Feature Who is Ray Kola? Ray Kola is a producer, guitarist, and rapper with undying musical drive.
Can you tell us about your musical journey? I started rapping when I was 12 and making beats when I was fourteen, along with my boy Sibusiso(real name) whom you can expect to hear about soon. It continued throughout high school. That's where I met Allotrope, Jude and Deepjuice. It could go on for weeks talking about how talented all these individuals are. I must say it was the common story of busting freestyles at break time, in the dorms, or trying to sell beats to my peers, a really fun period when you discover what you can actually do. I got the demo software for production and I have been making beats, rapping, recording and getting better ever since. Around the time I finished high school, we had done some talent shows and I started learning the guitar. I had met another musician/filmmaker by the name of Sibs La Mer, who helped me a great deal in broadening my perspective. in I even went through the sharky types of people in the industry and learned quite a bit from that. Soon enough I got offered a deal from a jazz record label, as their first Hip-Hop act. The deal was promising but I realised I wasn't ready, after a silent gap year of producing and preparing for my first album. It seemed late and ambitious but I really wanted to study music in university. I was told I couldn't because I'd meet kids that have been doing this since they were five and so on, but i tried anyway and made it in with the guitar. The idea was to learn how to read, write and interpret music, and then bring all that back to the studio when done with the studies.
Right now I still make beats and write but employ the classical guitar in my works, and create compositions for the long term musical dreams, you know, string quartets and so forth, I really love the string instruments. I’m in a couple bands here and there, I have immense respect for the people I study with and their instruments. That's me up to this point.
What is your take on the current state of the SA and International music industries? Truly I believe the SA music industry is growing at an insane rate, and at the same time has much room to grow. That's a good thing because young artists like us are able to permeate it and claim some ground, creating the necessary competition to contribute to the growth of the South African Industry. The International music industries, are leading in the way most things are done, so we follow their standard, which says enough. But we are all fusing into one Industry, the Internet.
Describe to us a typical week for you? Wow, Study and practice during the day, make beats and jam or perform at night from Monday to Friday, with the occasional drink in-between haha...nonetheless I keep working.
“you gotta create your own reality, a reality where other artists out there are talented in their own realities” – Ray Kola Take us through some of your instruments and programs. All I have is the laptop I've been using from the beginning. I run Fruity Loops on it. and a vintage (before they considered rubber pads) Korg DDD-1 drum machine that the label had given me after high school. I beat the living daylights out of that thing. Oh yeah...my acoustic guitar that I record with, and an Epiphone SG Special electric guitar.