iFani turns to fans for financial support in launching his new album
iFani has launched a fan-powered campaign to fund his upcoming third studio album, '3rd Quadrant'.
Image: Facebook/iFani
South African rapper iFani, born Mzayifani Boltina, has launched a fan-driven campaign to raise funds for his upcoming third studio album, “3rd Quadrant”.
On Facebook, he wrote: “Please help me raise funds for my album, '3rd Quadrant'. Here’s how you can help: play this song on YouTube on repeat. Play it again until your data finishes, if the Wi-Fi or battery dies, or until the electricity goes off.
"YouTube will pay me; you just keep playing. Don’t send me money, and also share the song. That’s all.”
“This is my first single from '3rd Quadrant'. Ten years of sacrifice, ten years of pain, ten years of finding my voice. It took three weeks and 13 studio sessions to record the first verse. Singing is hard, I did not know.
"Please know: music is my life. My life is music. When you support my music, you support me. Thank you.”
The album has faced significant delays due to financial struggles and a studio burglary. iFani has apologised for the long wait and has openly shared that he lacks the funds to pay producers, finish mixing and complete artwork.
In 2023, the project was stolen, forcing him to restart it in early 2025. Progress has since stalled.
On Thursday, November 20, his birthday, iFani released “Uzukhanye”, the first single from “3rd Quadrant”. He noted that the more the song is played on YouTube, the more revenue he can collect to finish the album.
iFani returned to the music scene in 2023 after a long hiatus. Once among SA’s most talked-about rappers, he withdrew to his hometown of Gqeberha to step away from the pressures of Johannesburg.
On “The Venting Podcast”, he reflected on spending nearly six years in the township, having spent all his money.
“Sometimes when you go into a hole and find other people who are suffering the same way as you, you find a connection there. You meet these people and you have these conversations and you grow as a person,” he said.
The rapper said that the break taught him patience. “I wasn’t a patient guy. I wanted things to happen now, especially if I paid for it. I didn’t think I was going to go back to the township. I thought I was going to live comfortably.”
Despite not being taken as seriously in the industry today, the “Iingoma Ezimnandi” hitmaker hopes to reclaim his spot in the rap game.