Tyson Sybateli is a creative connoisseur and an unorthodox rapper whose lyrical prowess merges clarity with humor, conveying complex themes with remarkable artistic flair and depth. Born in Umlazi, Durban, and raised in Pretoria, he is renowned for his jaw-dropping bars that often evoke hearty laughter. Known for his signature lines like “my bitch bad” and the distinctive “222” ad lib, Tyson Sybateli has crafted a unique rap persona. His music is characterized by unfiltered candor, exemplified in tracks like “If Found Bring Home” featuring Jay Jody from his “Home” album; braggadocio, as seen in “I Can Bet” featuring Priddy Ugly from his “Present” mixtape; and immersive lucidity, highlighted in “We Outside” featuring Ben September, also from the “Present” mixtape. This multifaceted approach distinguishes him in the South African hip hop scene.
Home, 2022
My first encounter with Bra Nyoga’s music came in 2022, driven by the widespread praise his album “Home” received from music critics and influencers. Intrigued, I delved into Tyson Sybateli’s work to grasp the essence of “Home” from his perspective. That experience marked the beginning of my journey as a devoted member of the Nyogas.
Home is a beautiful compilation of 12 songs which offer different panoramic perspectives of what “Home” means to Tyson Sybateli. The album is a beautiful and contemporary display of rap grandiosity on songs like “The Standard”, vulnerability( on songs like “Growth” featuring Tom Saison and Roho) , romanticism( on songs like “House” with Amarafleur and Marcus Harvey) witty bars and lucid flows( as seen on “Home and Away Games” featuring Thato Saul) from the rapper. On the album, Bra Nyoga opens up about growing up and just existing in the world, more especially in South Africa.
For the rollout of “Home” Tyson Sybateli executed a strikingly enigmatic campaign. He unveiled multiple singles, a clandestine mixtape, and conducted exclusive online listening sessions, all while shrouding his whereabouts in mystery to captivate and intrigue his audience. Before this faceless campaign, Sybateli had already begun the immersion process by updating the cover art for all his digital releases to feature the “Home” theme. Additionally, he launched a dedicated website with a mailing list, fostering a more personal and intimate connection with his core fans.
Present Mixtape, 2023
Present Mixtape Cover Art designed by Oshoku & Tyson Sybateli
If I were to be asked what Bra Nyoga’s Magnum Opus is, I would say “Present”. This mixtape, by Tyson, dropped in September 2023 and is still on heavy rotation on my phone. From the concept of bringing together the cast and founders of “The Sobering Podcast” to help him in narrating what his “Present” life looks like and bringing the mixtape culture back into hip hop, to the rollout for the project where he gave away physical mixtape copies at specific venues in South Africa and the music itself- one thing is for certain, Tyson Sybateli proved that he is not one to be underestimated. “Present” is a project that pushes the narrative of living in the moment and embracing life as is without the anxiety of the future or the excessive haunting of the past. This motif of the project is depicted by the color scheme chosen for the artwork, yellow, a color of hope, enlightenment and joy. Additionally, the artist also leaned towards the compelling nature of fire which represents divine presence, passion and what is more intriguing is how fire serves its purpose by being present, with no future or past and just burning.
The rapper kept the same momentum, with his rollout for Present, starting of with the release of one of his most successful singles to date “It Worked”, a song where the rapper celebrates how he paddled his own canoe as an independent artist, but still managed to achieve great career heights including being featured on the BET Hip Hop Cypher in 2022, the release of a video for his single “Home and Away games” featuring fellow rap star Thato Saul. Succeeding the release of “It Worked”, Tyson Sybateli went on a run by following true mixtape culture, giving away physical copies of the project to his fans shortly before release date. Thereafter, he announced that the guys from “The Sobering Podcast” were invited to host the mixtape, again in true mixtape culture as DJs normally are the ones to speak, but he approached these podcasters as they are the culture movers in music and hip hop in the modern era.
Home (Yard Edition), 2024
Home( Yard Edition) Cover Art by Oshoku & K.Mongs
Like many creatives in Southern Africa, Tyson Sybateli’s ascent to prominence was anything but linear. At one point, he worked in retail to support his ambitious dreams. Who could have predicted that this humble job would lead to the emergence of one of South Africa’s most influential rap voices? “Remember when I was a cashier for cash, yeah,” he reflects on “Strike A Pose,” the lead single from his latest release, “Home (Yard Edition)”. This anniversary edition celebrates the success of his 2022 album “Home”, marking a significant milestone in his career.
