Interview Shaun the Rapper! ☺

1. What’s your name? Can you introduce yourself?  My Shaun Mtshini and also know by my stage name Lil Shaun, born in South Africa in the Eastern Cape but grow up in Cape Town, coming from a family of five my mother, elder brother and two sisters.

2. What do you do for living? I was working as a solo artist and as a founder for Checkmate gfx, visuals and records, where I work as a producer, graphic designer, shooting music videos and mastering all my projects. But along the way I’ve met an artist by the name Lyrical Curse and he was in need of a graphic designer for his mixtape, so he came to me and since that day we’ve worked together and I was introduces to his family (label) Loud and Clear Inc. from that day I worked and joined Loud and Clear as our graphic designer and music video shooter) and editor. I work for Buccaneers as their barman, working for Friends of Chintsa as their media guy (NPO) and I work for African Heartlands Journey as their Mountain biker tour guide and freelancing any graphic or media work required. I work for a living and live for working.   

3. How was your childhood? My childhood was different from the people that I’ve met, I ain’t saying that it was special but what I mean is I had to make a lot of sacrifices in life. I grow up with a number of friends but I couldn’t make more time to spend with them because I had to work for my needs and wants. Becoming a bread winner always came with sacrifices of spending less time with my peers and more time working for the next day and preparing a better future for tomorrow. I’ve lost a number of people including my father along the way but somehow I’ve learnt that after a rainy day they’ll be a shiny day.

4. What is it like to grow up in South Africa? Growing up in South Africa ain’t too different as compared to some countries, because they're rich and poor people anywhere in the world but South Africa is filled with a number of challenges which result in school drops out, lake of job opportunities and all of these leads to crime increase. Growing up seeing a lot and facing problems can make you to change your life for a better or worse.

5. How do you see your future? I always close my eyes sometimes and try to picture the future and whenever I do I see myself happily, with my family and a number of people whom I made a change in their lives. It’s always great because I don’t picture a glamorous life but success with enough resources to make a living not a wealthy life.

6. How do you help / inspire others with your music? I write about what is happening around me, about the places that I’ve ben, faces that I’ve seen and about my life. I motivate those who think life is unfair because they’ve been raised by a single poor parent and now they think they’re all alone in this world, they think can’t achieve anything and they won’t taste the taste success because of their background and growing up. My music is to inspire them to know it doesn’t matter who you are and wherever you’re coming from, you can change where you are going and make a name for yourself, I did and I believe I am heading somewhere too.

7. Can you write down your website (with music) to let people enjoy it? for my music videos follow the link:httpspublicpublic://blog/img5755.jpgblog/img57182.jpgwww.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZV-f-5n608 for my audios follow the link: httpspublicpublic://blog/img5755.jpgblog/img57182.jpgsoundcloud.com/lil-shaun-1

8. Do you think we’re (even though we have the same age) different because I am living in The Netherlands, and you are living in South Africa? Why/ why not? Yes we are way too different (no offence) but we live in two different countries. I at an early age I became a bread winner, taking and looking after what and where my late father left off, making sure that my sisters and brother get a better education and they get whatever they need and want. Making sure that my mother is receiving all that she needs and most of all making sure that at home they have food, to top it all up making sure they have something to shelter a house and roof on top of their heads.

9. How was it for you to meet me (from overseas)? To me it’s always great meeting everyone wherever they’re from and meeting you was an honor because somehow we connected and you’ve understood my world better. It was amazing meeting someone who’s from a foreign country but somehow she shared the same views and understands my world mostly having the same taste of music that was amazing.

10. Do you think I am changed because of my volunteer work in South Africa?  On my point of view I’d say yes you have changed, because at first you didn’t even know what to expect in South Africa and on the back of your mind you only knew what you’ve been told, read and what you saw on television, but when you arrived in South Africa you saw a whole different world. And working in the communities of which you’ve volunteered, helped you to realize you even a small help and thirty minutes of your time can make a huge change in someone else’s life.

THANK YOU SO MUCH SHAUN!