I hired nightclubs, smoked before I became born again – Pompi
MUSIC icon Chairman Pompi, has revealed that before becoming born again and a gospel rap guru whose lyrics now inspire faith and reflection, he led a very different life of hosting parties, hiring nightclubs and smoking, all while rejecting Christianity.
Pompi, real name Chaka Nyathando said faith once felt distant and even offensive.
His skepticism was prompted by his perception of history and faith.
Learning about the transatlantic slave trade where people were packed like cargo in ships while priests prayed above, he believed Christianity came with the colonisers.
“Before I was born again, I didn’t believe in God. Christianity offended me at the time. I just looked at it as propaganda and felt like Christians were brainwashed, and not curious about where the faith really came from,” Pompi confessed.
Appearing on KennyT One on One Podcast, Pompi stated that before knowing and believing in God, he just didn’t attend parties but hosted them.
“I didn’t attend parties, but I hosted them. I hired nightclubs and organised events with friends called ‘Blacklisted.’ I smoked, I partied, but I was also studying for a corporate career,” he recalled.
For Pompi, music was a way to express himself as an introvert while carving a place in the underground scene.
The turning point came in South Africa when music producer Madiva MT, impressed by his talent, offered to shoot a music video and cover all expenses.
When Pompi asked how he could repay him, Madiva told him to attend church for three Sundays.
That experience, he said, sparked his first encounter with the Holy Spirit and began his journey toward faith.
“At the time, I was an atheist and only believed in what I could see or understand. My encounter with the Holy Spirit made me realise there is more to life than knowledge alone. Even after that experience, I was still stubborn because I believe that real change doesn’t happen overnight,” he stated.
“That encounter made me start reading the word, because before that, I had never really paid attention to it.”
A year later, Pompi quietly committed his life to Christ in the solitude of his room.
According to him, his salvation journey wasn’t dramatic, and he sometimes feels hesitant sharing it with others.
He realised that relying only on knowledge had its limits and faith goes beyond what we can fully understand.
“I got to realise there is more beyond knowledge and that sometimes, we look for miracles but we live around miracles,” he added.
By Sharon Zulu
Kalemba January 31, 2026
