Matt Rams Opens Up About ‘Meet Me at the Altar’ and the Legacy of the Rambani Story

In a time where music often moves fast and stories fade just as quickly, Matt Rams has chosen to stand still — to look inward and bring something that feels deeply rooted in where he comes from. The artist manager, who works closely with Una Rams, recently shared a heartfelt reflection about Meet Me at the Altar, the new album that has become a personal and cultural landmark for their family.

Matt words draw listeners into a story that begins far beyond the studio walls. He recalls being fascinated by Venda culture as a child, taking long walks with his father through the villages, learning what it meant to be a Rambani, and understanding the weight of that name. Those memories became the quiet foundation for the album and the moments that shaped his view of heritage and belonging.

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He admits he had always wanted to preserve that culture, though he didn’t know how. For years, he searched for ways to give it form, to hold onto the beauty of it for future generations. What might have once been a museum, he says, has now found its home in music. At the age of 24, while doing what he loves the most managing and creating Matt realised that this album could become that living museum, one that doesn’t stand still but moves, breathes and tells their story through sound.

Matt describes Meet Me at the Altar as a “sonic museum”, a space that captures who the Rambanis are and reminds the world that their story deserves to be told. The name “Rambani,” he shares, comes from his great-great-grandfather, a Musangwe fighter who walked through villages inviting people to watch him fight. Villagers would say “Rambani li tsuke,” which means “invite the multitudes.” Now, generations later, Matt and his family have given that phrase new meaning with an invitation not to fight, but to love, to believe and to fight for what they love.

The project, he says, belongs to those who came before and those yet to come. It’s a message carried through melody and memory — for the kids, the cousins and the children who will one day look back and know that the Rambanis were here. When the time comes that the voices behind it are no longer around, the music will still stand, holding that legacy in place.

Matt has been candid about the moments of doubt that surfaced during the creation of this project. He worried about how it would be received, the pressure to achieve more and the need to reach higher. Yet, along the way, the music itself became a reminder to pause, celebrate the small victories and honor the truth of his roots. Hearing his brother sing the vow and his father recite a praise poem—while their family’s totem was reborn through sound that was a dream realized: a legacy that feels both personal and enduring.

In his closing words, Matt Rams leaves a message that stays with you long after reading: “You never know how far a seed will grow until you sow it. Let love lead.” It’s a quiet reminder that Meet Me at the Altar is not just an album but it’s a gathering, a preservation and a celebration of everything the Rambani name continues to mean.