We Sat Down With Clara T To Discuss Her New EP, Durban Rap & Her Favourite Verses
by Mayuyuka
Durban as a city has been making waves in the South African Hip Hop scene lately. The most recent artist to catch our attention is Clara T. We caught up with her to find out a little bit more about her latest release titled It's Fresh Doe!!! and also delve into her background and creative process.
AHHB: How's Clara T grown from the artist who started out at open mic sessions?
Clara T: My starting out at open mic sessions was the beginning of me realizing that I can actually rhyme... From those days I've grown firstly as a writer. Growing as a writer also comes with experiences and being exposed to different things. I've definitely grown as a performer as well. I started out very shy and awkward on stage because the experience was new, but now I see the stage as a place I get to be free and have fun. Time has allowed me to really think about my art and what I want to achieve with it... and time is growth.
AHHB: How is it being an independent artist right now?
CT: Right now for me? I've always been an independent artist. It's the only experience I know. I've been managed and that felt like being signed which I now know is not how it's supposed to be. It's why I am now managing myself. Right now, as in the times we're in at the moment? It's a process. I like being independent because I have full control of my music, full control of what I want to give to the people in terms of the way I want to look, what I want to say and not say, who I speak to... I like knowing how the industry works, and it's a great thing that I can represent myself because no one knows my brand and my music the way I do, and well, who I make music with.
The only downside about being independent, for me personally, is the lack of funding. I do the best I can with what I have and I've been blessed enough to have undying support from my family and people who believe in my pursuit.
AHHB: There's strong regional bonds between hip hop acts in SA, is that the case in Durban... you still rep RandHustle?
CT: No. I do not rep RandHustle, I haven't since the day I left the group, 3 years ago. There's a very thin line - it's practically invisible now - between "regional bonds" and "connections" with people. Finding my place and representing that specific place is a dilemma for me, because I'm based in Durban and I've lived here since I was 5, but somehow, because I'm not Zulu, I still feel out of place.
AHHB: Sonically, you seem to have shaken off the tag of being a Durban rapper though... how would you like the audience to receive you?
CT: I began my rap career here and Durban is the first place to hear what I have to offer so that's one reason I'll always have a special place for DBN in my heart and why I can call it "home". When I go to Johannesburg, I also feel at home there as well, so I also want to represent the Vaal and Soweto. It's not just about representing ONE specific group of people or one specific place for me. I represent my family, I represent myself, the culture, women, music, Hip-Hop, South Africa.
It's much bigger than one group of people, I want to make as many people as I can proud. I want people to see me as a representative of more than just the city. I feel like when people ask where you're from, it's so that they can decide how to treat you, and that has nothing to do with the music.
AHHB: The face of the SA rap game is getting much younger, what mark do you hope to make in coming years?
CT: I hope to have a long lasting effect on the industry, and more so, a positive effect on people who listen to my music. The face of the music industry around the world is getting younger, and it's a medium we can communicate through because of the developments of technology and what-not. When we get older, there will be young people doing bigger crazier things in music because it's how it works. It becomes exponential to the point where age isn't going to matter anymore.
AHHB: In L.I.F.E you say "capture moments, don't catch em all on your phone". What were you trying to capture with this EP?
CT: It's Fresh Doe!!! was done under the premise of it being a medley... a showcase of different sides of me.
AHHB: How did the EP come about, what was the process like?
CT: The project was some collaborative verses that I had written prior to the day I recorded. I had some verses. They had some beats and a studio. We recorded 4 of the tracks in one day when I had a session with the guys from Drop XVI Africa, then the extra tracks we included were done at the TicTocMusic Studios.
AHHB: Well its now or never, so gotta ask. How was the experience recording the recent Ms Cosmo-curated remix?
CT: Well, I recorded my verse for the #LeFemmeRemix while I was in Durban. A lot of us were all in different cities at the time, but some of the ladies were able to write and record in the same studio with Ms Cosmo because they were in Joburg. Most of us all met for the first time on the day when we had our Balcony Interview for SlikourOnLife. It was really awesome to meet everyone, and now this song has allowed us to be familiar with each other's music as well, and for people to be introduced to more women in South African Hip-Hop.
AHHB: After the response to that track... what's next for you?
CT: Apart from It's Fresh Doe!!!, there will be a follow-up project (a mixtape) titled "Late Blooming" which will be dropping this Spring. I've got so much lined up, but I don't wanna give too much away... people will know about it when it all happens!
AHHB: Lastly, what's your all time favourite verse and why?
CT: Ah, just one verse? Well, my all time favourite rap song is "Kick, Push" by Lupe Fiasco, because it was the first rap song I fell in love with because it was a story about growing into something you love doing and how it affects your relationships with people. It was the first rap song I memorised word for word. The first verse of that song... every verse in that song will always stay with me!