He is one of the award-winning rappers who made hits in the mid-2000s alongside rappers like Amu, Skwatta Kamp, Prokid, Khuli Chana, Proverb, and many others.
Rapper Mr. Selwyn Ngwenya (48) as his fans knew him is now an ordained pastor and answers to the name Pastor Selwyn.
He is not the first to move from Hip-Hop to preaching the Gospel. US rapper Mase announced that he is now a pastor at the of Gathering Oasis Church in Atlanta.
The Yabaz’Abantu rapper took to social media to share the good news.
“On Passover weekend I put on the full Garment of Priesthood. I was ordained. Thank you, my father, Thabiso Mogano, and Gugu Mogano for being my covering and ordaining me.”
In an interview with Move! Magazine while undergoing his practice leading up to the big day, the award-winning rapper said he was now a changed man after accepting Jesus Christ as His Lord and Saviour.
After taking a six-year break from music, he placed his focus on finding himself and getting closer to God.
“I’m now a born-again Christian and all those years away from the music industry meant finding myself and God’s love. People need to know who they are because if you don’t know who you are then you will never know where you are going,” he told Move!
A member of the City Of God’s Delight ministry, he shared that he loved every moment of being active in the church.
“Most people tend to depend on music, which is something I do as a hobby and because I have the talent. At one stage I was working as an insurance broker at a call centre because I believed that I had to work hard and be independent. In order to live like a king, you have to work hard.”
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Selwyn released his first album, Formula, in 2004 and he went on to win a Best Hip-hop Album award at the South African Music Awards. He followed up with another album, Zone 5, in 2006. Following Zone 5, his career took a dip.
In making a comeback, Selwyn then released his third album, Foundation, in 2009 before he went into self-imposed exile.
“Things were terrible. Everything about that album was horrible. The marketing team, the manager, and the distributors were not that supportive,” he said.
He had to choose between his family and being a musician.
"I have children and when I realised that nothing was working for me, I decided to take a break from music. I found a job putting bread on the table and it worked for me. It gave me some time to find myself and now I also preach at church and give motivational talks to young people.”
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Selwyn also owns a clothing label called PS Connections, which specialises in men's suits. He is also involved with a youth program with the City of Johannesburg called Vulindlela.
“We deal with young people from around the City of Gold. We are pushing young people to have a purpose in life because without a purpose, there will be no future. People are going to see me and other celebrities promoting the city for good reasons. People must know that talent opens doors for you. Your character will sustain your career. Talent without character is a disaster."
