Mongezi Thomas Stuurman (22 September 1995 – 9 August 2021), known professionally as Mpura, was a South African

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

, fashion designer and

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

best known for his hit song "Umsebenzi Wethu".

Early life and education

Mpura was born and raised in

Soweto, Gauteng Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...

. He attended Highlands North Boys’ High School.

Career

Before he rose to fame in the music industry, he was involved in fashion and founded Mpura Designs, a unisex street style brand. In 2018, he made his South African Fashion Week debut, showcasing his Autumn/Winter 2019 collection. On 11 December 2020, he and Busta 929 featuring Lady Du, Reece Madlisa, Mr JazziQ and Zuma single ''Umsebenzi Wethu'' was released. The song reached number one local iTunes charts and was certified platinum.

Awards and nominations

Death

On 9 August 2021, Mpura died in a car accident on his way to perform at an event in the

North West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

, alongside

Killer Kau Sakhile Hlatshwayo (5 July 1998 – 7 August 2021), known professionally as Killer Kau, he was a South African singer , dancer and record producer best known for his hit songs "Tholukuthi Hey" and "Amaneighbour" Early life and career Killer K ...

References

External links

* 1995 births 2021 deaths Amapiano musicians South African rappers South African fashion designers South African musicians People from Alexandra, Gauteng Road incident deaths in South Africa {{SouthAfrica-musician-stub