031Choppa Opens Up About His ‘Hectic’ Background . 031Choppa’s work with notable South African artists has definitely put him on the local hip-hop map. Noting a particularly strong relationship with Blxckie, Marcus Harvey and Costa Titch – his hit with the latter – Areyeng, has gained him noticeable and significant acclaim. One of Costa Titch’s hit singles on his debut album, Areyeng exposes Choppa’s skill and range as a producer.
He recalls wanting to be a producer as early as eighth grade and found himself committed to making his dream of doing music a reality. After Matric, the then-18-year-old fled his family and hometown to stay with a friend from Durban who had himself moved to Joburg. Noting that this experience“wasn’t easy at all”, it was ultimately in Johannesburg that 031Choppa was exposed to “beat-making”.
After observing his friend making beats on a laptop, 031Choppa began exploring his own skills on his friend’s equipment when he went off to school. Harnessing these skills whilst working for years in retail to make money to support himself, Choppa was eventually able to rely on his finesse as a producer to launch his dream. The talented producer mentions the intensity of his upbringing and the difficulty of having to rely on his friends to assist him, he notes that “even now, I don’t own my own laptop…I come from a hectic background.”
The producer away from his hometown KwaMashu in Kwa-Zulu Natal to Johannesburg; has added the likes of SA hip-hop stars Costa Titch, Riky Rick, LucasRaps, Dee Koala, Blxckie, Marcus Harvey, and Benzo to his production credits.
