I N T E R V I E W W I T H M O D I L I A

my name is Modilia Samantha. I am a female artist; I am a rapper; a singer and songwriter but everybody knows me by the name of Modilia that is also my stage name. I am actually from Freestate, at a small town called Harrismith, where I grew up and that's actually were I started my rap career. I started my rap career back in 2018 when my cousin brother came home and he took me to the studio because he was actually recording, I was always a female singer but I always used to sing to people songs I never really written anything by myself and my cousin was like no come through cuz I actually need your vocals on something so that's how I started, I went there and as he was writing his rap he got stuck and I had rhythm and I said let me try and help you and from there the producer was like here is a beat give us a flow and try to rap it out and see how it sounds and that's when everybody went crazy and they were like no we actually need you to read this verse that's actually how it started and then from there the producers was like I have a beat I know you are a vocalist but I'd like you to try it out come through for free and we'll see where it goes, thats actually how I fell in love with it and now looking back 2, 3 years later it's been a rollercoaster but it's been very satisfying and I am where I want to be, I 'can t say reached where I want to go but I am very comfortable and happy where I am right now.

We had a video recorded interview with Modilia which will be available on our Upcoming TV channel when it launches end of February. The interviewer was Monate and he changed the video interview Mag. �� to text for this issue of Upcoming

T H E I N T E R V I E W C O N T I N U E S

1. What challenges do you have as a female rapper?

I had a lot of challenges before I got here. one which is being the common one of everybody thinking you some sort of products or material and with the being said I have had to actually encounter a lot of struggles where I was threatened, I was told that if I actually want to make it in the industry and then I had to sleep my way to the top and me refusing meant me basically ending my own career which actually did happen when I refused to sleep with certain big people and the industry they actually closed a lot of my doors for me, I fell in such a terrible space that I had major depression it was the most darkest time of my life but knowing that at end of the day, this is my talent and no one can take it away from me that is really validating enough to tell me that no one can take it away from me regardless. With me being a female artist that came in the industry and not looking gangster, being soft looking person meant always having to compete with people in terms when people see a person they want to book them just because of their outer appearance without really listening to what they have to deliver people thinking that you very weak when it comes to your bars because you look girly and the this person looks hardcore so we go with them instead, I've actually had a lot of struggles with that but end of the day like I said if it's your talent it's your talent no one can take that from you, you will reach where you have to go regardless, so end of the day I felt like the struggles is actually made me stronger and push me to be where I am today.

2. In hip-hop a lot of people fake being gangster,thing so would you say that you are gangster?

First and foremost I would like to agree with what you are saying, a lot of people are faking being gangster but they do say fake it until you make it, a lot of artists want to be gangster, for me I feel that hip hop is about selfexpression, you do not have to have a certain look to be a rapper and that's the point a lot of people miss when it comes to hip-hop I wouldn't say I am gangster, as you can see I'm actually really girly, that is a problem when you enter the industry and you tell people that I'm actually girly and I'm a rapper then you need to prove it, where else if someone is wearing baggy, having tattoos, they look gangster and they like I'm a rapper, everyone is like yeah definitely get on stage, so that is also one of their authenticity a lot of people have lost. Hip hop is more self-expression than being gangster I'm not gangster I just express myself through an art which I find very fulfilling which is hip hop music.

3. If you could change anything about the industry what would you change?

Good question, if I could change anything about the industry I would definitely change how women are perceived because I feel like this is such a maledominated industry and just because they are males a lot of women actually get sidelined just because of their gender they do not believe that we can be just as powerful enough and we can be powerhouses as the males because when people think of hip-hop they think of male artist and that is actually something that I wish I could change because the came days were I have encountered a lot of female artists that are not even in the industry but are very good and literally could top anyone in the industry both male or female, so that is one of the thing is that I definitely want to change and also this whole thing of people not getting the right information because I realise that a lot of people get sidetracked or a lot of people don't know what they're getting themselves into because they are never told, just because people want keep the success to themselves of which there is a lot of room for everyone in the industry so those are the top two things that I would want you change or wish I could change if I could.

4. You are a female rapper the thing is I can picture you as young girl thinking to yourself that you want to be a female rapper so what to do do you want to be as a young girl?

You know it's actually really funny that you say that because I've always wanted to be a rapper my mum still has recordings or casets rather of me singing when I was still 5, 6, 7 and I'll always be singing and then last week before before I got to Joburg she called me and said come and see this, there's a computer that I've had since I was 2 or 3 years old, I used that computer and no one really used it besides me I used to write whatever I could just because I loved gedgets so, she called me and was like I want you to read something and then she opens the computer and I saw, it was my writing back in 2008 I was 8 I actually wrote that like when I grow up I want to be like Nicki Minaj and she was like do you see where you are now (dreams) you actually manifested this and you didn't realise what you were saying back then but look at you now. I believe that music is actually in my DNA, it is my destiny, I've always loved music, 'veI always been artistic, everything I did always had music so I definitely believe that I always wanted to and I could never think of being anything else honestly speaking.

5. For young girls out there who have dreams of becoming a female rapper what advise or steps which they can follow in order to be where you are today?

First and foremost believe in yourself because when you try to enter this industry especially with no knowledge or enough knowledge of what you getting yourself into a lot of people will try to break you down and not because you're good but because they are threatened by you and then something I had to learn the hard way as I was going up. You have to believe in yourself don't expect your parents to believe in you, don't expect your friends to believe in you, you have to believe in yourself before anything. Do your research before you enter, it is very easy to say no I want to be a rapper because I have talent but there's a lot of things that happen behind the scenes that people do not know of, do your research make sure that you equipt enough to actually get into that space, mentally, emotionally and physically I also want to tell you that you also have to have something you focus on whether it's spirituality or religion but you must have something that's going to ground you and bass you because it's very easy to get lost in this industry and lose yourself, so those are the top three things that I'd like to say people or young girls rather have to do if they're trying to reach my lever or if they're trying to get into any type of art in the industry.