Kommanda Obbs.

BIO

Kommanda Obbs (the pioneer of Ts'epe) owes his humble beginnings to the dusty alleys of Maputsoe; a small but heavily populated border town in the Kingdom of Lesotho. Ts'epe, a musical sub-genre, was forged by hard living circumstances synonymous with modern day Africa. It is an artistic response to a tragic social condition as lived predominantly by people of African descent. Along with the social ills of the day, the ever ill-purposed social image impressed on most young African minds through commercial media & "foreign" modern popular culture innuendos, sold at the expense of true African cultural heritage appreciation, further exacerbates this gory cultural psycho social reality whose only result is to undermine true African identity.

Kommanda Obbs represents a rallying African voice speaking from a Sesotho platform to ignite a will to beat adversaries and to live life. His sound is embedded in the Sesotho heritage and is a deliberate acknowledgment by an African child that they are unashamedly African. His evolution is characterized by a yearning to revisit ancient Basotho customs and music. His latest single "Lokollang poho" featuring Kwesta is a classic example of the old authentically combined with the new as a means of cultural preservation. The Sesotho influenced bass and melodies in the song gives an idea of the direction Kommanda Obbs wants to take in his attempt to popularize authentic Sesotho culture. He has indeed evolved into a more rooted version of himself.

The RED of our blood, the GOLD of our pillaged minerals & the GREEN of our conquered lands are a kaleidoscope that shines prominently throughout his aesthetics and graphical composition. Kommanda Obbs discovered that he had a calling to be a musician from as early as his elementary school days. Ts’epe, founded by this Lion of Basotho as he is known to many, is fast becoming a movement to be reckoned with, as highlighted by the growing recognition Kommanda Obbs is relishing. Kommanda Obbs’ distinctive feature is his growling and melodic voice which is a trademark that his fans and the Ts’epe clan adulate. His deep voice combined with his hard-hitting and rhythmic lyricism do indeed emulate the sound of a bell. Hard-core, striking, commanding lyricism and stellar vocals best describe his sound.

Kommanda Obbs is steadily becoming a cultural export as he gains recognition in the continent. In October 2016, this musical gem released his debut EP KETEU (The Sound of The Bell) which landed him a nomination under the "One Africa" Category at the 16th Metro FM Music Awards. KETEU (The Sound of the Bell), the EP, affirmed Kommanda Obbs’ skillful mastery of fusing sounds from the Mountain Kingdom with urban contemporary Hip Hop groove. The EP features celebrated musicians such as Stogie T (Tumi from the Volume), Reason and Zakwe. In 2017. Kommanda Obbs was honoured to tour Southern Africa with the legendary Damien Marley. He has since graced stages at various acclaimed music festivals such as ZAKIFO, MACUFE, Back2TheCity, Bassline Africa Day Concert, Lesotho Tourism Festival (LETOFE), AZGO Festival and the Indian Ocean Music Market (IOMMA) in Reunion Island.

May 2018 saw the release of Kommanda Obbs’ self-titled debut album. This canon of work is an ode to his musical journey and a reflection on his quest to becoming a true Pan-African artist who dares to be different. The Kommanda Obbs album debunks musical stereotypes and accommodates listeners of all ages. This masterful piece of work has earned him a nomination under the "Rest of Africa" category at the 25th South African Music Awards in 2019 and this is an earnest accomplishment for the Basotho fraternity. The debut album has been endorsed by African music heavyweights such as chief lyricist "Proverb" alongside "Mapule" on a song titled "I’m Capable", the renowned Jazz musician "Bhudaza Mapefane" on a soulful song titled "Pina" and Nigerian singer-songwriter "Eme" features on the hit track "Hure" .Komamnda Obbs’ music carries a global and ethnocentric edge to it and is yet to reveal the incredible storyteller this Kommanda is.

Kommanda Obbs is currently working on a cross continental project in the form of an album which features artists from different regions of the world, which will be titled "MOEA" and features artists from Reunion Island, Kenya, UK, Lesotho, South Africa, Botswana among others.