She showed me the atlas in detail/And her strength showed me that Atlas was female
The youngest son of a member of Zimbabwe's diplomatic corps, Mutaurwa ''Foretold'' Mapondera would see all four corners of the globe before his 18th birthday. His mother's occupation would see the family shift around the globe and the young Mutaurwa would end up calling Belgium, Zimbabwe, Botswana, India and Germany home before he graduated from high school and enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he would pledge historically African-American fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi. While frequent movements were trying on Foretold socially, they would allow him to see and experience people, places and cultures that most only encounter on the Discovery Channel. While some may have taken these experiences for granted, and let them wash over them, F.O.R.E noted the differences between the various nations he called home and was especially affected by the depths of poverty that he witnessed in Africa and Asia. Even as a child, Foretold was markedly analytical and the situations he encountered nurtured these tendencies as the quiet youth developed into an introspective poet. ''Seeing so much at such a young age really shapes you and I feel like I was confronted with a lot of truths that most people my age have yet to encounter, if they ever do.'' The other vital component to Foretold's character is his family. Even though she raised her two boys by herself, Foretold's mother was the guiding light in the soft-spoken MC's development and he constantly sites her as his ''hero, inspiration, best friend, everything.'' The birth of his nephew in 2002 was a life-changing event as the adolescent lyricist was pushed into the role of father figure, a role he explores on a track that attempts to explain the death of his Nephew's 5-year-old cousin from AIDS.
Since a youngster/ All he wanted to do was make music
Taking a cue from his mother's taste for Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley and Isaac Hayes, Foretold would gravitate towards emotional, but socially relevant artists as he developed his own taste in music, however he makes sure never to narrow his views. ''Personally, I just love music,'' states the young wordsmith, ''I mean my mother raised me and brother to Bob Marley and Tina Turner tapes, but I listen to everything from Nas, to the Deftones to crazy shit that nobody understands like the Mahavishnu Orchestra.'' These eclectic tastes would serve him well as, after receiving a guitar for his 13th Birthday, F.O.R.E would begin crafting his own identity as a musician and artist. After being egged on in a friends studio at the age of 15, Foretold discovered he had a talent for rhyme and quickly began recording with a group of friends. An 11-Track EP would result from these collaborations, however a move to Germany would leave the bourgeoning MC stranded without a producer. However, instead of leaving rap alone, F.O.R.E decided to produce his own tracks eventually developing a knack for soulful sample-based compositions as well as beats centred on his guitar playing. When coupled with introspective, emotional lyrics that deal with issues close to the lyricist's heart, Foretold ' s tracks are a journey into the psyche of a young man wiser than his 21 years or boyish looks would lead you to believe.
Theres gotta be a reason in my life and times/that I picked the pen up and put my life in rhymes/I guess Im just the type to find/ A Reason for every little thing that happens in this life of mine
''Honestly, I'm not the type of person that talks about his problems a lot, I feel like Im more comfortable rhyming about them.'' This philosophy is evident throughout the young artist's work as F.O.R.E exorcises his demons in each track. On Survival he describes the conditions of a third world upbringing, addressing poverty, corrupt religious institutions and teen violence amongst other things over a Bob Marley sample imbued with a classic hip-hop boom-bap. While the song deals with weighty material, it also showcases Foretolds lyrical wit with lines like ''young boys trying to prove their manhood gon knock tonight/ Get drunk, then we clash like polka-dots and stripes.'' Trading his usually slow and steady flow for a double time delivery, Foretold runs over a variety of topics on Long and Winding road, from his dreams of legendary status in Hip-Hop to the sudden, unexpected death of a friend and classmate. In regards to Hip-Hop, the young cipher king spits ''it's a dream and you can reach it/ but you need to be conceited/ or concede to be defeated cause theres nowhere in between.'' On a similar note, on the slow burning Reasons Fore point O (a nickname earned through an excellent academic record at UNC) ruminates over the twists and turns of life and the lessons to be learned from every missed step. Speaking poignantly about his parents fractured relationship, his bouts with life-threatening asthma, and his own flawed relationship with a woman in his life, Foretold shows a vulnerability sorely lacking in todays hip-hop. The death of his aunt, Thokozile Muchena a veteran of Zimbabwes guerrilla war for independence is a centrepiece of many of the young man's stanzas. Most prominent of these is Comrade, with F.O.R.E noting that writing that song was ''one of the most important things Ive ever done in my life.'' Dedicated to telling the story of his aunt's life, a woman he refers to as his mother, Comrade shows not only emotional depth but a talent for storytelling akin to that of Hip-Hop pioneer Slick Rick or the late-great Notorious B.I.G. While these may be weighty comparisons, Foretold hopes to achieve an impact and legacy comparable to Biggie's. ''Honestly, I feel like I can be the best, the greatest of all time. I'm a humble dude but honestly I feel I have the potential to be the greatest MC of all time.''
Thats the type of talk that makes 'em mumble about arrogance/ dumbass, you can be cocky and humble if you manage it