He’s got the beats and lyrics and has been spitting rhymes across the country for 20 years.
We are talking about Tyrel Maddocks, aka Velosity – self-proclaimed as one of the fastest rappers in South Africa, who is from Colorado Park.
Velosity has his own style, an incredibly fast flow which incorporates elements of R&B and hip-hop.
He started writing and singing at the age of six.
“I used to make up stories about anything. I think that’s when it all started,” he said.
But it was at the age of 22 that he began taking rapping seriously.
Velosity grew up in Pietermaritzburg and has also lived in Pretoria and Johannesburg.
He raps about politics, racism, religion, gender violence and other issues such as depression.
“These are issues that matter and are topical. There is a common misconception that as a rapper you should have a gangster or drug background and also rap about that,” he said.
Speaking about being the fastest rapper in the country, he said he did 181 words in 28.7 seconds which equals 6.31 words a second.
“In Eminem’s song called Rap God, he earned the title for Guiness World Record for Most Words in a commercial song. Eminem’s words totalled 1 560 (and the) track length was six minutes and four seconds (about 360 seconds). Therefore 1 560/360 equalled 4.28. This means he rapped at an approximately 4.28 words a second.
“Mine was 1 024 total track length (minutes/seconds) with 3.51/231. Therefore 1 024/231 equals to 4.4, meaning I rapped at an approximate 4.4 words a second. So in essence, I have unofficially beat Eminem for the most words in a commercial song,” he said.
Velosity told Plainsman he had calculated this himself and had recorded evidence which he was happy to share.
Velosity said his music is unique because of his originality. “People often hop on the band wagon in hip-hop and follow the trend,” he said.
The talented rapper was part of a group called SilentThreat for six years and performed with Tear Gas, Elvis Blue, Liquid Deep and Paul Ogle.
Velosity released eight singles over a three months.
He said he has been working on his music recently in Johannesburg, Durban and Pietermaritzburg with producer Randall Jermaine.
When speaking about his achievements he said: “I don’t look at awards as achievements. To me I would classify achievements such as personal growth, sound and delivery. If I make an impact on someone’s life through my music then I have accomplished something.”
People who have inspired him for many years are Twista, Busta Rhymes, Bone Thugs * Harmony, and Eminem.
Other than music, Velosity studied IT at UNISA and project management at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).
You can check out his music on YouTube and on his Facebook page IAMVelosity.