Whether it was finding himself homeless and doing drugs on the streets — or administering the gospel of God and converting people to Christianity — Njabulo Gininda, who goes by the name of “Word Smith”, has always found solace in hip-hop music.
But for the 27-year-old Komani rapper-cum-fashion designer, hip-hop is not just about catchy rhyme schemes and wordplay, it offers a voice to the voiceless while serving to inspire others to become better and overcome tough situations.
“Hip-hop carries a powerful message as there are many people going through a lot and they often find comfort in those carefully crafted lyrics and bars,” he said.
And now he has recently released his first EP called My Ode to the Streets Volume 1 containing nine songs. Some of the songs were mixed and mastered by Komani rap veteran Odwa “Ma Ouza” Mfutshwana.
“It is my way to say thank you, the streets have been kind to me. I lived in the streets when I was growing up, but some people found me there, blessed and helped me. The streets can make or break a child, depending on the child’s mentality. I faced hatred but I also received a lot of love on the streets.”
He said the EP, officially released on January 8, chronicled the good and the bad from the streets.
One of the songs tells a story of how his mother’s mental illness drove him to become an ambitious young man. This is despite not being able to finish high school. The EP also contains the song Let Me Vent which is dedicated to his wife Samkelwe Gininda, while Life Goes On is a dedication to everyone in the world.
Street Analysis, the main single, meanwhile is a personal reflection of his life on the streets. The project can be found on all online platforms including YouTube and Spotify.
Born in Mpumalanga, Word Smith’s life was far from rosy. He grew up in an abusive and violent environment. He even dropped out of high school and lived on the streets, with his brother, where he found himself hooked on drugs.
But before that, an older guy who rented a room in his home, originally from Whittlesea near Komani, introduced him to legendary late US rapper Tupac in 2009. He would also tell him fascinating stories about Tupac’s life.
“He ghostwrote two verses for me in both isiXhosa and English which I would perform at school during breaks. We [pupils] would do cyphers and battles. I discovered that I really loved telling stories.”
However, his early life would be affected in a bad way when his father died and that left his mother broken and suffering from a mental illness.
“We got into drugs, and we slept on the streets, but we continued with rapping and hip-hop. After a while, a family we did not know found us and took us to Nomzamo Township in Komani where we lived with our grandmother. Even then, hip-hop was always the main thing in my life,” he said.
After posting a video of his performance at a local music festival, a woman called and referred to him as a wordsmith due to his lyrical ability and clever use of words in songs.
Before that he used the moniker “Apocalypse” as his rap name. In 2015, he encountered a huge change in his life after he met a guy who went to the Potters House Church in Komani. That is when he gave his life to God and became a born-again Christian.
“It was not easy, but I was determined to change. I even left the township. The support from the church was phenomenal. I was fortunate that they also loved hip-hop and would use it to preach.
They gave me a chance to perform. My confidence grew and so did my writing skills because now I had an audience for raps.”
However, it meant he could only do gospel rap songs instead of what he was feeling inside. Sometimes they would preach on the streets, and he’d use hip-hop and his mastery of words to try to convert people.
In 2022, he eventually left the church after some disagreements with his pastor.
He had met Samkelwe in church and got married, “the best decision I have ever made”.
It helped bring stability to his life. During Covid-19, he was also able to find himself a job at a hardware store where he worked his way up to supervisor level.
Due to his love for fashion, he has also founded his own clothing range called Eccentric Merx which specialises in designing bucket hats, sling bags, backpacks, trousers, skirts and men’s vests.
Now based in Mthatha, Word Smith is however planning to relocate to one of the bigger cities in the near future. He lists Kendrick Lamar, Chance The Rapper and Tupac as some of his biggest musical influences.
As for the SA hip-hop industry, his message is simple; “I am coming to take the crown. I am going to cause a mess. Without sounding as though I am blowing my own trumpet, but I believe I am still going to be the biggest rap artist in this country.”
Daily Dispatch
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