10 Dec 2014

With everything that has happened since the beginning of his career to where he is today, one can say Tlamelo Joseph, affectionately known by the sobriquet Reacxion, is undoubtedly poised for the stars.

Reacxion grew up as an angry teenager when his family could not entertain his passion for hip hop music.  In a broader sense, this could have been the tipping point that eventually led to his aggressive persona’s person's now hear in his music. 

Many will doubt this statement some yapping about well-known rappers with reputable record sales and numerous awards but on paper Reacxion will surprise many with his exquisite skill behind the microphone. He excels in narrating his words carefully. 

His lyrical content was in line with the old school hip hop artistes in the mold of Eminem, Tupac Shakur amongst others, he grew up listening to, and airing emotionally charged vocals. Reacxion stormed out of their rented home when his elder sister could not take any more of his love for rap music. 

She hated his idea of becoming “rraskanta” and at one point she chased Thato Matlhabaphiri also known as Scar, away from their house when he came to pick Reacxion for show. 

His mother had passed on when he was still doing standard four. He struggled to find his identity socially as a young boy without a nursing mother, and often as a target of violent bullying from his age mates.

“I never talked to my sister for the entire six months because of the anger that boiled inside me. At the end I invited her to my own rented house and she was delighted that I could now eke a living out of music,” he said

Reacxion found solace in emulating and basking in the success stories of renowned hip hop artistes who had an unhappy childhood but against all odds reached for the stars. The last few years had seen the emergence of a localized hip hop music that is steeped in township lingo and mixed with a bit of English in what has come to be known as Motswako. 

Today he has high respect for pioneers of this genre in the likes of Kast, Scar, and Apollo Diablo amongst others who paved way before he came into the scene.

“Scar would call me and tell me man you are the best, now today I would say I’m living my dream, I wanted to see this happening,” he said with a grin on his face. After senior school at Ledumang senior Reaxcion cut his teeth in music doing a collaboration with a certain Monica Nnabu who was then a presenter at the youthful radio staion Yarona fm. 

They put together a single that was to enjoy massive airplay on local radio stations and produced by Bally Leburu of Heaven Sent Production. 

The latter came up with talent such as Dramaboi during the times his smash hits such as Godzilla and Matlharetlhare amongst others were household anthems.

Now he has two projects under his belt the first being the Selepe Sa Magagane mixtape and lately Reacxiontime mixtape.  His latest project is likely to bring many roofs down having worked with heavyweights in the industry to bring together the mixtape. 

Probably his top two hits roba noka and baki will have the youngsters’ fan yearning for more.  He has also featured Eazy Lap, a well-known motswako rapper under the stable of Mafikeng born motswako rapper Mo Molemi.

Despite his age, Reacxion is an aspiring philanthropist. He talks with his head high about The Help Foundation, which was set up in 2010 to help the needy families. He is the founder and manager of the organization. 

He was also amongst the artistes who built a one roomed house for a man in Mahalapye in 2012. He has also been invited by organizations such as Faith Mission to help raise funds to build houses for orphans. ENDS