Nomisupasta and Rapsody: The collab that took 13 years
Nomsa Mazwai first came into contact with Rapsody when the producer 9th Wonder sampled Mazwai's music for three songs on the North Carolina, US rapper's 2012 debut album The Idea of Beautiful. The songs sampled music from Mazwai's own debut album, the self-titled Nomisupasta, released in 2010.
On the song Kind of Love, Mazwai sings, 'What kind of love is your love that you only feel when you happen to be with me?' as Rapsody opens her first verse on the track with the line, 'Soweto, we feeling the love y'all.' Poignantly, Rapsody even travelled to South Africa and shot the video in Soweto, walking through the streets, hand-in-hand with groups of children, delivering her bars in front of spaza shops and in passages.
Mazwai is credited as a featured artist on this song as well as In This Town and When I Have You, but 13 years later she has not received a cent in royalties from any of the three songs. The systems meant to ensure that she collected money off the use of her intellectual property failed her.
'It's not 9th Wonder or Rapsody's fault,' Mazwai explains. 'It's our government. I can't sit here and blame people for not forcing my government to do what they're supposed to do. But, you know, I prayed about it and, luckily for me, I did not take my frustrations out on the wrong people.
Sisters Nomsa and Thandiswa Mazwai and US rapper Rapsody
And Rapsody and I maintained a really wonderful relationship over the years. We performed together at Zone Six, but we never really spent time together and we were just in touch on social media. And so this time when she came, she came with the intention to record with me and have me on her next album.'
The friendship Mazwai and Rapsody developed over the years recently led to the two of them collaborating properly for the first time, over a decade after the release of The Idea of Beautiful. Rapsody visited South Africa for a week, accompanied by a crew of collaborators to make music for her next album.
The rapper has grown to become a celebrated musician, releasing several critically acclaimed albums, and working with artists like Kendrick Lamar, J Cole and Stevie Wonder. She was named Lyricist of the Year at the 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards and earlier this year she won her first Grammy Award for the song 3:AM featuring Erykah Badu, taking home the trophy for Best Melodic Rap Performance.
Mazwai already had a lot of songs she had composed with just vocals and piano but hadn't started the process of producing and recording any of the music. Through Rapsody's visit she took the opportunity to work with some renowned producers and record the music for her sophomore album, which is now scheduled for release in October and is titled Surrender.
One of these producers is Mr Porter, most famous for having been a member of the Detroit rap group D12 and having produced music for fellow group member and legendary rapper Eminem as well as many others including 50 Cent, Royce da 5'9', The Game, Method Man, Snoop Dogg and Jadakiss.
She also got to work with Madlib, most well-known for being a frequent collaborator of the late greats MF DOOM and J Dilla as well as Freddie Gibbs and Talib Kweli. Earlier this year, Madlib and Rapsody teamed up to release the EP Madraps which is only available on vinyl and cassette tape. This week Mazwai started teasing the Mr Porter-produced single Next Week Tuesday with a 20-second snippet on her social media accounts.
This will be the first single off her album and she plans to drop it on National Women's Day – 9 August. On Instagram she's credited big sister Thandiswa as creative director for the visuals but plays coy when I ask if we'll hear the sisters collaborating on Surrender: 'You will see in the album.' She does tell me that the song she recorded with Madlib will be the second single and hints that these aren't the only well-known producers she had the opportunity to work with. And of course Mazwai and Rapsody also recorded music together for both their albums.
Nomsa Mazwai and Rapsody at Soweto Theatre
'God brought Rapsody into my life at the perfect time. We spent the whole week together and it really felt like it was God's special art project for 10 days. It was this incredible moment of two creatives from two parts of the world coming together. And it was just amazing for us to connect and to meet and to really get to know each other. So while we've known each other for years, I would say we got to really know each other over the last 10 days. It was such a pleasure working with her.'
Mazwai even brought in the Karabo Ya Morena youth choir into the recording process and says that the Soweto teens are going to be featured on a song Rapsody's doing with another famous rapper. She resists my attempts to pry some more info about who this prominent artist could be: 'I don't want to give all the gems away, but I can tell you that they're featured on a banger alongside someone I would say is one of the forefathers of hip-hop.'
I'm dying to hear what Rapsody and Nomisupasta have created, though I know all good things require time and patience. Or as Rapsody raps on When I Have You: 'Fake ones I had in my life can't find 'em / They say God got a silly way with timing.'
