Stellenbosch hip-hop musician Jody Garland, who goes by the stage name Jodas, has been forging his own path in the Afrikaans rap scene since 2017. Garland strives for authenticity in his artistry and his personal life, and balances the lives of Jodas and Jody.
Jody Garland, who goes by the stage name Jodas, is a hip-hop artist who resides in Cloetesville, Stellenbosch. He names Kanye West, J Dilla, and Lil Wayne as some of his biggest musical influences. PHOTO: Joel Ontong
On stage, the Stellenbosch hip-hop musician Jodas captivates crowds and elicits cheers through lyrical wordplay. He becomes a larger-than-life personality who performs to transfixed audiences.
In-person, Jody Garland (the man behind Jodas) is shy, unassuming and takes time to express himself in conversation.
This is a contrast that Garland is fully aware of. “Jody is quiet, in his own thoughts. Jodas is like the opposite,” he says. It is a conflict between two worlds that few understand, he says, and it is a by-product of being a rapper.
However, rapping was not the plan at the start.
Music is very important to hip-hop artist Jody Garland, also known as Jodas, who says that it is a form of therapy for him. He names his song “Besef” as one of his most cathartic recording experiences. PHOTO: Joel Ontong
Life before rapping
“I must say that music was like from the beginning part of my life, because my mother and my father were big hip hop fans,” says Garland.
Neither of his parents have a formal musical background, but he inherited their love for music. He was involved in musical and language programs at school, which further nurtured his love for arts and culture. At school his focus was mostly on being a good student. “I was heavily into academics. I did really well in school,” he says.
Garland started his hip-hop journey when he became a fan of Afrikaans rap music.
“Before I was a fan, I did not even think that I would become an Afrikaans rapper. I thought that I would just have an office job,” he says. The Eastern Cape rap duo Earl and Agemy were central figures in his early development as a rapper. Some non-Afrikaans music acts to which Garland says he is indebted include Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Dr. Dre and J Dilla.
Just listening to the music was not enough for Garland. After some time, he could recite the songs he was listening to word for word, and he realised that he could be a rapper himself. That is where he put pen to paper, taking the first steps to become Jodas.
Jody Garland mostly markets himself through Facebook, where he provides updates on his new releases and interacts with fans. He started using Facebook for marketing in 2017 and has garnered over 4 000 followers. PHOTO: Joel Ontong
“This is my hustle”
Being Jodas is hard work, because it means performing on stage, shooting music videos, recording mixtapes and networking with other artists. “This is my hustle,” says Garland, referring to his various projects as a musician.
Garland started distributing demo recordings around 2017 and released his first mixtape in 2019, he says. Garland is holding off on releasing an official album. “I feel like it is not the right time to release an album,” he says. The release of his official debut must be a special event, he says. In the meantime, he stays dedicated to releasing new music.
Earlier this year, Garland set a goal to release 50 songs in 2022. When asked how he is progressing with this goal, Garland responded: “The 50 songs? I’m actually behind.”
Garland is also one-third of Own World Entertainment, which is “an entertainment company that we’re trying to get off the ground”, says Garland. It further consists of producer Desmond Stanfliet, (also known as DaNova) and videographer Bryan Simmers (also known as Guyfoks Videos).
Jodas is much more than a rapper; he is a musician because that guy can do anything
Instrumental production for Jodas’s music is split between Garland and Stanfliet, says Garland. He does 60% of the instrumentals and Stanfliet does the other 40%.
“Jodas is much more than a rapper; he is a musician because that guy can do anything,” says Stanfliet, while commending Garland’s proficiency in performing, writing, producing, and mixing music. Their two styles come together to create “something unique”, says Stanfliet.
The visuals attached to Jodas are important as well. “My visuals: Everything comes from Guyfoks,” according to Garland. “I’ve always been into rap, and I took my interest in videography and my love of hip-hop and I kind of fused it,” says Simmers.
With Garland at the forefront, the trio has created the idea of Jodas as it exists in the mind of the fans (or, rather, supporters, since the word “fans” makes Garland uncomfortable).
Own World Entertainment is an entertainment company that consists of rapper Jody Garland, producer Desmond Stanfliet, and videographer Bryan Simmers. They are trying to get their company officially registered, according to Garland. PHOTO: Joel Ontong
Supporters, not fans
Garland feels indebted to his supporters. “All the growth that I’ve seen in myself is because of my fans,” he says, cringing at the word “fans”. He meets a few supporters every day, but it is something that he is still getting used to since he considers himself an introvert.
“People think they are shy to meet me, but I am shy to meet them,” says Garland. However, he sincerely appreciates the admiration. “It is a confirmation that I’m doing something right,” he says.
For Garland, there exists a personal gap between being a rapper (what his supporters see on stage) and being an ordinary person. He feels split in two by his different personas. He had to overcome his shyness to become Jodas. “I never had the courage to perform in school,” he says. Now he performs in front of hundreds of people.
Keeping it real
I stay close to the things that are real to me
To manage the two spheres of his identity, Garland tries to stay authentic in everything he does. “I stay close to the things that are real to me,” he says. This is why he chooses to rap in his home language – Afrikaans. In his music, he tells stories that are close to him, because “if you make human music, then the stories can never run dry”. That way, he will always have something to say, and his style will grow with him as a person.
Striving for authenticity grounds him as well, and it reminds him of who he is and where he comes from. “At the end of the day, I want to be the best rapper in the world, but I can’t be Eminem,” he says. “I can only be Jodas, who was born in Stellenbosch and who speaks Afrikaans.”
That, to Garland, is the key to becoming a better person and rapper – staying true to oneself. “Who can be you better than yourself? No one,” he says.
Jody Garland says that he has been listening non-stop to Kendrick Lamar’s latest record, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. It is thanks to rappers like Kendrick Lamar, that Garland came to see rap as a serious art form. PHOTO: Joel Ontong
Solace in music
All that stuff in there. It’s real stuff, and I finally said it.
Throughout his life, Garland has always felt out of place. “I was always the outcast,” he says. In high school, he felt isolated from others, but music gives him a sense of belonging. Without music his “mental health issues would have won”, he adds.
Music has provided him this solace. “I don’t know where I’d be if I wasn’t making music,” he says.
He struggles to express just how important music is to him, starting and stopping sentences and trying to find the perfect string of words to communicate its significance. He settles on what he calls an old cliché: Music is therapeutic to him.
He describes the immense sense of gratitude and catharsis he feels when converting his thoughts into songs. “All that stuff in there. It’s real stuff, and I finally said it.”