Southern African Celebs

King98 whose real name is Ngonidzashe Dondo, is a South Africa based Zimbabwean musician who is well known for his famous hit song Kachiri and his first album Francesca. So, we are going to discuss his biography and how he became a star in the music industry.

Biography and Profile

Real name: Ngonidzashe Dondo

Born: January 15, 1998

Occupation: Hip hop artist and Singer

Stage name: King98

From: Zimbabwe

Lives: South Africa, Pretoria

Gender: Male

Name derivation and background:

Ngonidzashe Dondo, born 15 January 1998, is a South Africa based Zimbabwean, Hip Hop artist and Singer. Mr Dondo used to be referred to as Asap by his colleagues because of his rapping skills.  But he later changed to King98. King98 is his personal brand and name that he believes he retrieved from the annals of his destiny. The 98 in his name, was derived from the fact that he was born in 1998. King98 is well known for his release of his 2019 album Francesca under the tuelage of DJ Simmz.

Education:

The prince of Zim Hip Hop, is currently enrolled for a degree in in music and arts at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He said he has synchronised his education with his talent. “Education tends to provide the technique, talent tends to give the art but it is passion that tends to give the feathers.” Said King98 on interview with NewsDay.

Musical Career

King98 began his Hip Hop artistic music while he was in high school and his colleagues referred to him as Asap because of his rap skills. But he later changed to King98 as he advanced in music and he grew fond of the Afro Pop sound and by stroke creative imagination, he purposed to synthesize the two genres.

On his successful break into the music industry, Ngonidzashe says his parents played a vital role in allowing him to live out his dreams and produce his first album, Francesca, released last year. Ngonidzashe has performed lot of Afro pop songs featuring other well-known African artists such as Davido, Nasty C, Burna Boy, and Peruzzi.

King98, who is referred by some as prince of Zim Hip Hop, says he was drawn to Afrocentric music because of its worldwide appeal. He also says his music journey is a calling. The Afro pop star is still on his journey to the top. His first album, Francesca (name after his mother) was released last year 2019, and ever since he has been releasing singles. His most famous singles include Kachiri teaming BET award winning star, Diamond Platnumz. Kachiri is the first African YouTube song to reach on billion views.