Artist and lyricist Stogie T (real name Tumi Molekane) has reignited the rap to amapiano transition conversation following his appearance on the L-Tido Podcast.
The conversation was sparked by podcast host L-Tido when he asked about his relationship with Reason, an artist who was previously signed to Stogie T’s Motif Records.
“What’s your relationship with Reason, right now? You haven’t worked with him for a very long time, musically,” L-Tido asked.
“I rap, he doesn’t. What does he do?,” he said. “My bad, I didn’t know it was a different thing,” he added after L-Tido explained that Reason and Sizwe Alakine are technically two different names.
Now, if you’re reading this and wondering what he meant by that, let’s break it down for you. Reason is widely known as a rapper, a name he built his career under, especially during his early years in hip hop.
He later introduced Alakine as an alter ego after moving into amapiano, a decision that has since become one of the most talked-about transitions in local music.
While some fans see the two names as separate musical identities, Reason himself has never officially said he has stopped rapping. Instead, he has continued to exist in both spaces, giving his fans the best of both worlds.
In 2024, he released a hip hop album titled “Audio 2D: Dear Darkie”, while at the same time enjoying success on the amapiano charts. His rise to fame came in 2012 with “Audio 3D”, which was released under Motif Records.
Following the video’s circulation online, Reason reacted with a mix of humour and surprise on X. His rapper girlfriend, Gigi Lamayne, also joined the conversation, encouraging him to drop new music.
In previous interviews, Reason has spoken openly about why amapiano pulled him in creatively. Speaking to “Sowetan”, he explained that the genre offered more room to experiment.
“I felt the opportunity to do more with the sound because I connected more with it,” he said. “I like how it sounds, and I like how it feels. I like the tempo and how you can evolve with it.”
