South African Christian Rap Incense has dropped his new album ‘I Promise To Be Honest’ and has this to say of his new offering “This is a sonically colourful album that will make you feel it’s okay to embrace your creative self. It will make you feel it’s okay to stretch beyond your comfort zone, that it’s okay to make your mental health a priority. A body of work that makes you feel it’s okay to let go of relationships that have reached their expiration. And in the same breath, it will make you feel it’s ok to embrace love, family, friends, and the beauty of your upbringing. Ultimately, this album will make you feel it’s okay to walk in God’s love and purpose for your life. It is a promise to be honest to self, to God, and to His people. I PROMISE TO BE HONEST.”
About Incense
Incense is a South African Christian Rap artist born in Soweto & bred in Pakamisa, a Township outside King Williams Town, in the Eastern Cape. His music career spans an eventful decade.
He has been an activist in “Christian Hip Hop” since 2011, the year he pioneered ‘TAKE TAKE THE MOVEMENT’ together with his friends. The movement reached more than 2000 young people, who were transformed by the gospel carried in the God-inspired lyrics from poets and rappers.
He grew up singing in various church choirs, but his love for poetry and rap was always deeper than singing. He comes from a very strong Christian family, so gospel music was the order of the day, yet pop culture and popular music sparked in him a deeper interest in the arts.
Discography
- Classified, 2013 (album)
- Dedications, 2014 (mixtape)
- The Process, 2018 (album)
- Songs For The Winter, 2020 (EP)
- Skhaftin, 2020 (EP)
- I Promise To Be Honest, 2022 (album)
Honours
His mixtape Dedications received a nomination at the inaugural 2015 MZANSI GOSPEL AWARDS in the HIP HOP ALBUM OF THE YEAR Category.
- His sophomore album The Process debuted at number 1 on Google Play & number 2 on iTunes Hip Hop Albums Charts on 16 April 2018.
- His sophomore album The Process got nominated at the 5th Independent National Gospel Music Awards (INGOMAs) 2018, in the BEST GOSPEL HIP HOP ALBUM CATEGORY.
- His sophomore album The Process got the nod at the 2018 SABC CROWN GOSPEL MUSIC AWARDS in the BEST RAP CATEGORY.
- He independently completed a successful The Process Tour in 2018, with shows in Cape Town, East London & Johannesburg.
- Appeared on South Africa’s premier TV Breakfast Show, EXPRESSO BREAKFAST SHOW on SABC 3, for an extensive interview and a performance of 3 of his hit singles from The Process on July 12, 2018.
- His 2020 single PEOPLE YOU MAY KNOW was featured on Rapzilla’s CHRISTIAN RAP AFRICA playlist both on Apple Music & Spotify.
- His 2021 single WHO DAT was featured on Rapzilla’s NEW CHRISTIAN RAP SONGS DAILY playlist both on Apple Music & Spotify.
- In April 2022 he signed a Publishing Deal with Africa’s leading music publishing company SHEER PUBLISHING.
- In his 2021 #SPOTIFYWRAPPED analytics, his music was streamed 101 500 times, by 2800 listeners, for 4100 hours, in 47 countries.
Music Videos
- In September 2014 he released his debut music video off his mixtape Dedications for the single ‘Feminine Cries’ which enjoyed extensive airplay on both Faith TV channel 341 on DSTV
- In March 2015 he released a follow-up music video for another single ‘Cloudy day’ that also enjoyed extensive play on Faith DSTV channel 341 on DSTV and One Gospel DSTV channel 331.
- In July 2015 his music video Cloudy Days were aired on South Africa’s oldest and premier Gospel Music TV Show GOSPEL GOLD on SABC 1.
- His latest music video for ‘ANONYMOUS’, a single off his number 1 album ‘The Process’ Is available for streaming on YouTube.
Performance Highlights
- Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality Summer Carnival 2014 in King Williams Town ‘LORD I’M ALMOST 30 COMEDY SHOW’ by NAPSTA the KING OF CHRISTIAN COMEDY in 2015
- EXPRESSO BREAKFAST SHOW on SABC 3 on July 12, 2018
- THE PROCESS TOUR 2018
- BUFFALO CITY PRAISE ENCOUNTER DVD Recording Live at Guild Theatre in 2021
Social Media Links
Facebook: www.facebook.com/IncenseMRhopefvl
Instagram: www.instagram.com/incense_sa
Twitter: www.twitter.com/IncenseSA