Role model of the week : Quinton Tshegofatso Morake

Quinton Tshegofatso Morake 

Role model of the week.

Meeting with Quinton at M-cafe,Vanderbijlpark. 4 May 2016.

Arriving in blue jeans and a sweater,this young influential brother had me excited about the meeting I was meant to have with him. He possessed positive vibes,is absolutely friendly and fun to be around. That's when I became curious,dying to know more, about the well know,public figure Quinton Tshegofatso Morake.

Pru : "So from the Vaal, we know you. You’re Quinton Tshegofatso Morake,but for someone who comes from Dubai and hears about Tshegofatso Morake. How would you define yourself?  Who are you? What do you do?”

Quiz: “I’m a hustler, I'm an innovator, I'm a creator and I’m all for the people.. I sometimes think that I should become the president because people come first. I know it sounds funny but then with me people come first. I’d rather see people happy then I’ll be happy next, after them. That’s why I o the things that I do, such as MC-ING at events. That is because i want to see people happy. I know for a fact that people might forget what you did or said but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. That’s how i am. Giving the people what they want, representing my hood. That’s it. I want to see everyone grow I want to see everyone eat. I want to see everyone successful. I am into TV. MC-ING,I do  a bit of acting. I’m a qualified producer now. Second degree in the bag! I’m all about empowering people, pushing people. That’s all. Let’s all eat.

what we need to also understand is that not everyone is going to eat because we have haters and people who  don’t really want to wish you well or don’t want to see you do well. People want you to do good but not better than them. You find those type of people. It's forces of nature. Haters are like rain and stuff, things you can’t control. They have to be there. You don’t know when someone is going to hate on you. So just prepare and just wait for it. Not everyone is going to like you, you're not money. The people who like you matter most. Positivity over negativity, that’s what matters the most."

 

Prudy: “I see you’re like this. You're influential .We know you to be like this, but in every successful person’s life or anyone heading to success there is a motivating or push factor. I firmly believe that in your life something or someone has to be a push factor, that when you wake up in the morning you tell yourself: I am going to do this” or ‘I am going to do that. Because this this that and that. Who is this or what is that?”

Quiz : "That would be my mother. I swear to God know it sounds kind of "mushy". Quinton is such a gangster but he’s going soft now. This is no "Drake moment" .  She’s very hardworking, from a young age. She had my older brother when she was probably 20. So from then she kept on hustling. Her mother died when she was 18. So she had to push for her whole family and siblings. Today she has a day care center, she works, she’s in the ANC ,she’s doing a whole lot of things. For me that’s motivation right there. I take it from home, get it from her. She was also an actress she has done basically everything. She’s nice now. So, me waking up every day in that house at home and see my mother there is motivation. In my eyes she made it. She put us in expensive and private schools. Shout out to my late dad, Shout out to him too, but my mother is like a super hero. People know, especially on Facebook or social networks, I always update about her now and then. That’s my queen bae right there. That’s how it is."

Prudy : "My understanding is that you have a younger brother,Gontse. Would you motivate Gontse to get into your field or would you rather have him follow what his heart wants?"

Quiz: “No, I wouldn’t let him be in my field and I don’t want him to follow in my footsteps. I want to give him the freedom. I always tell him, "Do you". He’s into sports and I always tell him “my guy, stick to that”. I don’t want to force anyone into doing this or that. I know how it feels for your parents to tell you which subjects to take in high school. With black families they tell you “ah wena o tlo ba doctor” (you are going to be a doctor); that mentality kills you from the word “go”. In primary all we wanted to do, as black kids, is be a doctor, pilot, teacher, or president because we were fed by the system that’s what our parents want. Parents never told us about other things like beautician, a designer etc. They never knew that. So, never feed someone or plant a seed there on how they should grow. Let someone be. The sad reality is there are people who don’t know their talents until today because they never tapped into that. You’re a guy and you’re really  good in volleyball but because you will be judged by the system and your parents, you leave volleyball. You played it once in high school and now you say “nawh man, I’m done with that”, whereas you are really talented in that. So a lot of black kids don’t know  what their talents are. It’s really sad that people don’t know how to differentiate between hobbies, talents skills etc. People don’t know that. You ask a person “what are your skills? What are your hobbies?’ They always say reading and running but don’t really do it,yet, it’s in their CV. Why are you putting it there if you don’t always do it. People don’t know what their hobbies and talents are. You find a kid who likes soccer; he puts it as a hobby but plays it now and then. A hobby is something you do regularly. A hobby is something you might not even do for money."

