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FOURTWENTY STARGAZER AND THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION
By Thandeka Khoza
At this point, we can say that the kulture is in safe hands. All hope is not lost in the world of hip-hop. There are rappers in the new school that are ready to take on the mantle of handling the game in this country and treat it with the honour it deserves. One such rapper is none other than Fourtwenty Stargazer, the 25-year-old creative wonder carrying the new wave in the country. His contribution to hip-hop aims to set a new precedent in the quality of work put out by artists on this side of the planet as well as in the rest of the world, and it is just beautiful to see.
Born Siniketosenkosi Dlamini, Fourtwenty Stargazer exhibits a certain intentionality in his craft—something that tends to be a wavering value among many of his peers. His respect for hip-hop, not only as a movement but also as a sophisticated art form, reflects in his own music through the high quality work he consistently produces. For him, it is imperative to refine all aspects of his music in a way that him and his management team are, “comfortable enough within those spaces to know that put us in any room; play this music to whoever is overseas, they would know how much work was put into it”, the rapper shares. He goes on to say, “That’s why we’re working even with the top sound engineer in the country, Ryan X…he’s very established in his own space as well. It’s kind of like packaging it with the best quality: you have the best artist with the best sound engineer and the best production. Those are the small steps we are taking into solidifying the brand”. In as much as he is a perfectionist at his core, the rapper is still very much aware that he is not above learning and being teachable—in fact, Fourtwenty has tasked himself with the responsibility of sharpening his craft so as to prepare himself for that fateful day when he finds himself at the centre of global attention. “My main focus is within understanding what we’re doing as a team [him, his producers and management],” he says, “understanding where the craft is in itself because I wouldn’t wanna be in a room and I’m not confident with what we do. It’s like if I get called by Jhené [Aiko], for instance, and she’s like ‘Yo! We like your music. Can you come through and do this feature’? I don’t wanna be in that room and feel like ‘Yoh! The pressure is so high”. Therefore, when it comes to him and his craft, it is of utmost importance that he does his due diligence in improving it and its quality as much as he can in anticipation for that long-awaited moment, which is something that he is ready to explore.
The rapper's love for performing showed itself first through his love for dance. As a child in primary school, he was a hip-hop dancer for the most part. The switch to rap only really happened when he was in high school though a prior attempt to venture in that avenue did take place when he was in grade 4—an attempt which nearly completely discouraged him from following that pursuit. Fourtwenty recalls, "This one girl who was like ‘oh, you rap’? She was like, ‘yeah, let me hear something’ and when I did, you know, present to her what I had written she was like, ‘Mxm! Get outta here with that!’ and I was like, ‘okay! I know I can dance for sure, so I’m not gonna be in the music space as far as that’”. All fond memories on his part that fortunately failed to deter him from his path, as we would have all missed out on this world-class talent as a country. From then on Fourtwenty has been hard at work nursing and perfecting his skill. He is extremely grateful for his friends during high school that helped in swaying him in that direction by providing a much-needed ear when it came to his music and overall ambition as an artist at that time. “I had friends to give me the ear to say ‘what are you doing’? The likes of Jody Brown—greatest, you know—Jody Brown is another artist in the country who has played a significant role within my establishment as an artist”.
Musical inspiration for someone like Fourtwenty Stargazer comes from a plethora of diverse artists. People like Tory Lanez, Nipsey Hussle, and the singer Summer Walker to name a few, have helped him come to the conclusion that paying close attention to craft as well as providing a valuable message in one’s art are key in making one into an exceptional comprehensive artist. According to him, “There’s a certain appeal to it when an artist knows who they are and they don’t get themselves mixed up with things that don’t stand for who they are…I can have fun with it [the music]; at times I do have fun with it. I put it in spaces where we gonna see if we can do this [and that], and it works. But then at the end of the day, I love to remember that, yo, I need to remember that there’s something I need to find that I stand for”.
By Thandeka Khoza
At this point, we can say that the kulture is in safe hands. All hope is not lost in the world of hip-hop. There are rappers in the new school that are ready to take on the mantle of handling the game in this country and treat it with the honour it deserves. One such rapper is none other than Fourtwenty Stargazer, the 25-year-old creative wonder carrying the new wave in the country. His contribution to hip-hop aims to set a new precedent in the quality of work put out by artists on this side of the planet as well as in the rest of the world, and it is just beautiful to see.
Born Siniketosenkosi Dlamini, Fourtwenty Stargazer exhibits a certain intentionality in his craft—something that tends to be a wavering value among many of his peers. His respect for hip-hop, not only as a movement but also as a sophisticated art form, reflects in his own music through the high quality work he consistently produces. For him, it is imperative to refine all aspects of his music in a way that him and his management team are, “comfortable enough within those spaces to know that put us in any room; play this music to whoever is overseas, they would know how much work was put into it”, the rapper shares. He goes on to say, “That’s why we’re working even with the top sound engineer in the country, Ryan X…he’s very established in his own space as well. It’s kind of like packaging it with the best quality: you have the best artist with the best sound engineer and the best production. Those are the small steps we are taking into solidifying the brand”. In as much as he is a perfectionist at his core, the rapper is still very much aware that he is not above learning and being teachable—in fact, Fourtwenty has tasked himself with the responsibility of sharpening his craft so as to prepare himself for that fateful day when he finds himself at the centre of global attention. “My main focus is within understanding what we’re doing as a team [him, his producers and management],” he says, “understanding where the craft is in itself because I wouldn’t wanna be in a room and I’m not confident with what we do. It’s like if I get called by Jhené [Aiko], for instance, and she’s like ‘Yo! We like your music. Can you come through and do this feature’? I don’t wanna be in that room and feel like ‘Yoh! The pressure is so high”. Therefore, when it comes to him and his craft, it is of utmost importance that he does his due diligence in improving it and its quality as much as he can in anticipation for that long-awaited moment, which is something that he is ready to explore.
