Tumi Molekane

Tumi Molekane (born 16 August 1981) is a Tanzanian-born South African rapper and poet. He was the lead vocalist of Tumi and the Volume, that was officially disbanded in 2012.[1] In 2016 Tumi relaunched himself as Stogie T[2] and released an eponymous album titled 'Stogie T' which featured Da L.E.S, Lastee, Emtee, Nasty C, Nadia Nakai & Yanga.[3] He has 2 singles from the album. The first single "Diamond Walk" features rapper Nadia Nakai in the video. His second single from the album By Any Means which features a hook and verses from Emtee and Yanga.

Tumi Molekane
Stogie T performing at Harare International Festival of the Arts 2012
Background information
Birth nameBoitumelo Molekane
Also known asThe Poet MC
Stogie T
Born (1981-08-16) 16 August 1981
Tanzania
OriginJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Citizenship
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)Rapper, poet, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2005-present
Labels
Websitetumipoetmc.com

Background

Tumi and the Volume also comprises the members of the Mozambican band 340ml.[4]

Molekane was born in Tanzania while his South African parents lived in exile there.[5] In 1992 he repatriated to South Africa and took up residence in Soweto.

Music career


In 2005, Tumi recorded the song "Trade Winds" with Cincinnati-based rapper Main Flow. In 2006 he published his debut album, Music from My Good Eye, through his record label, Motif Records.

The album was later listed as one of the greatest South African albums of all time.[6]

In 2006, he was published in the American literary journal The Subterranean Quarterly. [7]

Tumi was also involved in the Dead Prez show around late in 2000 and also took part in the Black August tour to South Africa in 2001.[8]

He has also performed with South African recording artists Blk Sonshine, Keorapetse Kgositsile, Watkin Tudor Jones, Lesego Rampolokeng. Saul Williams, Sarah Jones and Mutabaruka. He has also worked alongside Chinese Man, a French Hip-Hop crew, producing the album The Journey together in 2015.[9]

In his book Stealing Empire: P2P, Intellectual Property and Hip-hop Subversion (2008), Professor Adam Haupt of the University of Cape Town analyzed the lyrics Molekane wrote for the Tumi and the Volume song "76", as well as others. Among Haupt's arguments are that contemporary hip hop music provides critical insights into the inheritance of violence in post-apartheid South Africa.[10]

He contends that, despite commercial and often sexist imperatives in mainstream hip hop music, South Africa has produced a number of socially conscious hip hop artists, who are reluctant to compromise their art and political views. In 2016, he was featured on Ghanaian rapper M.anifest's album Nowhere Cool. In 2018 Stogie released Honey and Pain, which is the follow-up to his eponymous 2016 album.[11] On 8 October 2021, he signed a record deal with Def Jam Africa,[12] and was confirmed by Def Jam Africa on 12 January 2022.[13]

In 2022, Tumi performed at a World Intellectual Property Day event at the headquarters of the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. In an interview with WIPO Magazine, Tumi said "I tell every 18-year old who wants to rap that if they spend just one hour understanding what music publishing is, what IP is, what royalties are, and what their rights are, they will do more for their music than the three hours they spend on YouTube figuring out how to mix a new drum pattern. The entry barrier to music is virtually nonexistent now because of technology. That makes musicians vulnerable and means they need to be IP savvy."[14]

In sharing his views on how musicians can monetize their work, he said "streaming is like a business card; it's a way to get people familiar with your music while you take advantage of other channels to make money."[14]

References
  1. "The Man from the Volume | Mahala". www.mahala.co.za. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  2. "Tumi Mogano relaunches himself as Stogie T". Channel. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  3. "Stogie T Releases His New Album's Tracklist". SA Hip Hop Mag. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  4. "340ml - SOUTH AFRICAN MUSIC". Music.org.za. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  5. "Sauti za Busara: Tumi and the Volume". Mambo Magazine. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  6. Simon Harper, "Tumi from the V's album listed in the greatest local rap album of all time",Hype magazine,23 May 2013
  7. Kim pebble, "Tumi is one to lookout for",The Subterranean Quarterly,16 July 2013
  8. "Open Minds 16 April 2003". Africa's Gateway. 23 March 2003. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  9. "THE JOURNEY – TUMI & CHINESE MAN - CHINESE MAN RECORDS". Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  10. Haupt, Adam (2008). Stealing Empire: P2P, Intellectual Property and Hip-hop Subversion. Cape Town: Human Sciences Research Council. pp. 157, 202–209. ISBN 9780796922090. OCLC 184829137.
  11. "Tumi & The Volume (South Africa)". music.org.za. Making Music Productions. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  12. "Stogie T Joins The Def Jam Recordings Africa Fam & Drops New 'Mama Say...' Song". Hype Magazine. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  13. "Stogie T Returns To The Music, Signs With Def Jam Africa". Def Jam Africa. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  14. "Stogie T: hip hop, IP and all that jazz". WIPO Magazine. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
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