Liamar’s Story - Uncovering The Prospects Journey So Far

Honestly, at this rate, our social feed is so congested with multiple local acts putting their art out for the world to absorb. The main objective is finding new talents within our borders, and it’s how we are introduced to a multiple range of creatives we feel the need to interact with.

I recall one morning casually opening my Instagram and immediately spotting a dark and mystifying project cover with Liamar standing in front of a dark backdrop while the title of the project, “Meraki,” hovered above his frame.

Cover Image For “Meraki” - Liamar’s Newest Mixtape

I was immediately intrigued by what I was fortunate enough to unexpectedly come across. I instantly peeped out his previous work, like his “All In Real Life” tape that was released in July, and I was blown away by his sound and style of music.

It was at that moment I knew I had to hit up the gifted musician, with the aim of understanding the creative mind behind this distinct sound, while also getting to know and connect with Liamar on a personal basis, and that’s exactly what we achieved, meeting up on a scorching hot Monday afternoon for an ice cold brew and sarmie at a cozy spot on Kloof Street.

To get things started, we need to know who is Liamar?

“So, I grew up in the Eastern Cape, in KwaNobuhle (Uitenhage). I grew up with my mom and my brother mostly, but I have how many siblings? I have a lot man!”

“But I grew up with my younger brother mostly, my sister, and my grandfather. Life there was easy. There was not much happening you know. People just drink, smoke, and really nothing.”

“I went to Molly Blackburn Senior Secondary School, which was a Kasi High School, where I met my rapping friends. I didn’t take it seriously then until I moved this side, where I started rapping seriously, which was like 2020, 2021.”

“That’s when I started putting music out on Spotify, and yeah.”

So where did the music side of you come from? Can you tell us your musical background?

"My parents just really loved music. When I was with my dad, he’d play me a lot of music. My mom would do the same thing. My sister is the one who got me into Rap.”

“Days like when “To Pimp A Butterfly” came out and I wanted to listen to that, but she was like “you not eighteen yet”. It was crazy, but my sister was really straight like that.”

“I got someone’s phone though, and I downloaded it, took the memory card, and that’s how I got the album. After that, I fucked with Rap. Kanye West really got me. My favourite rapper of all time though? It’s gotta be Earl Sweatshirt.”

You’re really a dope lyricist. When did you pick that trait up?

“I started rapping in Grade Ten. It started off as a school project. Like awe, make song, write a script, but we like music, we love Hip Hop.”

“So I was like, I like Rap, and I rapped over an Okmalumkoolkat song. It was the original “Amantombazana”, and we did that. And then after that, a friend of mine did his own song. I was like “oh shit”, we in Grade Nine and this guy already has his own song, and he played it for me and this guy was rapping rapping.”

“I had been wanting to do this. I wanted to be there. My other homie, who I grew up with took me to a studio because he was writing a song, and I hopped on it, and there were like nine niggas on the song. That was the first song I ever did. The song was called “Spit Your Shit Out”.

“It was fun back then. I remember some point, from 2018 to 2019, I dropped about four projects on Soundcloud, and I then moved this side, straight after 2019. I couldn’t drop anything on my Soundcloud, so I had to delete songs off my Soundcloud so that I could drop more. I had to delete all my old music to release my new music.”

Speak to us about “Meraki”. What was the story behind the new tape?

“I wasn’t planning on making a project. Even “All In Real Life” wasn’t planned.”

“I just had songs, and every day I just worked. I’d make a whole lot of songs, but then I realised I was talking about the same things, and they sounded the same, so I just put them together and released the project. That’s how it mostly happens.”

“But, with “Meraki”, I had like five songs, but I started putting it all together and added a few more songs just to make it a project.”

“It didn’t take that long to make. But, we lost songs, got them back, re-recorded, then lost them again. So that process took us about two years. But, the recording and writing could’ve taken us a year, but we just kept on losing the stuff.”

What’s the message behind “Meraki”?

"The title alone is a Greek word, which means doing something with your all, your integrity, and just your all man.”

“So, I was just giving it my all really. Even in the first song, it’s like Rap is my only option. This is the only thing I can do, it’s the only thing that I feel like I’m good at, so I’m just going to give it my all.”

“The whole process goes with experience. I don’t write every day. I try to record every day. Sometimes it might take me thirty minutes to record a song, sometimes it might take a year.”

“But, the way that I write is without beats mostly. Maybe if I’m in a taxi, an Uber, or even in a club, I’d write shit down on my phone. When I’m in the studio, I’ll go through the whole thing and see what happens.”

Collaboration List Of Every Creative Involved With “Meraki”

As an artist, what are your long-term goals?

"I just want to be appreciated bro. That’s all, a hundred percent.”

“Money is like the cherry on top, really. Most of the people back in the day weren’t doing this for money. They were just doing it and record labels changed that.”

“I’m independent, but if something comes up and I’m willing to be signed then yeah.”

“Right now, it’s just me and a few friends that help me out, and it works, but if there’s someone that can get me into spaces I can’t get into by myself, I’m more than willing to try that.”

In the future looking back, how would you want people to remember Liamar?

“I guess just me being a cool ass person.”

“I’m human first, before being a rapper. I just want them to remember who I was. I want them to remember Liamar as being himself, and he was a cool person.”

“I don’t want them to be like “ah he was that guy or that guy”, I just want them to be like “nah he was dope and chilled to himself”.

“At the end of the day, I’m dope as fuck!”

Listening to “Meraki” once it was released was a refreshing listening experience, having the talented poet narrate his tale on his journey, navigating the ups and downs throughout his life.

We adored his approach, dominating mellow yet imposing Hip Hop instrumentals, utilizing Jazzy elements that captivated our souls. The second track, titled “Sinkin”, already had us feeling hypnotized, even having the gifted vocalist, Mick Kairo, display her brilliance on the track.

Tracks like “Locked In” and “Innermission” were stunning to listen to, taking us into a world of wonder. We have to shout out the cameo appearances on the project, seeing the likes of Victim, Franc Don, Jac Lou, Mick Kairo, and Jarry Pitboi all put through a dope shift on the tape.

But I cannot exaggerate enough how splendid the beats were made for this tape, incorporating a blend of modern and old-school elementary beats that had us vibing every time a new track would start. Credit must be given to Cre8, Smitty Chops, and Jabok for their contributions to the mixtape.

Overall, the tape was an incredible listening experience. I’ll say it right now, Liamar is next up, and we see so much growth in his art form and look forward to seeing what he has next up his sleeve.

Peep the new tape “Meraki”, now available on streaming platforms.