In an era where Amapiano has completely taken over the world of music, Ras Logic is one of the few local artists who has remained true to their original beat without flowing with the tide. The guitarist, who says his music falls between Afro Jazz and folk, is rooted in the use of deep Setswana lyrics that resonate well with the mature generation. However, he prefers to refer to himself as an African story teller. “I would like to call myself The Creator, because my purpose in life is to create unique and challenging creations and make them look simple to do,” Ras Logic described himself to Arts&Culture recently.
The multi-talented artist, who is also a television content producer, says he has been doing music and theatre since his primary school days. The award-winning artist also specialises in creating content for children, having produced the first Setswana animation series called Makepe Tales. “In 2006 I bought my first guitar and started learning how to play it. Mind you, I bought this with my first allowance when I was doing a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies at UB. All along, I have been producing for so many artists. I remained behind the scenes and I would like it to remain that way. In 2013 I started giving my music form. Some will say I do Afro Jazz; some will say folk. I prefer to call myself the African story teller,” he added. He says his music is soother and spiritual and at times he cannot even understand how he composed some of the songs. “I will wake up from a dream singing a song and just like that, I go straight into my studio and do music even if its 3am. If the art is a calling, there is no how I can resist. I am so weird like that. I will play all the instruments, record myself, mix and master, then design the sleeves and do the final packaging. Simple music for a more mature audience. Ke tshamekela bagolo nako e ntsi,” he explained.
Ras Logic said he has avoided the temptation to be swept by the Amapiano trend as he sees it as easy to make and hard to play. He describes Amapiano as half original because it is made by using samples. He says his music is challenging and very demanding. "The only complaint I have is that at times people do not want to pay reasonable rates for my art; They will use rates intended for back tracks. Live music is challenging, it requires patience and dedication," he said. With two albums under his name already, Ras Logic said he wants to add another masterpiece to his collection. "I have released two albums: Mmaabo o thaile BOMO and Rra Simon. This week I will be dropping another one. I have been dropping songs as a build up to this master piece," he said cheerfully.
As part of a celebration of his music, Ras Logic has collaborated with Molapo Piazza to hold his one man show on November 23, 2024. He said this would be a strictly live show with three massive sets. The first session, Mafoko a matlhong, will feature "Ras Logic, my guitar and my people". The second set will be a surprise trio Shambala where he will be accompanied by a bassist and a percussionist, with the last set Mmaabo o thaile BOMO performing with a full band.
