LISO HOCKYSUMIE

Liso Hockysumie is a versatile and extremely talented musician and performer. He draws inspiration from a vast array of sources due to the type of background he had. Liso exemplifies the ideal notion of being human first in his musical endeavours. His music is a collection of memories; ideals and struggles of being an educated black male South African. He delves into both the divine and sinister realms of basic human nature and describes what he sees in a very creative and captivating fashion. Not bound any specific genre Liso Hockysumie is truly on his way to becoming a staple and national treasure.
Background:
Hailing from the dusty streets of Ezibeleni; a poverty-stricken township of Queenstown in the Eastern Cape; a young Liso found himself trying to express the mixture of social culture that was crime, unemployment and poverty that conditioned his surroundings. He fortunately found his voice in music and has since shared a massage of hope, love and life through learning from elders in the industry who overcame similar experiences. It was his move to East London that saw him team in one of the best rap groups in the region namely, ONLY ILL LYRISISTS (OIL). Those were his first steps towards gaining traction in the Eastern Cape and over the years a loyal fanbase started to form.
Sound:
At a young age Liso has lived a very colourful life from extreme joys like the birth of his daughter Eyakho to lows like losing his brother who introduced him to 90's American hip hop. Leading the life of a struggling artist and university student and haunted by the history of growing up with hardened criminals; Liso sought to create a safe space for himself to maximize his productivity. Through a strong support structure, he managed to isolate himself from his demons in order to aid both his academic and artistic endeavours. As the animated performer and competitive rapper, he is he has killed on grand stages. The exposure he got from older family members has shaped his musical taste thus giving him a competitive advantage allowing him to fuse disco, funk, kwaito and 90’s hip hop. His approach to music is refreshing though at times feels nostalgic. These experiences have been the fabric that make and influence the musical direction and sound of the lyrical genius that is Liso Hockysumie.
Career Highlights:
• In 2018 he co-founded his own record label along side his friend and producer /sound engineer CaRnYiso and later that year releasing his first full length album titled 1324 (his house number in Ezibeleni; Queenswotn).
• Handpicked by the late legendary Prokid as an opening act with former group OIL, which was as result of a fire performance they put on at the biggest hip-hop event in Africa Back To The City 2012.
• Launched a one man show music series the LEE HONG EPISODES which have been going strong since 2018. He has recently taken it...