Not so long ago, DJ Latty was as famous for his ‘bad boy’ image and courting controversy as he was for making music – that, and his trademark big hair.
While the afro remains, the 31-year-old Gabane-born, Letlhakane-rooted creative is an artist transformed, steering well clear of trouble (and alcohol) to fully-focus on his career (and God).
The results are impressive!
Since upping sticks and leaving for South Africa at the start of the year, DJ Latty – real name Leatile Motlhalamme – has found life in Mzansi very much to his liking.
A ‘Misfit’ on a mission, the singer/Producer/DJ fills Voice Entertainment in…
Give us a short summary of your music career?
I was introduced to my first studio by my Uncle Thuso, kept rapping till I got my first award at the BOMU Awards 2022 for best remix with my song ‘Rea Dikenela Remix’. From there I changed from Hip Hop to rapping on Amapiano beats; that same year, I decided to leave being a vocalist completely and focused on just production and being a DJ; I’ve always had a great music taste so being a DJ came to me naturally.
In 2024, I dropped ‘Dithuthuntshwane’ with Dalom Kids, Thato Tladi and Way Kay, which won me my first YAMA Award for best Amapiano. After winning the YAMA, I decided to switch to Afrohouse music, a genre I’ve been falling in love with. I will be releasing music soon. I have released three other Amapiano songs in between but I mentioned the ones that made the most impact in my career.
You relocated to South Africa in January, what sparked the move?
I wanted greener pastures, a bigger market. There are better amenities. Botswana is amazing but as a creative I was motivated to move primarily by the rejection within the industry when trying to knock on some doors. I also felt that a prophet is never accepted in his home town, if you know what I mean. I always share my story about how hard I tried to push my brand in Botswana but I kept hitting that glass ceiling, especially when it came to pursuing performance bookings. Sometimes you got to do it like Abraham and leave your home, your city and go to the land that God will show you, where God will make you great and bless you, Gen 12 v 1.
Starting afresh in a foreign land must take courage; what were your biggest fears/doubts before making the move?
My biggest fears/doubts were leaving my comfort zone then things don’t work out because I had no guaranteed stream of income. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to find gigs or any source of income to pay rent, food, utilities, etc. I overcame them through prayer and having people around me who believed in me. I also saved for three months of rent which I paid in advance so that I at least had a three months head-start to work without having to stress about paying rent and things did fall into place.
Nine months into your new adventure, what’s been the most rewarding part so far?
The most rewarding part of the move is the person I turned into, the challenges I faced drew me closer to God. The isolation helped me to work on myself through therapy, addressing my childhood traumas. I decided to also quit drinking alcohol so I could focus more on my craft and dream.
I now handle pressure way better: I’m more calm, I’m less of a people pleaser and I’ve learnt to accept the kind part of myself without trying to be someone I’m not. Also moving here gave me a fresh start in a new place where there’s no pre-conceived judgment on who people think I was or how big they think I should be. Here, people don’t know me, they judge me not according to my past but according to the quality of my craft and the type person I am now.
Must be refreshing! Speaking of ‘fresh’, tell us about ‘Kitcheners with DJ Fresh’ – how did the collaboration come about?
The Kitcheners collab with Fresh was a 3rd installment of my ‘LOUD’ event which Fresh graced with his presence because he believes in my vision. We collaborated as a bigger vision to grow the LOUD brand, which is about shining the light on the misfits, the forgotten people of society that don’t seem to fit in, that are not seen as cool. LOUD is about people like me who do so much but often went unnoticed or unseen and unheard. We are here to say you’re not alone and it’s okay to be different, you don’t have to fit in. LOUD is about the love for misfit fashion and music. DJ Fresh came with a live band, played an electrifying one-hour set then I played immediately after him, followed by his son, Thato Sikwane Jr popularly known as YBF (Your Boy Fresh). We are bringing LOUD to Botswana soon and we are looking for sponsors and partners.
Who have been your biggest supporters in SA since you arrived?
God, my family, my very few friends & mentors like DJ Fresh, Owen Rampha, Vukani Khoza, my manager, Lesego Matumo and the many people I’ve met and had conversations that sparked ideas in mind.
What does a typical day in your life look like now compared to before?
In South Africa, I fully live and breathe music. I go to studio to record music, I record video mixes, I attend interviews, I attend book clubs, I attend music workshops, I also work as an assistant producer at Fresh’s ‘Waw What A Week Podcast’ weekly, I co-write questions for his podcast. I go to gym. Basically I’m doing what I’ve been doing in Botswana, not much has changed, just that people seem to give me a chance this side, which I really appreciate and would love to experience more of back home honestly.