Although previously leaked a week before its initial release, “Home( Yard Edition)” officially dropped on the 26th of July 2024 after another successful rollout from the artist. As a marketing professional , I’m often drawn to how Tyson packages his music for the listeners. The packaging of “Home( Yard Edition)” was no different, Tyson had to take it up a notch with his rollout again. The rapper started off by dropping a freestyle to the instrumental of Alicia Keys’ “You Don’t Know My Name” produced by Kanye West. The rapper, dropped a #HomeYard26thJuly session on Twitter, where tweeps could use the hashtag to ask him questions pertaining to the album, and he responded to each one of them, not with a simple tweet, but with real time voice audios posted on X. The rapper stayed true to his 222 roots by rolling this out on a 2uesday at 2pm exclusively for the first 22 Twitter(X) users to pose questions to him using the designated hashtag. The rapper also decided to drop this anniversary edition 2 years after releasing Home and also dropped merchandise ahead of the project’s release. Now, this showed me the type of artist Tyson is, one that cares about the craft and cares about his audience, the Nyogas.
“Home (Yard Edition)” presents a more mature Tyson, whose career has grown in leaps and bounds since the release of Home in 2022. From scoring a record deal with Sony Music Africa, to being independent again , to beefing with some industry peers and performing at the grandest stages in South Africa and most recently debuting his new look: cutting off his hair and embracing short hair— a signal of new beginnings and a potential new era for Bra Nyoga. The rapper adds six more songs on the Anniversary edition of “Home”
Home(Yard Edition) Song Breakdown
Decide
The first being “ Decide”, a song where Tyson explores the unpredictability of life and the faith needed to overcome it. In the first verse of the song, the rapper narrates the ups and downs he faced in his life particularly in the year 2020. He touches on the pandemic, being broke and the relationships in his life and comes to a conclusion that no matter how much we can plan for life, God is the one who decides. He highlights the importance of having faith, showing resilience and striving for spiritual and personal growth when navigating the challenges that come with being human. This is particularly shown in the second verse of the song, where Tyson now narrates what his life looks like currently- from sold out shows, to sold out merchandise. He speaks about the blessings and challenges that come with success and the importance of staying true to yourself even when you have found success. Instead of being a song where he sulks about the challenges he has faced, the rapper seems to have embraced his survival instincts, spreading the message that when faced with challenges, one can still make it in life.
Up To You with Imani Basquiat
The hopeless romanticism in me comes alive when I listen to “Up To You”, the next song on the album featuring R&B prodigy Imani Basquiat. Picture this, me walking down the street, a handsome man comes my way and says all the mushy yet cocky stuff Tyson says “ And you look like someone who should talk to me, a lil walk with me, phone calls with me”, listen I would definitely stop and hear him out. Up To You sounds like a beautiful mix of confidence, sass and vulnerability from Tyson Sybateli who seems to be expressing his intentions to his love interest. What makes this song strikingly beautiful is the production or rather its sound, which is reminiscent of the quintessential 90s R&B sound– it sounds like something Aaliyah would have easily hopped on or a classic Timbaland beat. This sound comes with the nostalgia from that era without feeling outdated. Bra Nyoga stays true to the “Home” theme of the album, by describing the type of love he would give and the type of love he would expect to be reciprocated to him , a love that feels like home as shown on lyrics like “You gotta love me, love me , love me out, you gotta make me feel at home before you run this house.” The chorus, delivered by Imani Basquiat, paints a picture of feeling homeless or rather empty without the aforementioned love interest and longing to be close to her. “ I’ve been gone for far too long, but I promise I’ll be home tonight. Hope you waiting for me, I’m ready to see you, let me take you out tonight”. Overall, “Up To You” combines playful and serious tones reflecting on the nature of modern relationships and the importance of making well thought out choices when it comes to relationships.
