Tebello Motsamai Prepares To Ascend To His Throne In The World Of Music

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Tebello 'Ciro' Motsamai

Tebello Motsamai, popularly known by his stage name Ciro is a 17 year old rapper who lives in Maseru, Lesotho. He has just completed his LGCSE at Lesotho High School and aspires to pursue a higher education at the University of Freestate to major in Biology. Outside his academics, Ciro is consecrated to becoming a rapper because his full identity is wrapped around his love for music.

In grade 9, Ciro wrote a verse which he read in front of friends. That incident, though simple, was the birth of his love for rap. Although he laughs at himself for what he wrote then, he explains that as ‘horrible’ as that verse was, the reaction his friends reciprocated was enough to affirm that he had to explore the depth of his rapping capability.

He explains that without that incident, he could not have known of how deep he could actually go because it prompted him to write more. In his exact words, “Sometimes I would surprise even myself with what I had written.”

With extreme reverence for his icon Drake, Ciro has started to release incredible music. He explains that music reflects who he is and is the core of who he is.

He draws his inspiration from fiction, particularly anime because he considers himself a nerd. Every time he ventures into writing a new song, he ensures that it reflects his sources of inspiration such as anime and epic poetry.

Actually, there is a level of universality to his music because it is not based on just one subject. He raps about everything from love to human injustices to calmness in the world. Moreover, Ciro ensures that there is correlation between his life and the music he makes.

Every artist has sentimental attachment to his craft. Ciro is not an anomaly. He explains that his love for music is too deep to explain in just words. When he is sad, he often chooses to listen to artists whose tracks reflect what he is feeling.

When he can, he pours his emotions into the construction of a piece and the outcome of his track will depend on the source of his inspiration at a given time. At one point, he actually released a track to help him get closure over a tragic incident. This track happens to be one of his best works and it’s called Whispers.

Ciro has won numerous rap battles in Lesotho. To mention a few, he won M5000.00 in a battle against Mosotho rapper popularly known as Circus Recipe. Also, he won M1000.00 against a Mosotho rapper popularly known as Posh No Gimmick at Cafe What.

Ciro has released a few tracks on SoundCloud and reports that his music career is yet to skyrocket because he is not afraid of doing more as an artist.

The message he has for his fans is simple: SUPPORT LOCAL ARTISTS. He says this because he has come to the realization that not much attention is given to talented Basotho artists since people disregard Lesotho talent.

Ciro earnestly requests that more attention be given to Lesotho talent not just on SoundCloud but in the country as well. After all, our entertainment industry’s growth is dependent on local support so that it reaches other countries.

It is very rare to find people who continue to do their best to pursue their dreams despite the prevalent hardships. Ciro lives from the abundance of the love he has for his craft and perseveres because of the best advice he has ever received which is, “Progress in life is never in big leaps. It is simple actions compounded consistently that will yield success over time.”

Ciro is only getting started and despite the challenges ahead, we solemnly believe that he will make it. This is why we wish to dedicate Yolanda Adams’ I Believe to his entire journey in music. He is surely going to make it!

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Grace Makwaza
Grace is an uprising youth activist who uses her voice to inspire and inform. She has worked internationally as the Deputy Secretary General with Model UN Impact. This is where she advocated for youth inclusivity in the implementation of the SDGs and further launched projects such as PHAHAMA MOSALI. She is currently the youngest SDGs Ambassador for the internationally renowned Global Citizens Innovative Solutions SDGs Challenge.