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If you found yourself in the club or any party venue during the festive season, then you’ve surely heard the viral hit single “Biri Marung“. The Amapiano track dominated playlists worldwide with its catchy lyrics and infectious beat. Its rise to fame was fueled by dance challenges on social media, uniting people on dance floors from Nigeria to Dubai and beyond. We had the privilege of sitting in an interview with two of the shining stars, Ego Slimflow and Mr Pilato. From producing an EP in a single night to crafting a double platinum party anthem that has taken them around the world, Mr Pilato and Ego Slimflow shared their inspirations, challenges, and the magic behind their success.
Note: This interview has been edited for reading purposes.
Building a synergy requires a strong bond and as we may know strong bonds require a form of relationship so do take us back to when you guys met?
[Ego Slimflow]: I first met Pilato at a studio session where I had initially arrived with my people from Danville and he came through with his people from Lotus. We only spoke after the session as Pilato was stuck in the producer seat for a very long time and I liked his production style so after the session, we spoke and exchanged phone numbers. As time went on and the conversation extended, we then realized that we come from similar circumstances and the only way to get out of those circumstances was to push together in which we pursued and have not looked back on ever since.
Many African households are filled with music during activities like Sunday spring cleaning or Sunday ‘Kos’, which foster a love for music. We would love to hear about your journey in music. When did it start, and how did your home influence this passion?
[Mr Pilato]: I choose to believe wholeheartedly that my love for music is a gift above what the eye can see which in simpler terms, is within my bloodstream as I live and love music every day. But to give a brief guide on how I started producing, I recall a Windows 7 computer at home which I mostly utilized for video games such as GTA and FIFA but then as time went on, I discovered FL Studio which I installed immediately as I found out that is used to produce music. I started playing around with it and haven’t looked back ever since.
[Ego Slimflow]: I will be honest with you, I also believe that it is a gift that I was born with because when I was young, I loved singing to the point where I wore headsets every day in order to feel like I am singing just like the artist especially if it was a song I loved a lot. My family would not hear the end of it. As time flew by, I then started taking it seriously in which my friends and I downloaded royalty-free beats and started recording over them using headsets connected to the phone whilst playing the beat out loud on the other phone.
I will not lie, it was a tedious but fun experience because it was then where I got to really work on my writing skills and improve my storytelling abilities. This allowed me to grow as well as my friends to grow to a point where we started meeting new people and traveling a lot in which we discovered new studios and got to find our sound individually. During that period of my life, I got to really learn about the importance of community building and networking as you cannot do it alone. You need people in order to grow further and succeed in life, whether you like it or not. So it taught me many valuable lessons that I still live by, to this day.
I was listening to your first collaborative EP “I Was Never Perfect Anyway” and to be quite honest I was mind blown by the production to an extent where we would like to get a deep dive into the project and how it was made as it isn’t every day where two artists sit through into the making of a project and see it to the end?
[Ego Slimflow]: To be quite honest, that was the first time where Mr Pilato and I got to work hand in hand together on a project that we finished in one night. It was then that the magic started coming together as more singles kept coming and eventually, we found ourselves with a single like ‘Biri Marung’ as our sound eventually evolved over to the groovy type of Amapiano as opposed to the EP which was more soulful. The craziest part though about the EP is that the easiest track to make was “Why did you lie” as it was made within 5 minutes. The lyrics just came to me and the instrumental just came to Pilato, from there we cooked the next single.
Having worked with each other for over two years (since 2023) to be specific, how would you describe the change within the relationship dynamic as well as having to switch to Amapiano?
[Ego Slimflow]: As boys from the hood, we have grown to understand the importance of loyalty and respect towards each other and ourselves as individuals. This has governed how we communicate and how we work together. The other factor is that we include God in everything we do and trust that God will always look out for us even in the midst of confusion and lack of drive, God will pull through for us and make things happen for us hence we have a strong relationship because of God and how we conduct ourselves in a working and chilled space.
Success is like a drug and if consumed wrong, you can easily lose yourself. With that being said, when things start to go well, how will you handle yourselves? Do you think you will stick to the type of music you are making, and stay collaborating together or will that change?
[Ego Slimflow]: Honestly speaking, we can’t give an answer to that as the journey ahead is still very long and we cannot predict what will happen along the journey. We do know that we are going very far in life and all we really need to do on our side when that day arrives is to maintain our discipline and level of humility. The rest will work itself out.