Strike A Pose
“Strike A Pose”, initially released in June 2024 as the lead single of the album is a groovy song from Bra Nyoga. We see Tyson explore a sound he normally does not jump on. On the song, he also pays homage to South African Hip Hop’s fallen soldiers, AKA and Riky Rick. Strike A Pose is a song that gives an in depth view of the industry in the eyes of Tyson Sybateli. The rapper speaks on the superficiality that comes with fame, pointing out the masks and appearances that people wear just to fit in. The rapper also reflects on his aspirations for wealth and success, however, he takes into account that this all comes with a cost: which could be loss of self. The mention of Riky Rick in the song fits the theme, as the Riky had the fame but still lived an unhappy life, something Tyson ponders on throughout the song.
Real Love-with Wordz
Tyson embraces his soft and R&B side, again on “Real love” featuring Wordz. The song is a beautiful proclamation of the love Tyson Sybateli has for his partner. On the song, Tyson and Wordz, seem to be considering being in a long term relationship and actually being committed, however Bra Nyoga seems to be debating if it would be worth it since it could come at the expense of his dreams and ambitions. He highlights the importance of having a supportive partner who understands his drive
“My bitch the baddest like littering pockets
I promise the mshado promotion
We celebrate every moment
Go ahead, Tsela the potion”
On the second verse, Tyson continues highlighting his goals, challenges and dreams. However, his conclusion is that both personal ambition and a long term commitment are essential, highlighting the balance of being ambitious, goal driven and the desire of being in a supportive and loving long term relationship. These lyrics suggest that Tyson has made the decision to create a more honest, responsible and focused relationship dynamic.
“No more distractions, no more debating or fatal attractions
No more pretending you’re from where that happens
Whole lot of going to bed with your actions”
Smoking Gun-with Tron Pyre
“Smoking Gun” featuring Tron Pyre is just typical Tyson, embracing his rap braggadocio style while displaying his journey through self doubt ,social pressures and the challenges of staying true to oneself in the face of adversity. His rap bravado shines through in lyrics like “ I’m better than all them folks over, the opps side stopped popping like a broke toaster” . His social commentary is vivid in lines like “how you hate the youth but walk around in three quarter jeans and you bought some silver chains tryna fit with the teens, this is not their person younger you saw in their dreams ” calling out the older generation for their hypocrisy- lack of belief in the youth yet clinging onto youthful habits and trends.
108-with Francis Jay
On “108” Tyson speaks on societal ills- expressing great despair about the state of our home —the world. He speaks on the harsh realities of life including themes of violence, war and poverty. He opens up about the futility and hopelessness felt by those who want change but can’t make it happen. “Still trying though, still here voting even though it’s hmm, still gotta wake up to this bullshit, blood mines, blood diamonds, lil kids dying” highlighting how even voting doesn’t bring the necessary change . The song is about the domino effect of violence, war and poverty on people. 108 highlights the contrast between the simplicity of Tyson’s life and the complex violent realities faced by others in the world. This message is beautifully crafted and Francis Jay further intensifies it on the chorus by hoping for a better, safer and kinder world.
“Tears in my eyes, all I do is pray for you
Trusted you fooled me twice
Placed my bags, paid the price
Losing hope, pray that I make it out alive
I pray we make it out ,make it out alive.”
Conclusion
Tyson Sybateli’s trajectory in South African Hip Hop is marked by his inventive marketing and artistic evolution. From the intricate rollouts of “Home” and “Present” to the nuanced approach of “Home (Yard Edition)” , Sybateli proves himself a creative virtuoso. His ability to intertwine thematic depth with innovative presentation ensures that he remains a compelling figure to watch.Even now, my anticipation for Tyson Sybateli’s next album is palpable. It seems he is unveiling it incrementally, and the full picture will become clear in time. His recent embrace of the color red hints at a deeper, intentional narrative. From the red font on the cover of “Strike A Pose” to the red pants featured on “Home (Yard Edition)”, and the subtle red lighting in his promotional images, these elements suggest a deliberate thematic choice. The red font on the magazine cover promoting “Home (Yard Edition)”, coupled with a potential hidden album name, further indicates that Tyson is carefully crafting his message. For now, all that remains is to watch the 2024 Nyoga Feature Run as it unfolds.
Stream “Home (Yard Edition)” here: https://paradise.ffm.to/home_yard_edition
