Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane | A look in The celebrity entrepreneur’s life and career
Mzansi was once nonetheless coming to phrases with the dying of Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes when they had been dealt with every other blow – the man who used to be shot and killed quickly after the famed rapper was once movie star entrepreneur and writer Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane.
His household will have a memorial provider to rejoice their son at Sacred Heart College on Thursday.
While many in the entertainment industry knew who he was because of his various exploits over the years,Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes shared a video of his interview with Motsoane to remind the country who he was.
In the interview, the DJ credited Motsoane for playing a significant role in the current generation of hip-hop, co-founding a black-owned vodka brand, and working with a bunch of hip-hop musicians, including AKA.
Motsoane, an only child, was born and raised in Katlehong. He started nursery school and matriculated at Sacred Heart College. He furthered his education through a basketball scholarship at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he obtained a degree in International Relations and Media Studies.
“I always say that’s my parent’s greatest gift to me – actually putting me in a very, very good school very early, and I know it wasn’t easy for them.”
He said he knew by then that he did not want to work for anyone after finishing school.
Early career
“By virtue of being in Jo’burg, I always knew my way around the clubs and the promoters and the owners, so I became a promoter,” he said in the interview. “As a promoter, you know, things become pricier and pricier, so I decided to manage DJs so that I wouldn’t have to pay them, then I could get them other gigs. That’s how I started managing talent.”
He might have ventured into being a promoter, but Motsoane said his business career started years earlier when he was still in varsity.
“My business career started on campus. I mean, I was always the guy organising our fundraisers and whatever for the basketball club.”
Talent management
Asked about what made him interesting, he said it was that he always approached things as a consumer, even when he managed AKA.
“I was a fan before I was his manager, and I’m still a fan, and I think just the authenticity and self-belief… people can see it, people aren’t stupid,” he said.
AKA
Speaking about how he and AKA crossed paths, Motsoane said it was when AKA was still working with IV League – a production collective by the rapper Buks and Kamza – and he needed music for his website.
“The first time there was music on the Show Love website is actually AKA music, but I wasn’t managing him at the time,” he said. “Everybody started asking me who’s this guy?”
Motsoane said the curiosity around AKA grew; he let the Fela in Versace hitmaker grab the mic at his gigs and hype the DJ and the crowd. He said, AKA then started freestyling.
“At some point, I realised I’m actually managing this guy. It was a very, very organic process,” he said. “We never had formal sittings as to, okay, this is what we’re gonna do up until we actually had to do it.”
He added:
“I was a fan first. We became really, really close friends – little brother, big brother. He’s seen me go through a lot; I’ve seen him go through a lot. We’ve both had our fair share of relationship drama, and we’ve gone through it together. That’s my little man, no matter what.”
Even after Motsoane stopped managing the rapper, they continued their friendship.
“In the industry, people always expect fallouts. We’ve never had a fallout,” he said. “My mind needs constant challenges, and for me, artist management was a period in my life. I went on to open a club now I’m getting into a beverage company. There’s still things that I wanna try.”
Abuse allegations
In September 2019, Motsoane’s ex-girlfriend Tshepi Vundla revealed that she suffered physical abuse during their relationship, Drum reported.
Motsoane, at that time, denied physically assaulting Vundla but did admit to emotionally and mentally abusing her.
In a thread on Twitter, he wrote: “For years, I was in a toxic and public relationship with Tshepi Vundla. In this relationship, I know realise that I was abusive… but never ever physically [sic].”
Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane | A look in The celebrity entrepreneur’s life and career