The township plays a big role in music, from the way people share music to parties as the environment itself is quite different which can easily form some type of influence towards one’s character and creative process. Would you say that the township has had an influence towards your sound, if so how has it impacted you?
[Ego Slimflow]: Pilato and I know exactly what it is like to grow up in the township as we spent a portion of our lives moving between townships in Pretoria which is what exposed us to the various street cultures that many live by and the various sounds that many enjoy.
Through this analysis, we got to establish and understand our target market as we don’t just make music for our fellow brothers and sisters in the hood but also for those that are based outside and would like to get a sense of the hood with a bit of relatability from their side. The sound as a whole is quite versatile and we plan on expanding and growing through various collaborations in the hood and outside whenever we possibly can. It will be like taking a piece of our homes and putting them out there for the world to see and embrace. We love what we do and want to inspire the next kid in the hood, to work hard and chase a solid dream outside of being part of street activities as they hold no value in regard to longevity in life.
With the transition to Amapiano according to the audience, how long did it take you to be comfortable with the change?
[Mr Pilato]: I’m used to changing my sound. I told myself that every time the piano wave changes, I’ll change along with it. I don’t put pressure on myself because that is the one thing I don’t want when it comes to my work. If I fail to create a certain style or sound, I’ll keep practicing until I get it right cause I can do a lot of genres. That’s what convinced me that I could do this.
Was there ever a moment when you doubted the music industry and felt as if a regular job was what you needed to pursue to make it work?
[Mr Pilato]: Yes, like any other black household in the township, music is not seen as something stable or something that one can fully succeed at especially when you are still up and coming. In most cases, they will plant thoughts of doubt into your mind with the type of reality that you would be facing at that particular time.
[Ego Slimflow] I personally did not blame them as life was really becoming challenging and financially I had to step up to help the family so with time it did come to me that I may need to get a 9 to 5 if it doesn’t work out at some point but then by God’s grace I remained patient to the journey and all thanks to my brother in crime Pilato, we pushed and prayed together which eventually led to us meeting DJ Maphorisa and it is through his support and guidance, that we also got here.
Speaking of DJ Maphorisa, how did you guys encounter him and get to work with him?
[Ego Slimflow]: The crazy story is that we met him through someone we networked with in the past and that person happened to have been friends with DJ Maphorisa. He then took the liberty to invest in us with studio equipment, as he continued to tell DJ Maphorisa about us and mentor us. Then on one random day, he brought DJ Maphorisa into our studio session. It was then and there when we were starstruck and inspired.
Given the mentorship that you’ve gotten thus far, what would you tell other artists to keep in mind when they’re starting out?
[Ego Slimflow]: Over the past years, we have learned to really apply the following, ‘Stay humble and mind your business’. These factors helped us navigate properly within our own journey of growth and networking process. Also the more you practice, the better you become at your craft so to anyone looking into pursuing a musical career, please prioritize practicing and learning further, it will help you develop a strong image and drive for your craft.
Going back to Biri Marung, did you guys know it was going to be a hit when you were making it?
[Ego Slimflow]: Not really, the first time we picked up that it would be a hit single was when Tebogo G Mashego posted a video of it on TikTok for the very first time and it just went wild with the numbers. It was then and there when we knew that the song had a lot of potential, we just needed to put in the work.
Where did the stage names ‘Ego Slimflow’ and ‘Mr Pilato’ come from?
[Mr Pilato]: How my stage name came about was that I met someone by the name of ‘Ditlokoloko’ during my stay at initiation school, who also used to sing initiation songs. He started calling Mickey’s Pilato which stuck with me for a whole year. I then disregarded the Mickey and replaced it with Mr the following year and that is how Mr Pilato came about.
What can your fans expect from you in the coming months?
[Ego Slimflow]: Currently, we are not putting too much pressure on ourselves as we are still enjoying meeting new people and collaborating with them on new music. We are practically allowing for the music to come out organically without any unnecessary pressure but then fans can definitely expect some drops here and there in the course of the year.
Ego Slimflow and Mr Pilato’s journey is a testament to the power of perseverance, collaboration, and faith. From humble beginnings to creating a global anthem, they’ve proven that music has the ability to change lives. With their unwavering passion and high spirits, Ego Slimflow and Mr Pilato are not just making music— they are living out their dreams. As ‘Biri Marung’ continues to echo in clubs and parties worldwide, we can’t wait to see what these two dreamers have in store for listeners.
Listen to “Biri Marung” here:
