Kobonyane Collen Mashishi (born in September 23, 1996) known as C-Killer Mash, is an independent South African rapper, songwriter and record producer, born and bred in Mokopane, Limpopo. “The music industry has taught me to have patience, hard work, investing lot more into myself, more especially my career and to allow myself to learn other things outside the music industry. And in all of those lessons, I’ve been using each one of them to keep me always motivated and consistence in what I do”, he said.
So, when did you start doing music, and what inspired you to ever start doing music? “I started my music career back in 2010, at the age of 14. Music has always been one of my inspirations as I grew up. I come from a neighborhood where different types of music or instruments have been played around. But then I got more involved in the hip-hop culture by listening to top musicians such as Lil Wayne, Drake, and J.Cole etc. Yes, I could say I was inspired by American rapper Meek Mill to become a dream chaser and to start writing my own music”.
How has the pandemic affected your music, and how did you keep sane during these lockdowns levels as an artist? “It was very hard during the pandemic, I couldn’t get gigs or make any income as there were no events to perform to. The sales of my music and gig slots got affected. But still during that impact, I have never stopped making lots of music; in fact, I even recorded some of the tracks from my new album during the pandemic. So, I have held on to my faith and kept going”.
Your new album – tell us what the album is about, how is it received by your fans thus far, and who have you worked with? “My new album named Prescription for the Pain, it’s all about my journey, my reality and more especially where I come from and where I am going. I write my music about my life, my struggle, how I grew up and I also write about love and my pain, and everything that I have been through or what I am going through. On this album I have worked with Elson Blues which is the main producer that I have always worked with since from college, together with the following musician: JayOnetime, Khebest, Drimkid and DannyDaVilla. I can confidently say the album was well received by most of my fans and all the feedback was and still is positive and amazing”.
Album link: https://ditto.fm/prescription-for-the-pain
Please share few of your favorite highlights this far in your music career and why that one? “One of my favorite highlights was on the 1st of September 2018, when I set to drop my first mixtape titled “96 The Story”. Before that, I got featured on Germiston City News (newspaper Article) in August 27, 2018. And followed by two City Awards Nominees of The New Comer of the Year, the first nominee it was on 2020 and followed by the second one on 2021”.
Lastly, when you are not doing music – what do you normally get up to? “When I am not doing my music I normally get up to do my side hustle and also spending some of my time reading, writing and learning new things”.