HUMANSDORP resident, Chulumanco Mdingi (30), who is pursuing his Master of Business Administration, recently released his first music record to cover some study debts and inspire young artists to never give up on their dreams.
Love of your passion is precious, but the most important thing is to further your education.
An intense love of music led Mdingi to start rapping as a 13 year-old, but because his native language is Xhosa, he battled to express himself clearly in English and gave up on the idea at the time.
He did pursue music by “making beats” from 2008, but took a break when academic pressure mounted. He started attending university in 2010.
Mdingi, better known as Choestr, works as a programme officer in the renewable energy sector. With a Bachelor and Honours in Social Science, as well as a Masters in Social Development Studies, he is now pursuing an MBA at Rhodes University in Grahamstown on a part time basis.
In order to fund his education, as well as share his music passion with the world, he recently released his first independent Extended Play (EP) four-track record, Rebirth, on various online platforms.
The record consists of two house tracks and two hip hop instrumentals – it is available on Deezer, Google Play, and Spotify – and free on Soundcloud for those out of pocket.
By sharing his record on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp it has been well-received by his friends.
“I try to find time between studies and work to make a beat or two. I hope that my current release will assist in covering some of my study debt,” says Mdingi.
Mdingi wants to help other artists realise that their career in the music industry is important, but education is the key that will open many doors for them.
“The objective of my project is to highlight the vital importance of education among artists and young people. Many artists are more focused on fame and do not care much about education. They forget that the music industry is seasonal, but it will always be there,” he says.
“I want young people in his area to use their talents to fund their education. There is a lot of talent in Humansdorp, but people need funding. I want to motivate upcoming artists to take higher education seriously, while they pursue their interests on the side as a source of livelihood.”
With his home recording studio, he plans to provide opportunities for young artists by producing and recording their music, thus assisting them to pursue their dreams.
He aims to use his MBA to expand his knowledge in business in order to help artists navigate the music industry.
“Development is at the centre of my heart and I want to make a difference in my community by helping others. I want to be a positive influence and help create platforms for young people,” says Mdingi.
