* En anglais uniquement
Nthato Mogkgata was fronting the electro-rap acts Sweat.X and
Playdoe and performing in the Afro-beat group Mshini Wam when his solo career as
Spoek Mathambo started to take off. Released in 2010,
Mshini Wam found the South African artist tying in lyrics about the political state of his homeland with beats that explored dubstep and African house. He connected with
Diplo, who invited him to guest on
Robyn's track "Dancehall Queen." Soon after, Sub Pop (who had just started transitioning their roster with rap by
Shabazz Palaces) invited
Spoek Mathambo to do an EP, which was released in 2011. The album
Father Creeper followed in 2012, adding more guitars and other organic elements to
Spoek's arsenal. ~ Jason Lymangrover