For The People EP is finally here and this is definitely something the people want to hear, ShabZi Madallion releases his first project of the year and it is definitely worth the wait. Sharing a date with his birthday, the project outlines all facets of the artist and show that his skill level is a cut above the rest.
The project is solely produced by east rand hitmaker Blass and their chemistry is evident for all to see. The highlights of the project are ‘’Get It’’ which includes the sole feature of this project, Pebbles and ‘Íts My House’ which is the official second single.
ShabZi Madallion, real name Leshabe Mpho Rampedi, is a hip hop artist based in South Africa’s economic and cultural hub Johannesburg. He was born in the province of KwaZulu-Natal with his roots anchored in the picturesque Limpopo province.
ShabZi began his musical career in 2003 and has since continued, his artistry stretches far beyond just music, he also engineers, mixes and masters his own records and is slowly entering the acting space with a couple appearances on Supersport and KFC commercials. On stage, he’s an electrifying performer who is able to weave music, dance and the spoken word into an unforgettable experience, with Back 2 The City 2017 being the biggest stage that he has graced thus far.
Madallion as he’s affectionately known in social circles is also a ‘Sound Engineering’ graduate from the continents premier sound engineering school “The Academy of Sound Engineering”. In addition, he also holds a diploma in Business Management & Entrepreneurship.
He released his first major project titled “Mad Lion EP” in 2014 which includes his popular single “Mad Lion” which continues to enjoy airplay on one of South Africa’s biggest music video channels “Channel O”. ShabZi Madallion later released more singles like “In My Zone” where he collaborated with the legendary songstress Pebbles. This was followed by a number of other notable offerings such as “Insane” (EP) in 2016 which includes the popular singles “Dalli’s Out” and “We All Smoke” which continues to enjoy airplay on regional and national radio stations such as “5FM” and his latest project ‘’SOUL’’ which features a household name such as singer/producer Kabomo.
SOUL also has a host of international production credits from the likes of Chloe Martini (Poland, Warsaw) ,CBR (France) ,Khadisma (United States, LA) and Grillz (France, Lyon) to name but a few. ShabZi enjoys thousands of hits/plays on numerous digital platforms with records such ‘’Oh My Gosh’’, ‘’Truth’’, ‘’Real Life’’ and others. His digital footprint ranges far beyond his own platforms with guest appearances on Hip Hop Live SA, Hip Hop Galaxy ZA and a memorable interview on Slikour Onlife’s Balcony Interview, the biggest honour one can get as hip hop artist in South Africa in the digital space.
One of his many notable achievements include being the runner up of the debut instalment of Vuzu’s hip hop reality TV show ”The Hustle”. In the show, ShabZi outshone a total of 19 contestants over a gruelling 10 weeks of a non-stop showcasing of creativity and skill. Upon completion of the competition he released the fun, yet thought provoking single titled “Oh My Gosh” where he worked with award – winning South African producer – PH.
In 2017 ShabZi Madallion also graced the Afropunk stage with Blitz The Ambassador in a super performance that saw the emcee come out as a surprise guest performer. 2018 has started with a bang and sees ShabZi releasing a song every week since the year began, with notable releases like ‘The Madallion Show’ which trended on social media.
ShabZi’s latest singles “Get It” and “It’s My House“ have dominated community radio stations throughout Gauteng and are beginning to make some noise on the commercial radio circuit. All this makes way for his latest project titled ‘For The People’ EP which shares a release date with the emcees birthday which is on the 21st of February. As an artist dominating various social platforms, he has garnered an impressive fan base which spans across the globe. He believes that music is meant to encourage, entertain and prompt people to reflect on and question their reality.