Tuks Senganga | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Tumelo Kepadisa |
Born | May 2, 1981 |
Origin | Mafikeng, North West, South Africa |
Genres | Hip hop, Motswako |
Occupation(s) | Rapper |
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 2005–present |
Labels | Ghetto Ruff, EMI, Impact Sounds, June July Productions |
Associated acts | HHP, Molemi |
Website | www |
Tumelo Kepadisa (born 2 May 1981), simply known as Tuks or Tuks Senganga is a South African Motswako rapper born in Mafikeng, in the former homeland of the Bophuthatswana. He frequently performs in ethnic languages, though mostly Setswana. Tuks Senganga started writing in 1993, drawing inspiration from everyday issues in his immediate environment. His career took off in 2005 with his debut album "Mafoko a me". This was the album that earned Tuks the Best Hip Hop Album Award at the 12th Annual MTN South African Music Awards (SAMA).
A fellow Motswako artist once said "poetry is both lyric and content; one without the other can never be on point". These words encapsulate what Tuks is about, paying homage to one of the most critical aspects of the five elements of hip hop for an MC. Rhythm and Poetry. The art of story-telling in Setswana and English started a movement that was later dubbed Motswako and has had head-honchos like Tuks at its fore-front for over five years.
Born Tumelo Kepadisa back in 1981 in Mafikeng, Tuks Senganga (as he is known by fans in all corners of the globe) started writing poetry at the age of 12 having drawn his inspiration from his daily experiences of having grown up in the Bophutatswana homeland during the apartheid regime which was later re-established as the North West Province in South Africa. However, it was in high school that he started harnessing his hip hop skills, at a time when Hip Hop was still a taboo in South Africa.
In 2005, with the rise and rise of the Motswako movement, arrived with the now classic debut from Tuks which was titled .Mafoko A Me (My Words). The album had already received major reviews and a number of singles had been on high rotation on all national radio stations before its release. Mafoko A Me went on to win Tuks his first SAMA for Best Hip Hop Album, a well-deserved accolade.