In an episode on Choppin It With Bhuda T, on Tuesday, 13 July, rapper Blaklez opened up about how his relationship with his ex, Dineo Ranaka affected his career in the long run.
Blaklez went down memory lane as he revealed how he met his baby mama, Dineo Ranaka.
“She liked a song I was playing on YFM. I think she was trying to make music. She asked for my number and then she called me. I didn’t know who it was at first,” he said.
After texting back and forth for some time, Blaklez said he and Ranaka started developing “vibes.” Ranaka went on to have her reality show, Dineo’s Diary, and Blaklez appeared on several episodes.
According to Showmax, the reality show was centered around Ranaka’s life as she pursued her dreams of becoming a mogul, balancing motherhood, career, and family. And, by the end of season one, the couple was expecting their first child.
Blaklez said he bit off more than he could chew by joining the reality show.
“These things work with ratings. If it’s going to have to look chaotic for it to hit the numbers…and people respond to the chaos so give more chaos… I suppose people are interested in it because it’s one of the major features of my life. I couldn’t avoid it even if I tried,” he said.“If it was to ever happen [again]…which I doubt because [of] the kind of stuff I’m pursuing [now]. If it was to ever happen again, [then] I’d have more control over it…I was just supporting the person I was with at the time; that’s how they pitched it to me,” the rapper added.Blaklez said after starring in Dineo’s Diary, he found himself having to rebrand himself as many people started seeing him as a reality TV star instead of his own artistry. He said many people also labeled him as a clout chaser and assumed he was using the media personality because of her level of stardom. The I Have No One hitmaker said that some of his peers also started to look at him differently as well. And, at some point, he had to rebuild his street credibility in the rap community.
The Guluva hitmaker has been attempting to solidify his identity in the since leaving the show. And, has recently left his nine to five job to focus more on his rap career. According to TimesLIVE, he said that it has been difficult to convince people about who he really is.
“[it’s been] years trying to show people [that] I’m a legit person. I stopped trying to show them that I’m legit…It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m just going to do what I do,” he was quoted as saying.