A busy boy then! So what are you working on right now?
I’m working on a couple of singles with both South African and Botswana artists; expect Melodic Afrohouse, Futuristic 3-step, and Tribal Afrohouse. I’m dropping music soon, hopefully before the end of the year – I’m in talks with my team and my music distributors.
What’s been your biggest challenge since relocating, and what did it teach you?
Biggest challenge was not losing myself and losing my discipline while here. It’s easy to find yourself focusing on parties, women etc because Joburg is a huge playground, you can find yourself blinded by the lights and distracted. I avoided that through building a real close relationship with my higher power – God. Isolation in a different country got to teach me a lot about myself. I got to self-introspect and calculate what it will take for me to reach the level I want to reach, my fullest potential, and if I was willing to pay that price or make the necessary sacrifices. Hence the cutting off of toxic friends, avoiding the night life if I’m not playing at the clubs, I quit drinking alcohol, saw the importance of being kind to others and offering value in every space or person I meet instead of always trying to take something from people, that kept me grounded. Plus I stayed closely in touch with people who have similar values and goals as mine because our conversations become aligned and we encourage each other to stay focused.
Quite the transformation! You mentioned your brand now aligns with your purpose, what does that look like in practice?
My purpose being to inspire, give people hope and to be of service to others. Now literally everything I do has to tick that, via the music I make, everything I post, every move I make, the collaborations, they all have to align with that purpose. As long as a deal aligns with my purpose then it’s a win. I always make sure to make time to advise others by sharing my experiences, my mistakes so that other DJs/artists can learn from me. I also help others to the best of my ability, hence me teaching guys like American influencer, Mansa Mayne how to DJ. I always provide value and try my best to bring positive energy everywhere I go.
Sounds like you’ve packed a lot into your SA stay so far – but what’s been the highlight?
The experience after meeting DJ Cleo, it was amazing, I met him in January and shot a short video of him giving motivation to the young hustlers that follow me. We exchanged contacts and kept in touch. I started playing his exclusives at my gigs; he later invited me for an interview and a DJ Mix on his show on radio 2000. It was amazing mixing alongside him as I was a fan before I got to know him. I’m grateful for such opportunities.
I am also enjoying being Assistant Producer on DJ Fresh’s podcast and co-writing questions on his show, I’m blessed to be able to watch the podcast live every single week, while I learn from the stories of various veterans in their fields. I also get to watch Fresh in action; I learn a lot from how he conducts himself, his work ethic and more. Sometimes all you need is access – someone doesn’t have to find you gigs or spoon feed you, and that’s what Fresh has done for me as my mentor, I’m grateful.
What’s one thing fans would be surprised to learn about you since you moved to SA?
My fans, the Misfits, are no longer shocked because they have been following me closely through my social media pages and have seen how I’ve been gradually changing positively over the years I worked on myself. But to those who haven’t been as locked into my content and journey then maybe this interview on its own is an entire shock because I’m busy talking about God, therapy, being kind to others, quitting alcohol and no longer being the life of the party as I used to be. Most people know me through the reflection of my insecurities and childhood traumas which I portrayed through fake arrogance, trying too much, people pleasing, stunts for ‘likes’ and more. Now I’m just fulfilling my purpose: to inspire and to be useful to others.
On that inspirational note, what message do you hope your journey sends to young creatives back in BW?
To young creatives: no dream is too big! Like I said earlier, if you’re faced with a decision to stay in your comfort zone or to go for a seemingly impossible option, always pick the latter because that’s where growth takes place, that’s where you’ll force yourself to be the person that can achieve that goal. The challenges will change you, you will transform. There will be times when it feels like you don’t belong, like you’re not good enough, you might even feel like God loves everyone else except you or that he seems to answer everyone’s prayers except yours. Well, it’s part of the journey, just keep going, keep building yourself, keep putting in the hours. You will be overlooked, disrespected along the way, it’s all part of the journey, stomach it like a man and keep going. Work on yourself and your craft and reinvest into your craft; you are your biggest investment!
Thank God It’s Friday, how’s your weekend shaping up?
I’ve just finished my Independence Holiday tour, with the last gig at Ayoba last Sunday [5 October] night. I’m back in Jo’burg preparing for Friends of Black Motion, an event where I’ll be playing on 17 October.
