Connie Chiume has the sort of talent any film director would want to clone for the future. She has numerous film and television awards including a role on the iconic Black Panther movie. But what if a Connie Chiume clone already exists?
Nothando Mabuza, better known in the music industry as DynastyFutureBetty is the daughter of the legendary actress, Connie Chiume and last week she made her stage bow on the Ferguson Films telenovela The Queen. Portraying a rape survivor, Mabuza meets Vuyiswa Jola Maake (real name Zandile Msutwana) at a clinic. In the ensuing conversation, Mabuza’s character reveals how she was abused leading to a painful flashback of Vuyiswa’s recent ordeal.
Why isn’t DynastyFutureBetty spoken of widely?
The talented 25 year old is equally adept in theatre, television and rap booth. DynastyFutureBetty, has been rapping since the tender age of 12. Given the duration of her career, one would expect the talented emcee to be a household name on top music channels.
This is what she had to say:
“I don’t think she’s not spoken off, I think Dynastyfuturebetty is a conversation in rooms I’ve never been in but also it could be that my time is still coming, Rome wasn’t built in a day, right?”
When Connie Chiume raised you right
Indeed, the building of Rome is always a process rather than an overnight event. But could the rapper-actress be tempted to change who she is just for more airplay?
“I was raised to always do what I say I would do, and never change who I am to get to where I want to be. So no, I will never abandon my “brand” for more airplay or change the way I dress. That’s not for me at all.”
DynastyFutureBetty clearly has a lot of love and respect for her mother, whose name is tattooed on her arm, along with the name of her daughter. But the rapper-actress admits that being the daughter of someone famous does come with its pressures.
“Yes, of course, being a Celebrities Kid is tough! People will never believe you can actually do things on your own, especially the acting side. It’s been so hard for me to breakthrough because I’m her daughter, one would think it would be easy but it hasn’t been. Most of the time I don’t tell people who she (Connie Chiume) is unless they notice just so I can stand out as me, DynastyFutureBetty.”
With the boom of tabloid journalism, being the daughter of a celebrity also has its disadvantages in social circles too.
“When I’m out socially. I don’t want it to be known. That’s where I need to be free and comfortable without having to be worried about what people are saying or thinking when I’m at a club or at a groove. If it’s someone trying to plug me with someone else or something I don’t mind it at all, it is tough out here.”
But what will mother say!
Reacting to her daughter’s appearance on The Queen, the iconic actress, Connie Chiume made her feelings known on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/connie_chiume/status/1326972730160406531?s=21
The more observant viewers of The Queen were quick to spot the ink on the rising star’s forearm. DynastyFutureBetty has nine tattoos on her body. But there is one that stands out. We wondered about the significance of this special tattoo.
“I have 9 tattoos, my moms name is above my daughters. I don’t think she knows I have it (laughs). It’s just a way of reminding myself that I was birthed by a Queen and I need to fill her boots and beyond. My mom and daughter are the two most important people in my life.”
True mbokodo spirit
Quite often, when television and music stars finally make it into the spotlight, old tweets and Facebook posts emerge, with most of those being quite injurious to their career. But a cursory glance of DynastyFutureBetty’s past tweets, reveals a young woman who uses her voice for the oppressed, something which seems to echo her recent television role about the abuse of women.
My name is Nothando Mabuza, rap name Dynastyfuturebetty and I stand up for female rap artists who have been sexually offended. #IAMNOTAFEMALERAPPER join the movement #thatsnotok pic.twitter.com/a2VqYF399D
— Dynastyfuturebetty (@DynastyFT_Betty) April 13, 2018
Explaining the inspiration behind the above tweet from 2018, the Thanda Wena rapper had this to say:
“I’m a true feminist, I love uplifting other females and not do what society has taught us to do which is to catfight and not applaud each other as women when we achieve great things. My debut on The Queen synced perfectly with my brand because I’ve always been a voice for those who cannot speak out. So it really meant a lot to me.”
DynastyFutureBetty’s acting goals
Although the rapper-actress only just made her debut on The Queen, she is not entirely new to television.
“I started acting when I was six months old on Generations, then I did Yizo Yizo 2, Housekeepers, a few commercials. Mostly, I’m a theatre person.. .I believe in Stanislavskys methods of acting, what better way to practice those than on a stage?”
Having witnessed her brief but stellar performance on The Queen, we were curious to know where her acting ambitions lie.
“I would definitely want to be on Gomora. And no, not because of my mom but I love how they show that women can be Alphas, they can bend backwards without breaking their backs. I also love how the show always keeps us on our toes, the writing and cinematography is out of this world!”
On the music side of her two pronged career, the planets appear to be aligned in her favour. DynastyFutureBetty has an EP out titled Thee Alpha. She spoke about the audience response thus far.
“Thee Alpha EP is being well received by people. I’ve had mainstreams artists hit me up for features. I’ve shot two music videos from singles on the tape which are sitting on good numbers on socials. This EP really gave people a different side of Dynastyfuturebetty, it’s deeply rooted culturally.”
And in case you are wondering about her dream collaborations:
“I would love to work with so many artists, but Okmalumkoolkat has my heart.”
With Mam Connie already assured of her place in the history books and daughter following steadfastly in her footsteps, perhaps we may witness a Dynasty.
Images from Instagram, used with permission
