D_cider

Thabiso Brandon Njoko (born 20 June 1993), better known by his stage name, D_cider, is a singer, songwriter, rapper, graphic designer and founder of Riska_D_Rollaz, Inc. He was born in eSwatini. His hometown is situated at Mankayane. He has stated that his music inspired by life situations between friends, family, and complete strangers and how life has unfolded for him in perspective.

D_cider has self released his debut mixtape, Rapiary I, on the 28 May 2016. Rapiary, a joint word for "Rap + Diary". He followed with his sophomore tape, Rapiary II, 31 December 2017. He has collaborated with H.B.O Salute on a single titled, Your Time Is Up. He dropped the single, Come Thru, with a follow up collaboration with Mackchezzy on a song titled "Dirty Money"

Early Life

Thabiso Njoko is the only child from Yvonne Nomokosi Nkonyane, who past away at a young age while he was five-years old. His father, Thamsanqa Alexius Njoko, a businessman from South Africa. Since he had been absent in his life. Thabiso and his mother lived at Ezulwini, Eswatini where her mother worked tirelessly to put food on the table. After she passed away, he had to live with a family friend close by his then elementary school, Bahai Primary School. He was under the guidance of his grandparents, Clementine Nkonyane and Thomas Nkonyane. It was due to ill-treatment by the family friend that his uncle, Mphiwa Nkonyane (deceased), decided to take him away from that family friend. Since it was a challenge to change schools, another family friend was approached to seek accommodation for the young boy. It is then, where he moved to Malkerns, where the family friend sold by the market place. At times he would help selling in bus ranks. There was still a challenge of transport to his school, since taxi's did not want to stop at the steep station by Malagwane. It is then when her grandparents decided he leaves the city and reside in the country side with them where he studied at Holy Rosary Primary School, from the third grade to the seventh grade. His father would show up one or twice a year to provide clothing, other than that, they never had an intimate father-son relationship.

After passing well in his grade seven exams, his grandparents sent him back to Mbabane, this time around in boarding school, at St Marks High School. This is where his love for music, art and creative endeavors was born. At age fourteen he had started writing his own music, although it was scattered and all over exercise books and notepads. He had the love for story-telling and word play. He freestyled most of the time. He was active in sports, football and badminton .

As he had secured himself a bursary to cater for his high school, since the funds his mother had left him had exhausted trying to put him through school. His father showed up, when he had a year left to finish his High School. He suggested he change schools and attend one in South Africa where he would get a Matric Certificate. It was then he transferred to Cornerstone College to pursue Matric, but he had to go back a grade down since the syllabus had the base there. He went to boarding school, although the grade down delayed him, he hoped that all would work out and the chance to have a father in his life was a little excitement that kept him going. Little did he know that his father would get in a fight with the Boarding Master and find himself with no school to attend. His father told his parents that Thabiso was the one who was not behaving in school. It was hard to find a school that taught siSwati since the rest taught Afrikaans, and that was foreign to him. After, leaving Pretoria, Silverton at Cornerstone College, he stayed with his father, and then step-mother for a couple of month until a school was found at the Vaal. He attended Watershed Christian School, from the 11th Grade to Matric. He was involved in Cypher Sessions and freestyles . He was active in the debate team and was an athletic student.

His father had not payed a large amount of school fees and by the look he did not excel since the school taught Afrikaans. His results were with-held, the same day Thabiso realized that, he left the school premises late trying to find a way to get hold of his results. It was then transport became an issue, where he found himself on the wrong side of Johannesburg. He tried calling his father but he had run out of money. He slept at a garage, precisely were the footage would see him. the next day he woke up, and went to his Uncle from his mother side, Zenzele Madlopha, who worked at Standard Bank at the time, but at no avail, he was not there. A receptionist helped him out, and was able to take a taxi home at Randburg, where he found his stepmother. She would not let him in, called his father and claimed he was drunk. His father told him to go back where he came from. He stayed outside the gate for two days, while they drove in and out. It was then he went to another garage and seek asylum, that is when he wrote 'Hold On Little Boy'. The garage attendee to him to go ask for forgiveness, but he had tried that but it had not work. He called his Aunt Telly Matlala, who was her mother's sister and had married to Johannes Matlala. She assisted him with money to take a taxi back to Eswatini at Mankayane to his grandparents. They quickly sent him to W.E.M school to finish his Matric, he became Head-Boy that year and passed well with a Bachelors Degree Entry.

Breakthrough

He had tonnes of raps but unrecorded. He has founded Riska_D_Rollaz at the time and recorded his first Mixtape, Rapiary I. He attended Limkowking University of Creative Technology, studying Graphic Design. He released his second Mixtape, Rapiary II. On the second semester, he left to start a company Audiobook Recording and Publishing Pty/Ltd. He recorded a song with Award Winning Producer M.Seth with High School friend Mackchezzy, titled 'Dirty Money'. It hit the country by storm and made it to Sydney and Austrialia, creating a demand for his music. He has since been performing around the world and appearing with big acts. There follow up single cemented his flexibility in the music industry. He has since been travelling the world and performing with different artists at the same time running Riska_D_Rollaz, Inc. and Audibook Recording and Publishing.