After stepping away from music for several years, Eswatini hip-hop artist and producer Def Wood$ is finding his way back to the part of himself that he had put on pause.
His latest single, “Empty Plates”, marks the beginning of a new chapter for the independent artist and serves as the first release from his upcoming album, Meals Without Dessert. Set to arrive in September, the project reflects a period of uncertainty, responsibility and self-reflection, while introducing listeners to an artist who has no interest in being confined to one sound.
“I’m honestly just someone who uses music to make sense of life and express things I probably wouldn’t know how to say otherwise.”
His sound moves between alternative hip-hop and jazz influences, but for him, the common thread is authenticity. Rather than creating music simply to fit into what is happening around him, he draws from his own experiences, thoughts and circumstances.
That approach is particularly evident in Meals Without Dessert. The album’s title uses food as a metaphor for life, with dessert representing the rewards, success and sweeter moments people spend their lives working towards. Sometimes, however, those rewards do not arrive when expected.
For Def Wood$, the absence of dessert is not necessarily a tragedy. It is about learning to appreciate what is available while continuing to move forward. “It’s no sugar, just the real stuff,” he explains, describing an album built around the good, the bad, uncertainty and hunger.
The project begins with “Empty Plates”, a song centred on the feeling of wanting more and not only materially, but from yourself and from life. Its uncertainty reflects the experience of working towards something while questioning whether it will eventually pay off, a feeling Def Wood$ believes many people can recognise.
As an independent artist and producer, he has also maintained control over the project’s creative process, producing every song on the album. While handling so much himself can be challenging, it has allowed him to understand the project as a complete body of work, from the production choices to why each song belongs on the album.
His independence has also taught him that building a career extends beyond making music. Relationships, patience and understanding how to navigate the industry have become part of the process.
Coming from Eswatini, Def Wood$ is also conscious of the need for greater attention on the country’s hip-hop scene. While the local industry may be small, he believes its artists have stories and perspectives that deserve to travel beyond its borders.
“There’s a lot happening here if you actually take the time to listen,” he says.
For Def Wood$, Meals Without Dessert is ultimately less about making an immediate impact and more about documenting where he is now. After becoming a father, taking on a job and stepping away from creating, returning to music became a way of reconnecting with a part of himself he had lost touch with.
The album is therefore a return as much as it is a release. There are no promises of overnight transformation, just an artist telling his story on his own terms and making music that feels honest to where he is today.