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Mail & Guardian
26-07-2025
- Mail & Guardian
Taking back the Soweto night with Nomsa Mazwai and Rapsody
#FunkItImWalking: Nomsa Mazwai organised the walk that started from the Soweto Theatre. Photos: Arthur Dlamini This past Friday I walked for nearly 3km through the streets of Jabavu in Soweto from 8pm to 10pm on a winter night in July. That might sound crazy, but it was actually a lot of fun. I was part of a group of 100 people and along the way we chanted and sang with Karabo Ya Morena, a youth choir from Soweto that were part of our parade. At the front of the crowd, leading us through the streets and keeping the energy up, was Nomsa Mazwai, the originator of Soweto Night Out. At every stop she would yell out 'Funk it, I'm walking!' and the crowd would yell back 'Let's walk to freedom!' What were we thinking, you might ask? Well, partly it was a unique way to celebrate Nelson Mandela Day. But it was also a chance to meet American Grammy award-winning musician and respected emcee Rapsody, who was in the country working on her next album and who joined in on every step of the way. For most of us, the journey started in Rosebank, where we boarded a bus courtesy of the organisers, which was really appreciated because it muted any worries about transport from Soweto back to town, especially after a long night out. We arrived at Soweto Theatre where we gathered on the front steps and enjoyed a welcome performance by the youth choir while people clamoured to get their photo opportunities with our illustrious American guest — including yours truly, because there's nothing wrong with pausing work mode to have a fan moment. After that we started our walk, accompanied by members of the community policing forum, walking up and down the Jabavu streets with white banners with 'Soweto Night Out Tours' written on them at the back and front of the procession. 'What we like to say about ourselves is that we are an alternative protest,' says Mazwai. 'When you look at us in the street, we look like a protest, but we're not. We're a business. Everybody there is making money. We're solving the unemployment crisis in South Africa. We're solving the crime crisis in South Africa. It's a drop in the ocean. We are not government. 'If we were the government, it would be far greater impact, but we are not. So we are doing what we can, where we can, in the ways that we can do it. And this is just one of the ways that we do it. 'And we are a performance to the community of the possibilities of safety because we've shown communities that there is an economic value to safety and we've unlocked it for the communities that we work in.' The origin of these walking tours, which Mazwai now hosts for paid groups of at least 20 people on request, stretches back for more than a decade, when she returned to South Africa after living abroad for years in places such as New York in the United States and Newcastle in the United Kingdom. 'I love walking, and I've lived in other parts of the world where I walked everywhere, any time of day, all the time,' says Mazwai. 'And when I came back, I realised I was feeling down because I wasn't getting to walk.' So she said, 'Fuck it, I'm walking!' Mazwai even wrote a Facebook post about how she wasn't going to let anything stop her from walking around as she did when she lived abroad. It was a friend who encouraged her to make the slogan more child-friendly and so she started saying 'Funk it, I'm walking!' instead. At first it was an activist movement that would mobilise walks in support of various causes such as for water with the World Wide Fund for Nature. But when Mazwai left her job at the Soweto Theatre, where she had spent five years as the general manager, she decided to set her mind to building #FunkItImWalking into a business. Mazwai put years of research into developing it into a sustainable social enterprise, drawing on her background in economics as a Fulbright alumna with an MA in international political economy and development from Fordham University in the US. 'It took a while but eventually we zeroed in on what our mission or intention was. And it's that #FunkItImWalking aims to make it safe for a woman to walk at any time of day, in any condition. And how it does that is by thinking about sustainable businesses that enable women's safety. 'Because I am an activist woman, I have been part of the marches and the seminars where we call the president to come and account. I've been part of all of those things and they've yielded zero results. The talking has yielded nothing. There'll be a law that's passed. Then they say they're opening centres but the material condition on the ground has not changed. 'And I think for myself, I believe that's because South Africa decided to be a neoliberal country and it decided to follow that economic policy. That economic policy puts capitalism at its centre. It sees capitalism as the answer. And capitalism puts money above all else. And so it became very clear to me that if I wanted to enjoy safety as a woman, it had to make economic sense,' says Mazwai. After leaving Soweto Theatre, we first made our way to Kwa-Khaya Lendaba, the late great Credo Mutwa's cultural village. Once we entered the compound it was so dark we had to use our phone lights to guide our steps. I asked my friend if we weren't absolutely sure we weren't being led to a mass sacrifice. Seth Mazibuko, a June 16 Soweto uprising leader, talks to Grammy winner Rapsody Fortunately, there were no sacrifices, and it turned out to be worth the journey. Once we got to the centre of the compound we sat around the bonfire and listened to Zamalek Giza, a rasta sage, tell us about the life of Credo Mutwa and the fables about creation and the universe. After that we hit the road again, walking past the notorious Jabulani flats. 