Less beef more chicken
17 May 2019 | Columns
I am starting to question the existence of the game five years from now. What will the scene be like? Will we have another Big Ben or Kanibal or will we have a flood of artists who speak little or no content in their music?
Will we have another real competitive beef or are Exit, King Tee Dee and Gazza the standard now? Will we ever have a surge of lyrical artists killing it at the same time or will we have been reduced to artists whose dance skills are better than their content? Music has always been a battlefield where artists used to represent their towns, their crews and how they see themselves being better than the next musician. This used to be a whole culture; a culture where pride used to be at the heart of the game and winning awards or battles was the most exciting feeling for artists and their fans, a feeling similar to securing a deal.
In the beginning the Exit, King Tee Dee and Gazza beef was entertaining and exciting because we'd never seen beef get this serious in Namibian music on social media platforms. It was fun and entertaining; no lie. But personally I think it has gotten to a point where it is exhausting for the fans and also the other players in the industry. If this thing continues, it will keep the spotlight on these three heavyweights and will trend on our social media timelines, while there are other artists doing amazing things who do not get the attention they deserve. Not to mention that because the industry is small and everyone is connected, it's forcing people to pick sides whether they want it or not and that is not cool. A couple of people have been sucked into this whole thing by association to one of the guys involved - consciously and subconsciously.
We get it that Exit is a talented lyricist who sometimes enjoys antagonising social media trolls, and King Tee Dee and Gazza are veterans who have chosen not to respond to this with a diss song. It's time to bury the hatchet and give the rest of the music game space to flourish.
In this issue we shine light on producer and singer Sean Blizzy and how he is revolutionising the sound in his region. Another feature to look forward to is on Julia 'Boss Lady' Kadhikwa, a music promoter who is giving music fans opportunities to party with their favourite African stars; find out how she does it. A lot has been happening in other spheres of the entertainment scene as well. Makeup artist Hanna Nangula recently launched her cosmetic range; tjil was there and in this edition we share with you what went down. Donlu Africa also recently hit a million streams, a big milestone for the platform, and they are planning a big celebration; tjil has all the details for you. We also caught up with celebrated saxophonist Suzy Eises who was at an orchestra in London last week and she shares her experience with tjil. These stories and more in this edition, enjoy!
[email protected]
Will we have another real competitive beef or are Exit, King Tee Dee and Gazza the standard now? Will we ever have a surge of lyrical artists killing it at the same time or will we have been reduced to artists whose dance skills are better than their content? Music has always been a battlefield where artists used to represent their towns, their crews and how they see themselves being better than the next musician. This used to be a whole culture; a culture where pride used to be at the heart of the game and winning awards or battles was the most exciting feeling for artists and their fans, a feeling similar to securing a deal.
In the beginning the Exit, King Tee Dee and Gazza beef was entertaining and exciting because we'd never seen beef get this serious in Namibian music on social media platforms. It was fun and entertaining; no lie. But personally I think it has gotten to a point where it is exhausting for the fans and also the other players in the industry. If this thing continues, it will keep the spotlight on these three heavyweights and will trend on our social media timelines, while there are other artists doing amazing things who do not get the attention they deserve. Not to mention that because the industry is small and everyone is connected, it's forcing people to pick sides whether they want it or not and that is not cool. A couple of people have been sucked into this whole thing by association to one of the guys involved - consciously and subconsciously.
We get it that Exit is a talented lyricist who sometimes enjoys antagonising social media trolls, and King Tee Dee and Gazza are veterans who have chosen not to respond to this with a diss song. It's time to bury the hatchet and give the rest of the music game space to flourish.
In this issue we shine light on producer and singer Sean Blizzy and how he is revolutionising the sound in his region. Another feature to look forward to is on Julia 'Boss Lady' Kadhikwa, a music promoter who is giving music fans opportunities to party with their favourite African stars; find out how she does it. A lot has been happening in other spheres of the entertainment scene as well. Makeup artist Hanna Nangula recently launched her cosmetic range; tjil was there and in this edition we share with you what went down. Donlu Africa also recently hit a million streams, a big milestone for the platform, and they are planning a big celebration; tjil has all the details for you. We also caught up with celebrated saxophonist Suzy Eises who was at an orchestra in London last week and she shares her experience with tjil. These stories and more in this edition, enjoy!
[email protected]
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