Hey, it's Owen Kay!

Hey fellow Steemians! I am Otshepeng Komane.
I know, right? RIP to the capabilities of your tongue. But do not fret, I have a cool moniker I prefer to use and refer to myself – Owen Kay.

           Hi! My name is… What? My name is… Who? I couldn’t resist.

I am musician, a rapper, to be precise; and I have been throwing punchlines and trying to encapsulate audiences with multi-syllabic rhymes since I was fifteen years old. I am twenty three and, thankfully, I am much better at it now. Where before I was fixated on flaunting my rhyming techniques and delivery, now I have learned to use my craft to try and tell a story – my story.

                          Oh dear, here he goes…

It started when I heard Lose Yourself by Eminem. I was hooked! I could not comprehend how he could tell such personal accounts of his struggles, all within the confines of sixteen lines or so – sometimes more – and do so with such flare and precision. So I studied his style, his songs, and everything that made him the rapper he is today. I am certain at some stage I actually became Eminem, but that's a story for another day.

            “Blackinem? I certainly ain’t no Whackinem! I’m whackin’ ’em!” 
               Yeah, I’m always rhymin’, I can barely stop myself.

Around that period in time, I would travel more than fifty kilometers from home just to record with my friend Graham Hunter and Bugsy Filtane. It was the farthest thing from being professional, I mean, we used a cheap desk microphone, and there was a permanent sound of static, but I grew accustomed to it, and it gave those recordings character, I think. Well, maybe. Yeah, they were not great.

In 2012 I was approached by singer, songwriter, and producer @edenmichelle and we collaborated on my first record. This was the year in which my mother passed away after battling with cancer for several years, and so my first song was a tribute to her called Milestone. Shortly after recording the song Milestone, Eden Michelle approached me about signing me to the independent label that she started, Sing Productions.

                  The dynamic duo: She’s the Dr Dre to my Slim Shady.

Over the course of a couple of years, I refined and wrote lyrics to the beats and instrumentals she produced and two years later, I released Milestone, my first album, titled after the song I wrote for my mother.

One of my very first performances was at SkyRoom Live, where I performed alongside Eden and great deal of well-known South African musical acts. I cannot tell you how nerve-wracking it was. I was so shy I could feel myself trembling on stage. Luckily, I persevered and got through the show. With time, and a lot more shows, I have gotten much better and enjoy myself immensely when I am on stage.

   Killing it at the launch of my album, Milestone; “You can call me Fed Ex, I deliver!”
        Because who needs to make a funny when you’re good at making a punny?

I am certain that Hip Hop saved my life, so I thank the heavens for it and Eminem for showing me how to do it correctly, but I am even more thankful to Eden for the opportunities she has given me, her tireless efforts invested into my career, and the vested interest in my well-being. A better friend could not be asked for! I cannot imagine the direction in which my life would have veered had I not met her. And I am also very appreciative to her wonderful family; her brothers @deimus, and @leelektrik, and her mother @pandamama for their continued support, assistance in managing my career and those of many others, and also introducing me to Steemit!

And when I am not rapping up a storm, I am makin’ ’em beats on Ableton (or "unAbleton", I used to say, because it's so hard learn how to produce!) I've recently got into production to learn more about music, and as a means to better my writing of raps. Suffice it to say, it is teaching me to be patient and practice very hard.

                      Yeah. What is a social life anyway?

Oh, and there is also a little bit of this going on.

            Okay, maybe it’s a lot… it’s DotA 2 ladies and gentlemen!

I hope and pray that my music can be enjoyed for its message more than anything else, and it will reach as many people that deem they need to hear what I am saying at that particular stage in their lives. Yeah, changing the world one hot sixteen at a time! I also hope that reading posts and engaging with my fellow Steemians will be able to offer me many different perspectives, and perhaps then I will be able to do the same for others; because I am convinced that changing the world is an inside process…

                     like Neo over here, flexing his innards...
    because he’s no longer oppressed, but, instead liberated by the truth!

I think I am a little too corny for my own good. I suspect that is the reason why my second name is (Corne)lius. But I will catch y'all on Steemit! Thank you for taking the time to read this introduction. Swag. ;)