Refilwe Boingotlo Moeketsi (born 24 October 1991), known professionally as Fifi Cooper is a South African recording artist. Fifi Cooper started her music career as an R&B singer before her musical versatility saw her release her breakthrough rap single "Chechela Morago" in 2010. In 2015, she released her award-winning debut studio album '' 20FIFI''.

Early life and education

Fifi Cooper is the last of three children. She had her early education in Montshiwa,

Mahikeng Mahikeng ( Tswana for "Place of Rocks"), formerly known as Mafikeng and alternatively known as Mafeking (, ), is the capital city of the North West province of South Africa. Close to South Africa's border with Botswana, Mafikeng is northeast ...

, South Africa, where she also harnessed her ability in singing and dancing. She completed her secondary school education at Batswana High School, Mahikeng and her higher education at Boston Media House where she studied Media.

Career

2008–2014: Early beginnings

Fifi Cooper began singing at the age of 8 while in primary school; participating in various social extra-curricula activities. She professionally started her music career in 2008 when she made a

guest appearance The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...

on Mo'Molemi's ''Motzamai: Rebel With a Pause'' album. Her breakthrough however came in 2010 following the release of her single titled "Chechela Morago", a rap song that received massive airplay and did well to gain her new grounds in the South African music industry. Fifi Cooper also made vocal appearances in the remix of AKA's "Baddest Remix" single, Mo'Molemi's album titled ''Asia'',

Khuli Chana Khulane Morule (born August 27, 1982), better known by his stage name Khuli Chana, is a South African Motswako rapper. In 2014, he released his single titled Hape Le Hape 2.1 featuring Da L.E.S and Magesh. In September of the year, he releas ...

's ''Lost in Time'' and Lection's ''Gentlemen's Club''.

2015–2019: ''20FIFI''

In 2015, Fifi Cooper signed a recording contract with Ambitiouz Entertainment, a South Africa-based record label. In early 2015, she released an AB Crazy-produced song titled "Kisses". The music video for "Kisses" was directed by Dino Benedetti and was released on YouTube on 24 May 2015. On 13 November 2015, Fifi Cooper released '' 20FIFI'', her debut studio album which won three awards at the

15th Metro FM Music Awards The 15th installment of the annual Metro FM Music Awards is an award ceremony in the South African music industry honouring musicians who did exceedingly well in their field throughout 2015. The show first aired on SABC 1 on February 27, 2016. The ...

and was further nominated in the "Best Newcomer of The Year" and "Best Female Artist of The Year" categories at the 2nd edition of the

South African Music Awards The South African Music Awards (often simply the SAMAs) are the Recording Industry of South Africa's music industry awards, established in 1995. The ceremony is held annually, usually in late April or May, with the judging process starting in ...

Departure from Ambitiouz, legal issues

In February 2017, Fifi Cooper departed from

Ambitiouz Entertainment Ambitiouz Entertainment is a South African independent record label owned and founded by Kgosi Mahumapelo. The label was founded in April 2015 and houses notable acts including, G-Star Da Hustler, Burning Crew Kid Tini and Kiddest Gola. NEW artis ...

along with

A-Reece Lehlogonolo Ronald Mataboge (born 27 March 1997), known professionally as A-Reece, is a South African rapper, songwriter and record producer. He was born and raised in Pretoria, Gauteng. At 16 years old, A-Reece was signed under Raw X Productio ...

and the hip hop duo B3nchMarQ. Following Cooper's departure from Ambitiouz, a court case ensued in which the label successfully sued her for copyright infringement. The Johannesburg High Court ruled that Cooper no longer had ownership of the songs she recorded under the label and ordered her to either return or delete all copies of the material. Additionally, she was required to pay damages and cover the legal costs of the case. This legal action stemmed from Cooper’s resignation without obtaining a clearance certificate, leaving her unable to use or perform her own music. In the aftermath,

Julius Malema Julius Sello Malema (born 3 March 1981) is a South African politician. He is the founder and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a communist political party known for the red berets and military-style outfits worn by its members. Be ...

, leader of the

Economic Freedom Fighters The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is a South African communist and black nationalist political party. It was founded by expelled former African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema, and his allies, on 26 July 20 ...

(EFF), intervened after learning of Fifi Cooper’s legal dispute with Ambitiouz Entertainment. Viewing the case as a systemic injustice, the EFF supported Cooper and negotiated an out-of-court settlement. This agreement restored her rights to perform her music and continue her career. Malema framed the intervention as a stand against inequity rather than a personal endorsement of the artist.

2020-present

After the departure from Ambitiouz, she founded her own record label ''Mo Cooper Records'' and later released her first album. The 21 track album titled "Take Me Back" which includes songs such as "Freedom & "Zwagala", features the likes of Thabsie, Moozlie, Towdeemac and Leon Lee. In November 2020, Fifi Cooper released her first single "Net So" off of her upcoming 2021 album titled Chapters. The music video for "Net So" which was shot by Mo Cooper Visuals, is also written & directed by The Boss Lady herself. On 11 March 2021, her single "Motlogeleng" was released.

Artistry

Regarded by the local media as the "Motswako first lady", Fifi Coopers' musical versatility can see her rap and sing. Credited as the vocalist on Khuli Chana's hit single "Mnatebawen", she does the

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and

Motswako Motswako is a subgenre of hip hop originating from South Africa additionally prominently popularized in Botswana. Mafikeng, the genre's origin point, is located close to the border of Botswana, where Setswana (Tswana) is predominantly spoken simi ...

genres of music. In an interview with ''YoMzansi'', Fifi Cooper describes her style of rap as "unpredictable, punchy and hearty".

Discography

Studio albums

As lead artist

Personal life

Fifi Cooper is a single mother, she has a son named Resego.

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Fifi 1991 births Living people South African women rappers South African women singer-songwriters South African singer-songwriters People from Mahikeng South African hip-hop musicians English-language singers from South Africa