Pandu the Prince to release Ice on 21

By Rosalia David

PANDU the Prince is the new trap kid on the block, making an entrance into hip hop from the far west of the country and he is about to release his second single called Ice on 21. Ice on 21 is his celebration song and tells a story of a young man coming of age.

Born Panduleni Shatyohamba, the 21-year-old from Walvis Bay told this publication that he dove into music head first, with a single titled The 6IIX, a song inspired by a friend he lost in November last year.  The young artist also has plans to release an EP although he has not narrowed it down to a specific date.

He considers music his full time hustle for now, with inspiration from international acts, such as Travis Scott, Drake and Kanye West. He also draws inspiration from local artists such as Piccasohill, Zutigang and others.

“It’s what I have wanted ever since I was a kid. I have always had a strong vision on things. Our household was blessed with beautiful voices and I made use of my talent,” he said. He said that although he has been writing music for a long time, lack of access to a recording studio kept him from recording those songs.

“It has been a long road for me, I have been through many ups and downs and at some point I did not have enough to do all the recording sessions, so I used to make extra money to do my sessions with my friend Pkay. After that he linked me with a Windhoek producer called Stanzo”, he said.

Pandu the Prince has a positive outlook on his music career and says he does not want to sound like any other local trap artist by imitating an American sound, where the genre originates from, which he believes gives him a unique advantage as his sound is different.

“Music is something that comes with emotions, if there is something you are going through at that moment and you are creative, you may create something solid and that is how it is for me,” he said.

Although music labels provide something of a safety net from upcoming artists by linking them to the right people and introducing them to the right music studios, Pandu the Prince said he is willing to ride the unsigned wave for a while as he makes his mark.

He does not see challenges in scoring gigs because he uses the internet to scout opportunities and secure bookings. “That’s where I get my bookings. I charge people for my time. You know things aren’t free these days but you need to have consistency.”

The youngster identifies his signature sound as something young people can vibe to, “It’s what most young people listen to right now. It’s more trending. I am however not here for competition because I am in it for the love of music and the sound. I am here to give my sound and quality art out, not here for beef or any other funny business the game has to offer”.

He is currently putting all his creative efforts into creating a music video for his Ice on 21 single.