QnA with...? Neo Pitso

Neo Pitso is so much more than the South African living in Australia; he's a talented emcee whose ethos is deeply rooted in helping others chase their dreams too. He talks to us about DREAM.BELIEVE.ACHIEVE.REPEAT. and the difference between survival and making a living from your artistry..

The tagline on your website is – Obsessed With Success. What defines success for you? Is it all monetary?

I used to think success is all monetary but honestly speaking with each day I get exposed to a little more money and I’m starting to realize that in order for me to consider myself a success and maintain long term happiness I will need more than just money. Three things for me define success; a purpose driven life, giving more than you receive and last but not least happiness.

How have you evolved from a person who used to write music to an Emcee? What kind of music did you write and how did one feed into the other?

I actually started writing other rapper’s lyrics. I would wait for the song to play then I’d record it on an old cassette tape. Then I’d play, pause, rewind and write the lyrics as I go on. I wanted to learn how to put a song together. Once I got the gist of it I started writing really conscious lyrics but see I did it because of the pressure. I felt that I would only be accepted as an artist if I wrote conscious lyrics. I then grew from that and started writing more about everyday life, not necessarily struggles but achievements and every now and then would rap about stories from another person’s point of view.

As a person who’s toured with the likes of Nas, Cassidy, The Game how important is it to you to not be pulled into the Fame side of it and to keep your head in the hustle? We have rappers with one song on rotation on Yfm who then believe that they’ve made it. What advice do you have for them and anyone else looking at that as their definition of ‘making it’?

Every time I finished a tour with an artist I’d get an influx of messages of people who wanted to work with me and I always took in stride. I didn’t consider it fame, still don’t, I’m still not used to it and the thing is it made me lose my momentum. So ironically I would want all this love and attention for my music but whenever I got it it’s like I didn’t know what to do with it and I’d withdraw for a bit and then return with another tour or track. That’s when it hit, albeit years later but it hit me nonetheless that it’s all about being consistent. The fame and love from fans are transactions along the road, but one must always focus on the journey. In terms of advice I am in no position to judge any artist’s actions or celebrations so I will reserve my comment on that one, after all success means something very different to each person.

What gets you out of bed on your worst day?

God.

Your ‘Dream. Believe. Achieve. Repeat’ project speaks so much into what we as a magazine are trying to do for the artist in SA. How is it going? Is it only for musicians/artists or is it across the board?

Dream.Believe.Achieve.Repeat is actually an initiative I started years ago when I was giving talks at high schools to motivate students. I found earlier on that I had a gift of talking to people. I am still nurturing the gift and working on it, but the initiative is based on that concept. Obsessed With Success is the wagon that deals mostly with entertainment.

http://neopitso.bigcartel.com

Are you at the point where you are making a living from your artistry?

No. For me to consider myself at a point where I am making a living from my music goes beyond just performing and collecting a cheque. I consider that survival, not making a living. If I am making a living from the music then I can afford to take a week off and still have money coming in. When my musical empire can generate income without me physically stepping on a stage that to me defines making a living off music because being paid for performances is great and making sales from those shows is terrific, but I share Jay-Z’s sentiments when he says “I ain’t tryna survive I’m tryna live it to the limit and love it a lot’

How long did it take to get there and what are the challenges you faced and are still facing today?

I’m not there yet and it’s going to take time, but it’s definitely coming. I wasn’t born to blend in with the crowd. I am obsessed with the attainment of success and with God as my guide everything will come in due time. It’s a step by step process. The will has been done all I have to do is go and get it.

You’re based in Australia but still have your ears on the SA hip hop scene, what opportunities do you think SA hip hop or music in general here could take still advantage of but aren’t?

I saw so many opportunities last time I was there but you know what they say the 2 secrets to success are:

1. Never revealing everything you know

2. …

[Laughing] We see what you did there. Are there differences between the Australian hip hop scene and the SA hip hop scene?

There are such big differences it’s crazy. They each have their strengths. In terms of growth South Africa’s hip hop consumption is on a larger scale, hip hop has really taken off back home. I even see really great House DJs partnering up with hip hop artists. I saw the awards too. Hip hop is on the come up in a major way in SA. In Australia hip hop is not as big but for the right acts you can make quite a handsome profit if that’s what you’re after and that’s because of the success of annual music festivals that run for days on end. It’s a very interesting market though because you have two separate hip hop markets. You have the one we’re used to which is considered urban and then you have one called Aussie Hip Hop which is exclusive to white Australians with a few coloured (as in non-white) artists that are considered to be part of that market.

Towdee Mac of Morafe wrote “Some people get fulfilment from self satisfaction and some from changing the lives of others. Know where to position yourself”. Where do you fall on this scale and why?

I’m all about changing the lives of others. I’m already doing it now cos I’m quite a giving person so I know when I start seeing more digits in my account I’m going to be changing lives and mentalities on an even larger scale.

There’s a buzz about 2015 being the year of the female emcee in SA. What are your thoughts on that and which femcee do you think will claim the throne?

All of them. I have heard quite a few of them and they’re all great in their own ways. One of the misconceptions in hip hop is that there is only one crown or throne. I think they could all win in a multitude of ways this year so I’m hoping to see some awards go to some female artists in the near future.

What are the latest projects you’re working on?

At the moment I am working on the next three songs to release with videos before the year is up. I have had quite a lot beats sent to me and had managers, label reps, PR and global brands wanting to work with me so it’s muddied the waters a bit cos I am obsessed with responding to people in a timely manner and it’s taking a bit of time from recording. I’m in and out of studio but mostly focused on business side of things but in a week or 2 I should be back to the studio flow in a heavy way and can’t wait for people to see and hear the new material.

When can we catch you on a show in SA?

December 2015. Was fortunate to have my song We On making it to the #1 spot on 5FM local charts with DJ Miss Cosmo so that’s got me a few shows for the year in SA.

Watch Neo's "WE ON" below

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Facebook: www.facebook.com/neopitsomusic

Twitter: @TheOnlyNeo

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Website: www.NeoPitso.com