Thato Saul is no one-dimensional gangster, his latest album ‘Life Is Gangster’ mixes street talk and moments of vulnerability.
In conversation, Thato Saul frequently quotes and refers to lines from his music, especially his new album Life Is Gangster. It is an autobiographical album in which the popular Pretoria rapper speaks about life in his ’hood, Saulsville in Atteridgeville, popularly known as Pheli.
Breaking down the title, he makes reference to the title track. “I mean, I have a lyric on there where I’m like, ‘I had 35K, counting it with my mama/ All cash, got it out the street, for that bag, it was drama.’ So, I’m telling you about all this money and everything, but at the end, I’m closing the song by saying, ‘Because the PTSD from the dead bodies I saw don’t do me well/ As I sit there feeling my mind give me hell, I never fell.’ So, it’s all right, we’ll talk about all this money and being hard and all that stuff, but at the end, life is hard. Life is the real gangster …”
That’s the basis of Life Is Gangster. It goes a step further than the ordinary street rap album as it deeply humanises him with moments of vulnerability.
“Tears in my eyes as I write this,” he raps. “When it feels like depression, I pray to Jesus I fight this/ Really got G homies cuttin’ their wrist, don’t wanna slice this.” In the song, he shares his frustrations with life in Pheli in a meandering recollection of the traumatic events that haunt him.
“We don’t really get into that,” he says. “Especially the neighbourhood that I come from and the circle that I’m from, you’ll never hear someone say, ‘I feel like I’m depressed.’ But at the same time, I have a homie who has cuts on his wrists.”
The death of hip-hop star Riky Rick in February prompted conversations about mental illness (for a few weeks at least) but the subject is still taboo among black people. Saul was touched by Rick’s death, like many South Africans. He wanted to pay homage but he knew a tribute song wasn’t an option after YoungstaCPT’s definitive Dear Rikhado, Love Riyadh gave a poignant reflection on the life of Rick.
Instead, Saul draws a connection between his personal struggles and those of Rick’s. His verse fades out and bleeds into a clip of Rick talking about his struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts, which stemmed from the hustle.
Modimo Ohla Pheli
Growing up in Pheli, Saul almost got swallowed by the street life like many of his peers. Discussing his late teens and early 20s in an interview with Slikour, he said, “I was being a problem, I was wild, it was bad.”
Realising he couldn’t live both lives, he ditched the streets for the studio. He mentions Tron Pyre, who features in the song Deep in The Mix as one of the people who played a huge role in his making the right choice.
The music bug bit Saul early in his life. As a youngster, he used to attend rap shows at the State Theatre where people like Blaklez, N’Veigh and MsSupa used to perform in the 2000s. He started writing and rapping as early as grade seven.
But, after years of rapping, he wasn’t happy with where he was; the South African music industry is tough. Making the decision to quit, he released the album Members Only in 2020 as an epilogue to his rap career. Ironically, the very same album put him on the map and he became one of the most talked about rappers in the country. In 2021, he released another album, If You Know, You Know, with Pretoria producer MashBeatz. There was no denying the effect he was about to have on South African hip-hop.
Saul is part of Pretoria’s rap vanguard at the forefront of South African hip-hop and a key player in the city’s scene that, for years, was one of SA hip-hop’s best kept secrets.
As diverse as it is, the scene is dominated by street rap; the lyrics are relatable as they concern everyday life told by everyday people who just happen to have extraordinary talent.
Storyteller
Life Is Gangster has been one of the most anticipated albums of 2022. It lived up to expectations, and acted as a solidifier for Saul’s position as a respected name in the game. His storytelling is graphic as he pieces together eloquently narrated vignettes into a complex montage of Pheli and, by extension, every South African township.
Listening to Life Is Gangsta feels like taking a tour of Pheli under Saul’s guidance. The album opens with the bold statement Modimo Ohla Pheli, where Saul shows his high regard for his ’hood through the mantra that claims God is from Pheli.
On Pick It Up, he raps from the perspective of his subjects: two friends, one who robs for a living and another who is a street dealer. Both of them express being trapped in a life of crime by circumstances and the desire to reform. “I got the inspiration from the song by Kendrick Lamar called Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst. In the first two verses, he’s rapping from the perspective of someone else speaking to him.”
On Tau Street Interlude, he recounts a daytime drive-by shooting in colourful detail. Luckily, no one died that day. But, on Saul’s 26th birthday last December, his big homie “Fat Cat” wasn’t so lucky. Saul paid tribute to him on his latest album’s lead single, R.I.P Fat Cat.
Returning to the album title in relation to Fat Cat, Saul says, “This life thing will rob you. This life thing will kill you. Life is that gangster. It is that number one gangster that, even at your happiest moment, it can rob you. We chilling with Fat Cat one day, he’s dancing. Literally hours before, there’s videos of him dancing. Everyone is having fun. An hour or two later, everyone is crying.”
“One of the reasons I’m not signed is because the music I do is so true; it speaks about actual lives. My life and the life of my friends and my neighbourhood. I can’t stand it if no one takes it as serious as me,” Saul confides
But he admits that independence has its own shortcomings and that it will be tough to “go continental” with just himself, his booking agent and his lawyer. “Most probably one day, I’ll sign something,” he says, “because I do want to get bigger.”
Life Is Gangster is out on all digital platforms.