MaseVen is a Kasi Rap MC who grew up in Soweto, South Africa.

His unorthodox demeanor makes him stand out from most MC's in the game today. He brings genuine roughness in his music, by use of tsotsi taal.  He has great story-telling abilities as an MC (talking about issues from love to poverty in Soweto and South Africa as a whole)and his delivery of punchlines are unsurpassed.

In early 2010 he was featured in “Speeka Presents: The Insane Maestro”.  An 18 track album that featured himself, W.A.R. Bandit, Axe-Ray, The Soil and a host of local unsigned talent at the time. Later on in the year he released his first mixtape titled “Sotra Volume 1” which also made waves in the underground Soweto Hip-Hop scene and established MaseVen as a Hip-Hop force to be reckoned with.  A year later (on 1 July 2011) he collaborated with fellow Kasi Rap MC’s Axe-Ray & Sbuda P for what has been dubbed one of the greatest mixtapes to come from Soweto “DangerBox Mixtape”. In 2012 he dropped his debut album “Vuvai” which featured production from acclaimed local producers Speeka, LeTona and South African Hip-Hop Award Nominated producer Red Button. It also featured guest appearances by Siya Shezi, Tumza (of GP Gangsta), Samthing Soweto, Sbuda P and more.

In late 2012, MaseVen was crowned Soweto King of Street Rap at the “King of Street Rap” event held at Danish Lounge (Diepkloof, Soweto) hosted by local Hip-Hop event organizers Slaghuis.

MaseVen performed in The Soweto Festival in 2009.  He has also appeared on the YFM Hip-Hop show “The Full Clip” with Sizwe Dhlomo and Siyabonga Ngwekazi where he was praised for his lyrical skills.  In addition has songs that have been playlisted on YFM and Eldoz FM.

Musical influences include: Eminem, Prokid and Lucky Dube. 


Tshepo Chaka (also known as “W.A.R. Bandit” or "CHAKA THE GRATE") is a Hip-Hop MC born and raised in Soweto. Popular in the Soweto Underground Hip-Hop scene, he is known for his ability to blend well on any type of Hip-Hop sub-genre from hardcore battle-type songs, to story telling, to dark, down-tempo abstract Hip-Hop to commercial Hip-Hop. 
He was first introduced to Hip-Hop by his cousin who was a fan of Bone Thugs & Harmony, Snoop Dogg and other gangsta rap artists, during his early primary school years. He began rapping in the 7th Grade in late 2002 after beatboxing in ciphers for a long period and formed his first crew called “OPM (Over-Powered Machines)” with three of his friends. In his first year of High School he started battling and earned respect from the Hip-Hop fraternity. In 2009 he became a member of Protea Glen, Soweto based record label “Pulse Ink Productions”

He draws inspiration from a vast catalogue of MC’s, from abstract MC’s such as Aesop Rock, Illogic and El-P to battle MC’s such as Krook’d The Warmonger , Copywrite and Chino XL to gangsta rappers such as 2pac, The Westside Connection and 50 cent right down to Conscious MC’s such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Common.

In early 2009, he made his first appearance on the collaboration project “Me, Myself and U.s” mixtape after being recruited by Vice Tha13th to join the underground Hip-Hop crew with a cult-like following “Unfamiliar Systems”. Later that same year he went on to release his first project titled “Deaf Eyes and Blind Ears” which gained him a following. In early 2010 he appeared in a majority of tracks on the mixtape “Speeka presents: The Insane Maestro” collaborating with the likes of The Soil, MaseVen, Samthing Soweto, Red Button and Vice The 13th. This project is considered to be an underground classic. In 2011 he appeared on a track with Kasi Rap MC MaseVen and Rapid (of Mental Odyssey) on the collaboration project “Dangerbox Mixtape” by MaseVen, Sbuda P and Axe-Ray, also considered a classic in the underground Soweto Hip-Hop scene.

He has performed and battled in local Hip-Hop shows such as 1808, Kasimental, Dungeon Shack and S.K.A.

Nkosinathisithuli is following