'The Jabulani flats are one of the most dangerous parts of Soweto,' says Mazwai. 'I'm sure people have read about them a lot in the news. There's always drama there, but there's never drama when we do our night tours because our CPOs [community policing officers] are within the community and the community understands the value that we're bringing into that community. 'Our night walks are incident free to this point. In addition to that, we also work with the Seth Mazibuko Foundation, which is a heritage and youth development-focused foundation. So where we are very focused on women's safety, they are very focused on youth employment as well as heritage. And so working with Seth, we then started incorporating heritage sites into the routes. Now, because of the way communities have welcomed our work, the museums also came on board and they open at night.' We made our way to the June 16 Memorial Acre, which opened after hours just for us. And then finally we walked to Native Rebels, a restaurant and our last stop of the night. It was there where we sat down to watch the main attraction —Rapsody in conversation with the legendary activist Seth Mazibuko. While some may have initially thought Rapsody would be the one answering questions, it turned out she was interviewing Mazibuko. Their conversation touched on a variety of themes including activism, youth engagement, Pan-Africanism and the future of South Africa. 'I see Rapsody as a voice of the youth,' says Mazwai. 'She has built a career that is very conscious, very grounded, and wholesome, and I love that. And so I believed that for Rapsody to level up, she really needs to hear from somebody who changed the trajectory of an entire nation. 'I feel like myself and Rapsody are soldiers on the same battlefield, fighting on the same side, you know, for the lives and the livelihoods of young black people and for black people and brown people all around the world. 'And so when I spoke to her, I said, 'You know, Rapsody, a lot of young people don't know Seth Mazibuko, and you don't know Seth Mazibuko. And so I want you to ask questions that you would ask Seth Mazibuko. ''I don't want to tell you what to ask him, because what I want you to do is to ask him the questions that young people in South Africa are afraid to ask because they don't want to look stupid.' I wanted young people to watch their hero not know and be so willing to know and be so fearless in asking because Rapsody has that skill of not being afraid to ask. She wants to know.' The night ended at about midnight, and I boarded the bus back to Rosebank feeling physically tired but spiritually uplifted and inspired. It was the kind of night that reminded me what's possible when people come together with purpose, creativity and a little bit of courage. In a country where safety is too often a privilege, not a right, a night out reminded me that joy, community and economic opportunity can carve out new paths through even the most neglected corners of our cities. Walking through Soweto in the company of song, story and solidarity, I felt like we weren't just remembering the past. We were actively imagining a better future. And for a few beautiful hours, it felt within reach.
Mail & Guardian
25-07-2025
- Mail & Guardian
Nomisupasta and Rapsody: The collab that took 13 years
Nomsa Mazwai and Rapsody in studio. Photos: Courtesy of Nomse Mazwai Nomsa Mazwai first came into contact with Rapsody when the producer 9th Wonder sampled Mazwai's music for three songs on the North Carolina, US rapper's 2012 debut album The Idea of Beautiful. The songs sampled music from Mazwai's own debut album, the self-titled Nomisupasta, released in 2010. On the song Kind of Love, Mazwai sings, 'What kind of love is your love that you only feel when you happen to be with me?' as Rapsody opens her first verse on the track with the line, 'Soweto, we feeling the love y'all.' Poignantly, Rapsody even travelled to South Africa and shot the video in Soweto, walking through the streets, hand-in-hand with groups of children, delivering her bars in front of spaza shops and in passages. Mazwai is credited as a featured artist on this song as well as In This Town and When I Have You, but 13 years later she has not received a cent in royalties from any of the three songs. The systems meant to ensure that she collected money off the use of her intellectual property failed her. 'It's not 9th Wonder or Rapsody's fault,' Mazwai explains. 'It's our government. I can't sit here and blame people for not forcing my government to do what they're supposed to do. But, you know, I prayed about it and, luckily for me, I did not take my frustrations out on the wrong people. Sisters Nomsa and Thandiswa Mazwai and US rapper Rapsody And Rapsody and I maintained a really wonderful relationship over the years. We performed together at Zone Six, but we never really spent time together and we were just in touch on social media. And so this time when she came, she came with the intention to record with me and have me on her next album.' The friendship Mazwai and Rapsody developed over the years recently led to the two of them collaborating properly for the first time, over a decade after the release of The Idea of Beautiful. Rapsody visited South Africa for a week, accompanied by a crew of collaborators to make music for her next album. The rapper has grown to become a celebrated musician, releasing several critically acclaimed albums, and working with artists like Kendrick Lamar, J Cole and Stevie Wonder. She was named Lyricist of the Year at the 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards and earlier this year she won her first Grammy Award for the song 3:AM featuring Erykah Badu, taking home the trophy for Best Melodic Rap Performance. Mazwai