but knew that it wasn’t where I was meant to be.”
At the age of 25, Le Roux has already had the privilege to work with many local artists including Phantom Steeze and YoungstaCPT.
His collaboration with YoungstaCPT on Yabo?! sparked mutual respect between the artists, based on their work ethic. Peter said he learned so much from the Wes-Kaap rapper in very a short time.
“I’m speechless when I think about it. He hustles so hard and he’s built so much from rap money. He showed me that success is possible through dedication.”
Youngsta CPT said he had always been in awe of Le Roux’s talent and ability to hustle.
“A lot of people have talent but not everyone can hustle. I like that he is constantly grinding and always working on something. He’s an independent artist and that takes a lot too,” he said.
He added: “He has a lot of tenacity. That’s something many people in this industry lack. They want things done for them and he’s not like that.”
Le Roux’s advice to aspiring rappers is to listen to their instincts.
“If your sixth sense is telling you to change your career, do it. Don’t limit yourself to one art form. There’s so much you can do in the world.”