Known Stranger- LinkAge

By Tshepo Bareetseng
Entertainment, Local, Music, News, Breaking News
LinkAge is the name. A passionate 22 year old from Braamfischerville Phase 1 is set to release his Mixtape named ‘Known Stranger’.
LinkAge who was formally known as Trigger says he realised in early 2016 that music to him, was no longer a dream, was rather a calling. It’s something he has to do, face it and deal with it.
LinkAge is set to release a Ten-track mixtape which he named “Known Stranger”, because people know his music but don’t really know him as an Artist in the Hip-hop industry. “I am a stranger, but I’m known, they know my songs, but they don’t know who I am”, LinkAge added. He says he used to download Free-Type–Beats on the internet to record, hence why he couldn’t release the music on digital platforms, because it was not original, even though he had abilities of manipulating Free-Type-Beats and wrote every lyric on the tracks, but the song itself was not authentic.
LinkAge grew his skills, and now, he was able to produce every single track on his upcoming mixtape. Track 1 to Track 10 is original, ‘I produced it’ he said. The project has 10 songs with only 4 features. He worked with Jay Kay, Mane Man, Knight as well Ghetto Soul.
The first single that will be released from the tape is ‘Low Key’, which was the first song that was recorded while working on the tape. “I chose this song because it’s special, it is about those who don’t always tell people about their moves or plans, they just do it and you’ll see the result, I also like how low the 808s on the beat are’, LinkAge said. The song will be released on the 31st of August 2018.
The mixtape or the whole idea of this project is to inspire, encourage the kids out there. LinkAge also added that this project is all about telling the kids that ‘you are not alone in any situation, everything will be ok even when and or if it doesn’t seem like it.’
Gift Siphiwe Mkhaliphi is his birth name, grew up in Meadowlands Zone 2 and moved to Braamfischerville in his early primary days. Passed his matric with flying colours, fought with his parents about the music, but he still wouldn’t quit. He went to the University of Johannesburg to study a Bachelors degree in Education for FET and Senior phase specializing in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, but along the way, he was getting gigs, something he really loved, having to attend early morning classes was a struggle because of the late night performances.
He decided to drop out of the university and got a 9-5 job as a sales consultant, but still, his call for music was getting even worse than when he was still a university student. “I got a lot of warnings because of my late coming late, I decided to quit and just focus on the music”, LinkAge said.
“Hit Nation is not a recording label nor a group, it is a company, it’s not just a name that we chose, it’s because every song or project we put out there is a hit, hence the name Hit Nation”, LinkAge added.