already had a lot of songs she had composed with just vocals and piano but hadn't started the process of producing and recording any of the music. Through Rapsody's visit she took the opportunity to work with some renowned producers and record the music for her sophomore album, which is now scheduled for release in October and is titled Surrender. One of these producers is Mr Porter, most famous for having been a member of the Detroit rap group D12 and having produced music for fellow group member and legendary rapper Eminem as well as many others including 50 Cent, Royce da 5'9', The Game, Method Man, Snoop Dogg and Jadakiss. She also got to work with Madlib, most well-known for being a frequent collaborator of the late greats MF DOOM and J Dilla as well as Freddie Gibbs and Talib Kweli. Earlier this year, Madlib and Rapsody teamed up to release the EP Madraps which is only available on vinyl and cassette tape. This week Mazwai started teasing the Mr Porter-produced single Next Week Tuesday with a 20-second snippet on her social media accounts. This will be the first single off her album and she plans to drop it on National Women's Day – 9 August. On Instagram she's credited big sister Thandiswa as creative director for the visuals but plays coy when I ask if we'll hear the sisters collaborating on Surrender: 'You will see in the album.' She does tell me that the song she recorded with Madlib will be the second single and hints that these aren't the only well-known producers she had the opportunity to work with. And of course Mazwai and Rapsody also recorded music together for both their albums. Nomsa Mazwai and Rapsody at Soweto Theatre 'God brought Rapsody into my life at the perfect time. We spent the whole week together and it really felt like it was God's special art project for 10 days. It was this incredible moment of two creatives from two parts of the world coming together. And it was just amazing for us to connect and to meet and to really get to know each other. So while we've known each other for years, I would say we got to really know each other over the last 10 days. It was such a pleasure working with her.' Mazwai even brought in the Karabo Ya Morena youth choir into the recording process and says that the Soweto teens are going to be featured on a song Rapsody's doing with another famous rapper. She resists my attempts to pry some more info about who this prominent artist could be: 'I don't want to give all the gems away, but I can tell you that they're featured on a banger alongside someone I would say is one of the forefathers of hip-hop.' I'm dying to hear what Rapsody and Nomisupasta have created, though I know all good things require time and patience. Or as Rapsody raps on When I Have You: 'Fake ones I had in my life can't find 'em / They say God got a silly way with timing.'
IOL News
01-07-2025
- IOL News
Rapsody set to honour Nelson Mandela's legacy with special Soweto performance this July
Rapsody is set to hit the streets of Soweto in honour of Nelson Mandela's legacy. Image: Instagram/@rapsody 9th Wonder's first lady, Rapsody, will be coming to South Africa, Soweto, on July 18 for 'UPRISING: A Night Walk Through Memory, Music, and Resistance'. The rapper will be alongside Nomsa Mazwai, with whom she built a long-term friendship and sisterhood. According to the joint post by Mazwai and Rapsody, the night tour will honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela as well as the June 16 Soweto Uprising. The night will include an intimate community dinner and a conversation between Seth Mazibuko, a former student leader and historian who was part of the 1976 march and the youngest student to be imprisoned. Also part of the conversation will be the Grammy-award-winning rapper, with Mazwai moderating the event. 'I remember how much Soweto inspired my 'The Idea of Beautiful' album. You gave me so much inspiration, fueled verses and sonics well beyond that album. 'I'm looking forward to walking the streets of Soweto on July 18 with you and drinking from the fountain of wisdom that is Bra Seth!,' said Rapsody. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading The rapper's relationship with South Africa goes way back, in her own words, the country had a lot of influence on her critically acclaimed 2012 album 'The Idea of Beautiful', which featured Mazwai, Childish Gambino and Ab-Soul, to mention a few. Talking to 'Daily Sun' about her relationship with Rapsody, Mazwai revealed the depth of their sisterhood. 'Rapsody and 9th Wonder sampled three of my songs from my debut SAMAs-winning album, 'Nomisupasta'. We've been friends and sisters ever since,' she said. Additionally, she emphasised Rapsody's involvement with South African history and rich heritage. 'She's been invested in the community of Soweto since her debut album 15 years ago. Now that she has a Grammy, we want to see her and congratulate her,' Mazwai told 'Daily Sun'. The 'Forget Me Not' hitmaker was also involved in another South African inspired album, Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly', which was released in 2015. She appeared on a song titled 'Complexion (A Zulu Love). At the time, Kendrick Lamar's visit to Nelson Mandela's prison cell on Robben Island had a huge impact on his album, which inspired themes of racial injustice, self-reflection and cultural history. Given Rapsody's history with South Africa, her involvement in the album, particularly the track, was a no-brainer, as she is known for her introspective and personal lyrics, as well as her soulful, jazzy delivery. Her own music often incorporates elements of hip-hop, R&B and spoken word, showcasing her versatility and lyrical skill. Through her work, Rapsody has established herself as a respected lyricist in the American hip-hop scene and on a global scale.