The rapper's love for performing showed itself first through his love for dance. As a child in primary school, he was a hip-hop dancer for the most part. The switch to rap only really happened when he was in high school though a prior attempt to venture in that avenue did take place when he was in grade 4—an attempt which nearly completely discouraged him from following that pursuit. Fourtwenty recalls, "This one girl who was like ‘oh, you rap’? She was like, ‘yeah, let me hear something’ and when I did, you know, present to her what I had written she was like, ‘Mxm! Get outta here with that!’ and I was like, ‘okay! I know I can dance for sure, so I’m not gonna be in the music space as far as that’”. All fond memories on his part that fortunately failed to deter him from his path, as we would have all missed out on this world-class talent as a country. From then on Fourtwenty has been hard at work nursing and perfecting his skill. He is extremely grateful for his friends during high school that helped in swaying him in that direction by providing a much-needed ear when it came to his music and overall ambition as an artist at that time. “I had friends to give me the ear to say ‘what are you doing’? The likes of Jody Brown—greatest, you know—Jody Brown is another artist in the country who has played a significant role within my establishment as an artist”.
Musical inspiration for someone like Fourtwenty Stargazer comes from a plethora of diverse artists. People like Tory Lanez, Nipsey Hussle, and the singer Summer Walker to name a few, have helped him come to the conclusion that paying close attention to craft as well as providing a valuable message in one’s art are key in making one into an exceptional comprehensive artist. According to him, “There’s a certain appeal to it when an artist knows who they are and they don’t get themselves mixed up with things that don’t stand for who they are…I can have fun with it [the music]; at times I do have fun with it. I put it in spaces where we gonna see if we can do this [and that], and it works. But then at the end of the day, I love to remember that, yo, I need to remember that there’s something I need to find that I stand for”.
FOURTWENTY STARGAZER AND THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION
By Thandeka Khoza
At this point, we can say that the kulture is in safe hands. All hope is not lost in the world of hip-hop. There are rappers in the new school that are ready to take on the mantle of handling the game in this country and treat it with the honour it deserves. One such rapper is none other than Fourtwenty Stargazer, the 25-year-old creative wonder carrying the new wave in the country. His contribution to hip-hop aims to set a new precedent in the quality of work put out by artists on this side of the planet as well as in the rest of the world, and it is just beautiful to see.
Born Siniketosenkosi Dlamini, Fourtwenty Stargazer exhibits a certain intentionality in his craft—something that tends to be a wavering value among many of his peers. His respect for hip-hop, not only as a movement but also as a sophisticated art form, reflects in his own music through the high quality work he consistently produces. For him, it is imperative to refine all aspects of his music in a way that him and his management team are, “comfortable enough within those spaces to know that put us in any room; play this music to whoever is overseas, they would know how much work was put into it”, the rapper shares. He goes on to say, “That’s why we’re working even with the top sound engineer in the country, Ryan X…he’s very established in his own space as well. It’s kind of like packaging it with the best quality: you have the best artist with the best sound engineer and the best production. Those are the small steps we are taking into solidifying the brand”. In as much as he is a perfectionist at his core, the rapper is still very much aware that he is not above learning and being teachable—in fact, Fourtwenty has tasked himself with the responsibility of sharpening his craft so as to prepare himself for that fateful day when he finds himself at the centre of global attention. “My main focus is within understanding what we’re doing as a team [him, his producers and management],” he says, “understanding where the craft is in itself because I wouldn’t wanna be in a room and I’m not confident with what we do. It’s like if I get called by Jhené [Aiko], for instance, and she’s like ‘Yo! We like your music. Can you come through and do this feature’? I don’t wanna be in that room and feel like ‘Yoh! The pressure is so high”. Therefore, when it comes to him and his craft, it is of utmost importance that he does his due diligence in improving it and its quality as much as he can in anticipation for that long-awaited moment, which is something that he is ready to explore.
The rapper's love for performing showed itself first through his love for dance. As a child in primary school, he was a hip-hop dancer for the most part. The switch to rap only really happened when he was in high school though a prior attempt to venture in that avenue did take place when he was in grade 4—an attempt which nearly completely discouraged him from following that pursuit. Fourtwenty recalls, "This one girl who was like ‘oh, you rap’? She was like, ‘yeah, let me hear something’ and when I did, you know, present to her what I had written she was like, ‘Mxm! Get outta here with that!’ and I was like, ‘okay! I know I can dance for sure, so I’m not gonna be in the music space as far as that’”. All fond memories on his part that fortunately failed to deter him from his path, as we would have all missed out on this world-class talent as a country. From then on Fourtwenty has been hard at work nursing and perfecting his skill. He is extremely grateful for his friends during high school that helped in swaying him in that direction by providing a much-needed ear when it came to his music and overall ambition as an artist at that time. “I had friends to give me the ear to say ‘what are you doing’? The likes of Jody Brown—greatest, you know—Jody Brown is another artist in the country who has played a significant role within my establishment as an artist”.
Musical inspiration for someone like Fourtwenty Stargazer comes from a plethora of diverse artists. People like Tory Lanez, Nipsey Hussle, and the singer Summer Walker to name a few, have helped him come to the conclusion that paying close attention to craft as well as providing a valuable message in one’s art are key in making one into an exceptional comprehensive artist. According to him, “There’s a certain appeal to it when an artist knows who they are and they don’t get themselves mixed up with things that don’t stand for who they are…I can have fun with it [the music]; at times I do have fun with it. I put it in spaces where we gonna see if we can do this [and that], and it works. But then at the end of the day, I love to remember that, yo, I need to remember that there’s something I need to find that I stand for”.
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