Multi-award winning hip-hop artist Fifi Cooper has weathered many a storm since she plunged into the limelight 10 years ago and is now ready to take on Africa by storm.
Known as Motswako’s first lady, Fifi Cooper who learned things the hard way, was forced to start her own recording label Mocooper Records following her contractual strife with Ambitiouz Records.
Moving right along, the female rapper born Refilwe Boingotlo Mooketsi has dropped her second single Motlogeleng, meaning "leave her alone".
The offering comes from her second independent album titled Chapters that is dropping towards the end of the year. The first single, Net So, came out in December.
Now that she is a force to be reckoned with on the local scene, Fifi is exploring ways to take over the continent. The 29-year-old wants to start out with an African, which she had already begun when the Covid-19 lockdown grounded her after a performance in Eswatini.
The Mahikeng-born artist had also performed in Kenya and is hoping to continue further on with her mission on the African continent.
Sowetan caught up with the pint-sized rapper to speak about her latest developments in her career and how she managed to stay sane during the lockdown.
How has it been for you the past 12 months of lockdown?
It was bad. We went from having gigs to nothing at all. It was a complete shift from our daily normal life. But it has taught me not to be comfortable having just one job or depending on performances. Since I am a record label owner now, I have to make sure that the company has the finance to shoot videos, and do public relations and other things. It has taught me to push hard.
How did you manage to stay sane?
I did not feel that I was not working at all. I was working on the album and most of the songs were recorded during the lockdown. For now, I am dropping singles in preparing for the album release.
What is Motlogeleng all about?
It is really exciting. It is a different type of song from all the songs I have been dropping. It's chilled, laidback and it is about love. I wanted people to know the other side of Fifi Cooper. The song is for all the African women and their kings who appreciate them.
Obviously, all relationships have challenges and the song is about someone who is very loyal and understanding. It is about someone who knows that in a relationship we have to make sacrifices and people make mistakes. I am just saying you have made mistakes in the relationship and that is not important because we went pass through that so now it is about the future.
Is the song inspired by personal experience?
I would like definitely say 50 percent of the song is inspired by someone who is in my life. And the other 50 percent is about what other people have gone through in their relationships. I wanted to make sure I accommodate everyone because I am not writing for myself. I write for everyone. At the end of the day we all go through the same experiences at different times.
You’ve been a boss of your own for a while, how is it like to be an independent artist?
It is beautiful, it is amazing, and it is great. For me, I have always wanted to own my recording label. I am blessed to have gone through what I went through because I learned and took some lessons with me. The only challenge is learning the business side which is hard and tricky if you were just a singer. It is not about being behind the microphone and rapping any more, it is about getting involved in contracts and royalties. I think it is the best decision I ever took to own my music.
Any plans this year?
I’m currently busy with Music Contest and it is the biggest platform for upcoming artists. Artists register online and submit their music which gets judged. The contest is open to all music genres. The winner will walk away with a professional music video, radio plugging, photoshoot, TV and radio interviews. The closing date is June 30. More than that, I have partnered with Love Potion to create a gin-infused truffle. I’m planning to continue with my African tour.
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