Pru :In the workplace, where you work. Do you advocate or support the idea of relationships within the same working field or vicinity. Or would you rather be with someone who works in a different area" (Quinton smiled) "Look at that smile is there someone?"

Quiz : "ha ha there is no one,I am single by the way. I don’t think your job or career should define your love life. If you’re connected to someone then you’re connected.  Whether they are just right next to you or next door office but if there is a connection there is a connection. I can’t just say “I like you but no we can’t date because we work in the same place'. Feelings are deeper than that. You don’t fall in love with your eyes; you fall in love with your heart. The heart can’t see people; the eyes can, and the eyes can be deceiving. I see 'she’s hot and everything, she’s got a nice behind' but the heart doesn’t know that. Only genuine things go to the heart that. The eyes are things you lust with. The heart, you 'know she makes me laugh', it goes to the heart, it doesn’t go the eyes. The eyes are naughty. I think blind people are the ones who really fall in love, because they can’t see. Just because we work in the same field it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t fall in love."

Pru: "From what I have seen here and there you were in a relationship and you were at a certain level. She left you or you guys separated, I don’t know what happened, then suddenly BOOM, there is Quinton. I want to know how civil she is."

Quiz: "We don’t talk everyday but when we break up I hate beefs. I hate that. We're grownups lets be chilled. We still talk and its not like every day. It’s like “how are you” and jokes. What happens if you come after 5 years, want to pitch ideas and I’m in the boardroom? This is why I say don’t burn bridges."

Pru: "Where do you see your hometown, Vaal, in terms of music and arts in 5 years? What are your expectations for us?"

Quiz: "Before I answer your question, not everyone can be a rapper, not everyone can be designer or photographer. We need to stop following trends. Just because you buy a camera,you think you are a photographer. You record one track and then you think you are a rapper. In the Vaal there are too many artists and too many DJs. That’s the problem right there. That’s why it seems like the in the Vaal, people aren’t branching out; we aren’t branching out because we have too much of the same thing. How can we branch out if we are all DJs? How many DJs do you know? Like on your WhatsApp? Everyone is a DJ, everyone is photographer, everyone has a song out. Let’s just try out new things. Let’s just try and study for what we want to do. Nowadays people are taking the easy way out like “I will wake up and record a track and if it’s a banger, they will love it” and they don’t know shit about music. It goes deeper than just recording; it goes deeper than acting than just being there. There are a lot of things that go into. You find a person who says 'Quinton please add me on TV'. I ask the person to give me a monologue and 'ah what is a monologue?'. So you’re an actor but don’t know one monologue from the top o f your head you can perform.  'What is a monologue? Let me prepare'. One person buys a camera and suddenly “I’m a photographer, you can book me”. You don’t know anything about the camera, you don’t know the angles. Do you think we are going to really grow with 10 000 DJs in the Vaal?  The problem is that they are hiding the real DJs. The fake ones are hiding the real DJs. They all look the same and they dress the same now, update the same and perform at the same events. So we don’t know the real DJs. We respect Chocolate Bar in the Vaal but we don’t know him because we see the young guys advertising themselves. If you ask they will give a young guy who doesn’t know what’s going on.Chocolate Bar isn’t doing it for fame and popularity. He's been a DJ, it's in his heart, he comes early to his gigs, he’s professional about it. He’s a DJ but then no people want to find these young boys. Same with event organizing. Everyone wants to throw a party nowadays. T-shits, Caps. Are we really going to grow with that? You can’t tell me about “the Vaal in 5 years” , it will be worse because everyone will be a designer, a DJ and photographer. We don’t have any doctors. Tell me how many doctors do you know? Or engineers? No, you always see the same thing. There was a point where I was looking for a director. Where are the directors?  “Poof, no director” I put it up on Facebook. Go to Johannesburg and ask the same question and in 5 minutes you will receive a phone call. 'Guys I need a dentist now. I need a pilot now.' Never ever. So before we grow,we need to change."

That concludes the amazing interview I had with Quinton Tshegofatso Morake. If I could,I would definitely take this further and have a chat with his beautiful mother on female empowerment. We never know. 

Prudy Blue

xx