New Motswako sensation, Motso, is raising the stakes in local South African hiphop music with the release of a shocking music video for his controversial underground hit ‘What you gonna do’ scheduled for December 20. On the song, he launches blistering attacks on fellow Motswako artists.

The action-thriller video portrays the competition being ‘taken out’, with performances by top-rated actors, including Lucky Koza and Vusi Ndlovu.  It also features a stellar crew. Special effects and co-production were done by Greg Pitts, whose credentials also include Hollywood Blockbuster, American Ninja, and local thriller, Jerusalema. Formidable couple, Flo and Michael Balack (of Jerusalema and Soul City fame) was in charge of art direction.

“The music video cost R250 000. It is SNVP-rated and will therefore be released online only. However, an edited version will be released on TV.” said Director and Executive Producer, Simon Makwela, of Custom Solidarity Multimedia.

A short film version of the project will also be commercially distributed to local and international TV stations.

Makwela explained: ‘The idea is to break new grounds in Mzansi and move away from the boring stuff one sometimes sees on TV. The music industry is on a downward spiral and it takes some gut to challenge the current flow and inject some life into it.”

Motso himself is not shy of controversy: “I came into the industry to make an impact. Casper touched a bee-hive when he took a swipe at me, and so I stung with the song ‘What you gonna do’. The public response has been overwhelmingly positive in my favour, but I’m about to take it to a whole new level. ”

The rapper won the Beyonderz Talent Search in Mamelodi in 2008, and signed a 3-album deal with pan-African record label, Lolhiphop Records in 2010. He soon won the hearts of female fans across the country with his hit single ‘Ngwanyana wa motswana’, and released his debut album ‘From nuthin to sumthin’ in November.

Lolhiphop Records boss, Nde ‘Wax’ Ndifonka has no qualms about releasing an expensive music video for a song that does not appear on the album.

“Record companies often concentrate on spinning a quick profit and forget that building an artist’s brand is sometimes more sustainable for both sides. We may subsequently add the song to the album, but for now, the focus is profiling Motso as a revolutionary hiphop star. That in itself should translate into more sales and business opportunities,” Wax said.