For Kope “Tswyza” Makgae, reinvention was paramount when he exited Generations: The Legacy last year after playing fan-favourite Mrekza for eight years.

The 39-year-old actor found that career revival in his popular podcast The Tswyza Show, where he refreshingly interviews guests through freestyle rap. While it's billed as being “all about conversational flow,” the show invites artists to introduce themselves and respond to Tswyza’s questions in rhyme.

Having set the tone with his own freestyle, guiding the lyrical conversation with charisma and skill as his guests jump in with equally rhythmic responses with a vibe that's fresh, authentic, and distinctly South African, one tends to wonder what goes behind running such a show.

The show has featured a mix of emerging and established voices, including Landrose from Tembisa, Nomfundo Yekani from Thokoza, and local rap veteran N’veigh, who used his appearance to unpack how originality in hip-hop is shifting in this “new era.”

This is definitely the path I hoped my career would take. Remember, I am part entertainer and part businessman. So, Tswyza would not suffice in a tie.

I knew I was ready to move into this space [many years] ago because I somehow felt incomplete. I felt that there was more of me that I wanted people to see...

I felt I was lacking faith [in myself], and I was conforming to the salary and good rep that I had... that original hunger of the person I wanted to be was no longer there. I knew I couldn't play Mrekza all my life. So, I chose to trust in God and dabble into this music thing– but my way.

There's different facets to why I do this show. I've always wanted to have a podcast when it first came into the scene, my issue has always been people's concentration span, I also felt that it wasn't my time as I didn't know how I was going to go about it, and as an actor, I may be well known, I just found it daunting to approach musicians to collaborate.

One of the motivating factors that keep me going is figuring out how resourceful you can be. I believe we all are given opportunities but we have to find what it is that makes us unique. This podcast is going places. The viewership is growing. I've had people like Anthony Anderson and Jamie Foxx comment on the show. My hopes for the podcast is to create a compilation of all the episodes and turn them into one thing.

I also have a music festival taking place later this year, where all the interviewees will be performing on stage and, lastly, I will be dropping an album next month titled: The Best Album Ever. It features Mo Molemi and other interesting musicians in the game.