Terence Mukasa
To not be left embarrassed in entrance of his crush again in highschool, Don Salem Phillipe, in any other case generally known as Don HardRisk, dropped a freestyle diss at an opponent throughout a rap battle in school.
This battle impressed one and all and heralded in a brand new chapter in his life – a lifetime of music.
Other than being an IT engineer, Don HardRisk can be a poet and lyricist, and transfers his feelings into the music he does.
His music revolves round real-life points that had occurred to him and of these round him, rising up in a refugee camp, coming from a poor background, damaged houses, and dreaming massive.
Don HardRisk niches his music in direction of sentimental/inspirational rap, whereas his song-writing abilities each shadows and displays his poetic prowess.
He started writing poems on the tender age of 11, and found his rapping abilities by likelihood on the age of 13 throughout that class rap battle.
Don HardRisk advised VIBEZ! he’s a part of a gaggle known as Younger Ballers however upon transferring to France in 2017, launched a solo EP in 2018 tiled ‘Hear at personal threat’. The next yr, he launched ‘The Famine’ in collaboration with Argentinian producer, P.A.
“I acquired publishing and report label offers from unbiased labels from the USA, UK and Italy after my solo journey had simply begun in 2018,” he mentioned from Paris, the place he’s now learning sound engineering.
He’s an unbiased artist with publishing offers however no report offers. Music of the Sea and Rehegoo are his publishers.
In late November this yr, Don HardRisk launched a 27-track album titled ‘thirteenth Apostle’.
Each music was written and recorded with emotion, be it anger, grief, happiness or disappointment, he mentioned.
On the discharge of the album, Don HardRisk mentioned: “I’ve impressed myself and that’s all that issues. I surpassed my very own expectations”.
With the flexibility to talk 5 languages, together with Afrikaans, he brings French, Spanish and Portuguese flavour into his music that’s typically in English.
“I’m selling my LP titled ‘thirteenth Apostle’ which is principally an album telling tales, preaching the ghetto gospel and galvanizing my fellow listeners.”
His favorite music on the album is ‘Calculated Threat’.
A footnote to an Instagram put up reads: “Should you’re searching for one thing to bop to, that is most likely not it. For pure inspiration solely”.
Describing himself as an introvert, Don HardRisk mentioned he finds it simpler to specific himself by means of writing than speaking to folks; be it for love, anger, disappointment or happiness.
The artist, who labels himself as “creating half-decent music; and an unorthodox hustler, witty by nature”, is conscious of the challenges Namibian upcoming artists and rappers expertise.
“The challenges are totally different and depend upon the place you come from, and the hip-hop scene shouldn’t be but recognised in Namibia.”
He additional acknowledged that different hip-hop is tougher to perform for everybody within the music trade, as a result of it typically doesn’t make folks dance; it’s extra like reciting poetry over backbeats.
“Individuals simply need one thing to hype them instantly, they wish to vibe to some high-energy stage frequencies.”
HardRisk’s intention is to complete his research and return to Namibia to arrange and run an enormous music manufacturing firm that will even act as a report label to assist the much less lucky within the music trade.
Requested in regards to the title, Don HardRisk, he mentioned his associates would all the time say he takes dangers which are laborious, virtually careless and reckless.
Discover his music on donluafrica.com and soundcloud.
