ProVerb (Real Name: Tebogo Sidney Thapelo, born April 12, 1981) is a 43-year-old South African songwriter, rapper, radio presenter, and businessman. He is well recognized for hosting the Mzansi Magic Popular television competition Idols SA and the Khaya FM radio program called The Winners Circle.
Talking about the history of the South African hip hop and rap music industry wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the name ProVerb. The prominent artist is one of the celebrities who have no much buzz around him. He has been in the music industry for many years, has an interesting rapping style and utilization of words. He is considered an excellent example to anyone considering getting his/herself into clean music. Below is a read on his life history and how he became a popular name in the South African music industry.
Summary Of ProVerb’s Biography
- Name: Tebogo Sidney Thapelo Thekisho
- Stage Name: ProVerb
- Date of Birth: April 12, 1981
- ProVerb’s Age: 43 years old
- Place of Birth: Kimberly, Northern Cape
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Occupation: Rapper, Radio Presenter, TV Host, Real Estate Agent, Author, Businessman
- Gender: Male
- ProVerb’s parents: Late Dr. Nomonde Thekisho (mother)
- ProVerb’s Wife: Onalerona Moreo (divorced)
- Siblings: Lerato Mvelase (sister), Mpho Thekisho (brother)
- ProVerb’s Girlfriend: Liesl Laurie
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Nationality: South African
- ProVerb’s Net Worth: $500,000
- Famous for: Idols SA
- Instagram: @proverbmusic
Proverb Was Born in Northern Cape 43 Years Ago
ProVerb, whose real name is Tebogo Sidney Thapelo, was born on 12th April 1981 in Kimberely, Northern Cape, in South Africa. His mother was late Dr. Nomonde Thekisho, but his father’s name remains unknown. The 43-year-old rapper has a sister who is a popular actress named Lerato Mvelase and also a brother named Mpho Thekisho.
The artist once shared a picture of him and his father on his social media page with words of appreciation for how his father catered for him and helped mold him into the man he is today. On 19th April 2021, a few days after the rapper had celebrated his 40th birthday, his mother passed on from earth. The death of his mother devastated the rapper so much that it took some time for him to come around to being his old self again.
He Was a Late Blommer And Struggled With School Work
ProVerb started his schooling at the age of six in 1987 and matriculated from St Patrick’s College in 1998. He went further to obtain a certificate in Sound Engineering from the Academy of Sound Engineering and then proceeded to the University of Cape Town; there, he took on a short course on Property Development and Investment. The singer, in an interview, admitted to struggling with his academics while he was in school and would use his spare time to sing and rap freestyle with his friends.
ProVerb Has Been Credited With Several Albums And Other Gigs On Radio And TV
When school wasn’t cutting it, ProVerb settled on a vocation as a rapper as he realized while in school that he could rhyme and do freestyles. In 1999, he started his professional career, which has produced four albums to date. His debut album titled “Book of ProVerb,” which was recorded under Outrageous Records, was released in 2005 and remained one of the most popular albums the rapper has released.
Following the first album’s success, he went ahead to release the second album titled “Manuscript,” which was recorded under the Gallo Record Company. In 2009, he released the album titled “Write of Passage,” and then “Fourthwrite” followed in 2012. In 2013, Khaya Mthethwa, the 2012 Idols SA competition winner, featured the rapper on a song titled “Lil Means A Lot.” This song went viral and received lots of positive reviews from fans.
Tapping into his technical engineering side, ProVerb then decided to pursue a career in that field and got a job as a technical producer on Y-FM before becoming the technical and content producer on Metro FM. He has a show on Metro FM dubbed “The Pro-file,” which airs on Saturdays and Sundays. Currently, he is a radio host of Kaya FM’s Top 40 and Kaya FM show.
ProVerb’s television career kicked off in 2010 when he was given the opportunity to co-host the season 6 Idols SA with Liezel Van der Westhuizen, which he did for a while until 2011, when he became the sole host of the show and is still hosting it till date alongside celebrities like Unathi Nkayi and Somizi Mhlongo.
He Is Also An Author And Has A Book To His Name
The talented artist and presenter is also an author. ProVerb has written a book titled “The Book of Proverb.” In this book, he takes his readers through his hustles in life and shares the lessons he learned at various periods of his life. He also took time to honor those who have contributed in several ways to make him who he is today. This Book of Proverb is a journal that can serve as a manual for life.
A Look At His Nominations, Awards, And Endorsements
Hard work pays. The rap artist has earned some awards and nominations to his name in the course of his career as a musician. Below is a list of his achievements and others.
- In 2013, ProVerb was nominated for The Best Male Award at the 19th South African Music Awards (SAMA).
- In the same 2013, he was nominated again at the South African Music Awards for Best Hip Hop Album.
- In 2015, the rapper won the award for the Hustler of the Year at the South African Hip Hop Awards.
- In 2017, he won the Favourite TV Presenter at the You Spectacular Awards.
Endorsement Deals
In 2018, it was revealed by the press that ProVerb had become a board member of Flight Centre. He did not stop pursuing his dream; he went ahead to work with some brands, such as Status Deodorant, where he was part of the Hustle campaign. He also has an endorsement deal with Volvo.
The Rapper was in a Marital Relationship That Lasted a Decade
ProVerb got hitched to a financial specialist, Onalerona Moreo, in 2005. The couple was married for ten years and got divorced in 2015 after ProVerb had discovered that his wife was having an affair with Johannesburg business mogul Edwin Sodi. Their union is blessed with two children (a boy and a girl) whose names have not been revealed.
Moving on after his failed marriage of ten years, ProVerb got into a relationship with Liesl Laurie, a model, and ex-beauty queen. Laurie was the winner of the Miss South Africa 2015 pageant. Sadly their relationship came to an end after three years in 2018. The reason given for the separation was that they did not agree on the same things.
He Has Remained A Good Father Despite The Divorce
The hip-hop and rap artist enjoys playing his role as a father in the life of his two children. ProVerb is committed to providing and taking care of his children, ensuring that they do not feel his absence even as he is divorced from their mother. He tries his best to always create time to take them sightseeing, shopping and also endeavors to be the one to tuck them to sleep at night.
ProVerb Has Been Accused Of Intellectual Property Theft
It’s no new news when it comes to celebrities and controversies that surround them due to their popularity. In 2018, ProVerb was accused of stealing an idea by a lady on Facebook who goes by the name Mmami Masobe. Reports had it that the lady mailed an idea to ProVerb on what she had in mind for a celebrity TV show that she would like to pitch. The hip-hop star responded to her mail.
After some time, ProVerb sent a tweet about a competition he was involved in, and the lady felt the competition tweet by ProVerb was similar to the idea she had pitched. In response, she sent him a direct mail accusing him of stealing her idea.
