Stogie T

Stogie T, widely considered one of the greatest African MCs of all time, has demonstrated how to stay relevant in an ever-changing hip-hop scene. After starting out in the ’90s, Stogie T (born Tumi Molekane in Tanzania in 1981) first found success as the frontman of the alternative band Tumi & The Volume, who toured Europe and Canada extensively in the 2000s after the release of their seminal 2004 album Live at the Bassline (2004). Raised by parents who fought in the struggle against apartheid, Tumi is a worldly, well-read artist who bring an inimitable eloquence and nuanced worldview to his music. His 2005 solo album, Music from My Good Eye, was deeply rooted in poetry, boom-bap, and jazz, and its release solidified his reputation as an elite within the South African rap scene. He went on to release two more albums, Whole Worlds (2010) and Return of the King (2015), under the name Tumi before dubbing himself Stogie T for his 2016 self-titled album. Armed with a new moniker and the same dextrous bars, he’s since put out the mixtape Honey and Pain (2018) and the EP The Empire of Sheep (2019).