Big Zulu has revealed that he quit school as a teenager because other pupils would laugh at his nyash.
Ushun’ weNkabi’s Painful Journey
Thirty-eight-year-old rapper Big Zulu, whose real name is Siyabonga Nene, has a back story that touches any soul. Now, he is a record label owner with a soft life and a music catalogue that has brought millions into his pockets.
He has toiled hard for this life and paid his “tax” to be able to stand tall as he does now. When he decided to create a name for himself as a rapper, he never left his job as a taxi driver.
At one point, Big Zulu drove a taxi during the day and promoted his shows to passengers. He would then pick the concert-goers with his van to his shows and drive them back after entertaining them.
The rapper had to hustle hard to put food on the table because he dropped out and had no matric.
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Big Zulu Quit School Because Of His Nyash
The rapper recently reminisced about the difficult struggles he experienced growing up. He opened up about why he dropped out of school.
His parents were so poor as he grew up in the rural Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal. They could not afford shoes, underwear and proper trousers. The pants would expose his nyash. Big Zulu told the Daily Sun:
“I loved school because I wanted to change the situation at home. But it was hard for me to keep attending. I ended up hating going to school. Other kids used to laugh at me. My parents could not afford school uniforms, even underwear. So, I’d go to school with torn pants, and I’d sometimes use papers to cover my behind so that my bums aren’t exposed. It was a harrowing experience for me as a young boy.
“I used to pretend I was going to school, but I’d instead camp near the river and go back home in the afternoon as if I was coming back from school. I did that the whole year, and my final year report would be written zero. That’s how I dropped out to avoid being made fun of by my peers, whose parents could afford to provide for them.”
Watch Big Zulu crying here as he narrates his childhood.