South African rapper Boity Thulo has finally released her long-awaited full body of work titled 4436. The Wuz Dat hitmaker expressed her excitement on finally getting to share her EP with her fans.
She said, “It feels fantastic. It feels exactly the way I expected to feel, and I am glad because sometimes you can anticipate a certain kind of feeling and response and then you are either disappointed or it’s not exactly what you anticipated. I remember at midnight when I was finally able to see it on Apple music, I was so happy. I was so excited. I got teary-eyed.”
She explains that the title of her project is inspired by the place that raised and groomed her to be the personality we witness today.
“It’s my grandmother’s house number. That home, that space and Portch is at the core of who I am. It’s my foundations. Everything that you see, the Boity that I have become would not have been possible if that foundation was not laid at home. That love, that drive, that humility, that support. I am so proud of this body of work – I had to put something that I know means the world to me and that’s home.”
Boity took most of South Africa by surprise when she released her first single Wuz Dat in 2018, featuring award-winning rapper Nasty C. The single took Boity straight to the top as we saw her become the first female rapper in South Africa to reach platinum status. And of course, with the song doing so well you’d expect her to be under a little pressure to work twice as hard.
“I tried to not put myself under that kind of pressure purely because I wanted everything authentic and gradual. I didn’t wanna do anything feeling like I must sound better. I just wanted to sound authentic and the only way was, as long as I am enjoying the process, the sound and what I sound like.
“I didn’t wanna compare because I feel like that wouldn’t be fair on myself and I don’t think I would be able to get a better version of myself if I am constantly going back to Wuz Dat. In Fact, I feel like I sound better than I did with the rest of the records because I am more comfortable. I am more confident in my sound and my delivery.”
Boity’s got quite an impressive list of features and they have come out and given the same energy she gives on her project. The collaborations include Yanga Chief – who she features on his Utatakho remix – Nasty C, Maglera Doe Boy, Ginger Trill, Riky Rick and Maggz. Twitter has been thanking Boity for bringing Maggz back to the game.
“I definitely listen to these artists. These are people that I have wanted to work with. I was quite grateful that I got the opportunity; I was honoured. Especially with Maggz, he played a massive role in the forming of Hip-Hop culture in South Africa. It’s pretty dope to have him, especially because he hasn’t been in the game for a while now. It was dope to have him come out to feature on my project.”
We have heard about how difficult it can be for females to infiltrate the rap industry because it’s been said to be dominated by males. Having built a strong brand for the past 10-years, Boity admits that this has been advantageous to her, although she still believes her talent has a lot to do with it as well.
“I wouldn’t lie and not acknowledge the fact that being a personality too helped. It played a huge role; it gave me easier access, but it’s still not easy. You can’t buy people, you still have to be good enough. I think being good at it has played a huge role just as much as me being in the industry. To begin with, [it] has helped me move through certain doors, but sustaining it and having people respond and stream your music and enjoy you and get booked. You don’t get booked if you are a shitty rapper. I am glad that I have the skill, even though I counted on me being a personality.”
As a means to open doors for more females, Boity encourages established artists to feature upcoming female rappers.
“It’s all about visibility! It’s all about giving a platform for visibility because you want your music to be heard, to use their names, their strongholds to open doors for others, push them on social media, introduce them to people you think might help if the female rapper already has the skill. It has to be on merit.”
Boity is an all-rounder – she is an actress, a rapper, TV presenter and businesswoman. In her latest business venture, she has recently partnered with Halo Heritage on her fragrance and hair products. Boity says the experience has enriched her with knowledge.
“I learnt a lot throughout the process. I knew what I wanted out of the product, I knew how I wanted the product to make my hair feel and look, but the things that I learnt about different ingredients and what your hair needs or doesn’t. I didn’t know the full story about 4c hair – my own hair type, I learnt so much and it was very enlightening.
“With the perfume, because I had the Impulse Own Your Throne spray, the perfume is kind of similar. So there are things that I was privy to because I had done a fragrance before. It’s just that you learn more with regards to perfume and the difference between an eau de toilette, Eau de Parfum, etc. That process was really enlightening as well.”
The packaging of Boity’s perfume, Boity Pink Sapphire, is elegant, describing the 4436 rapper who takes pride in the way she looks.
“The packaging speaks the loudest. People buy what they see. And for me, that was the most important thing. I take the way I look very seriously so that element was the most important one. I wanted the bottle to look luxurious and I am all about the soft life so I wanted the bottle to be able to fit into a soft life. It was important to me for it to look, the way it must make you feel. When you see it you must know that you are going to smell excellent. And that’s what I wanted.”
4436 is out now and available on all digital platforms.
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