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.
Tumelo Kepadisa Age
Kepadisa was born on the 2nd of May 1981 in Mafikeng. He is 42 years old as of 2023 and celebrates his birthday on May 2nd every year.
Tumelo Kepadisa Career
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).
Mafoko A Me
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.
MC Prayer
In 2006 he released his sophomore MC Prayer which was certified gold four months after its release. The production style and quality was leaps ahead of Mafoko A Me and the leading single “Monate Thwa” saw the album flying off shelves, and another SAMA nod in the form of a nomination for the Best Hip Hop album and a Metro FM Award win tagged along on Tuks’ journey as a respected hip hop lyricist.
Monopoly
He took a two-year break from the industry to work on his business interests and came back in 2008 with the thought-provoking third offering, Monopoly which was influenced by several conspiracy theory documentaries.
In his story-telling form, he goes on to say : “There is something wrong with the world and the way that people are controlled by the media, by music, belief systems and by religion”, he adds “this album is ear-friendly, with a pinch of the truth.
It’s not about the industry. I’m taking it a step further. I’m talking about the faces behind the industry”. With the two-year break that he took, he started working on his own record label, June/July Productions.
The company was founded in 2004 and has done wonders for the budding business man and Tuks now runs his own artist and Events Management, communications, Publishing, and music production house and released Monopoly, his third album under June/July Productions, partnered with EMI records.
The album went on to win him three awards: Metro FM Music Award (Best Hip Hop Album); Hype Magazine Hip Hop Awards (Best Album); Hype Magazine Hip Hop Awards (Best Solo Artist).
Tshwanelo
In 2010, he independently released Tshwanelo which was a big shift from the sounds that we had been accustomed to, from Tuks. Its leading single, which is also the album title, topped charts across the country before the album availed itself to the public and once again saw Tuks standing his ground as a solid Hip Hop artist in South Africa. An even bigger single, “Let Me Live” found its way into the hearts of even Gospel fans. Tshwanelo was nominated for the 17th edition (2011) of South African Music Awards and Metro FM awards 2011 Edition.
Footprints
2012 sees Tuks as a take-no-prisoners artist with September 2012 release of his 5th studio album: Footprints. The leading single, “Bona Fela”, is the soundtrack to a hit South African TV drama series Skeem Saam which debuted on TV screens in October 2011. He has honed his skills as not just an artist in the form of just being a lyricist, but also as a fine artist and graphic designer, as showcased in the Footprints album cover sleeve that he designed. He has also partnered up with South Africa’s biggest independent label, NEXT MUSIC, for music; media and digital distribution.
NEXT MUSIC re-released Tshwanelo across major global digital platforms, as well as physical copies in March 2012. Further fuelling to his appetite for more international stages following a successful UK tour in December 2011, is Tuks’ collaborations with Australian producer M-Phazes and New York-based songstress, Lydia Caesar on the albums’ second single titled “Love Angel”.
With four albums under his belt, a large following and a string of accolades to his name, it is without a shadow of a doubt that Tuks with his new album, titled Footprints is a force to be reckoned with. The steps he has taken to get to where he is now are evident in the Footprints that young artists would want to emulate.
Botshe Botshe
Tuks Senganga released Botshe Botshe four years after Footprints in 2016. The album consists of 19 tracks featuring various artists.
Discography
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Awards and nominations
- Nominee South African Music Awards – Best Newcomer (2006)
- Winner South African Music Awards – Best Rap Album (Mafoko A Me) (2006)
- Winner Metro FM Music Awards – Best Hip-Hop Album(MC Prayer) (2007)
- Winner Hype Magazine Awards – Best Album (Monopoly) (2009)
- Winner Hype Magazine Awards – Best Solo Artist (2009)
- Nominee South African Music Awards – Best Rap Album (Tshwanelo) (2011)
- Nominee Metro FM Music Awards – Best Hip-Hop Album (Tshwanelo) (2011)
Tumelo Kepadisa Net Worth
Kepadisa has an estimated net worth of $300 000.
Reference
- The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article on 26 Dec 2020. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
