Channel O has announced the addition of a Best African DJ category for the
2006 Channel O African Music Video Awards to be held in October.
The category features the crème de la crème of Africa's DJs. All of the nominees have played at Channel O parties throughout the continent and have become associated with Channel O.
The nominees for the Best African DJs are:
DJ Fresh
DJ Stylez
Jimmy Jatt
Ready D
DJ Bego
DJ Waxxy
The DJs are scheduled to have a showdown on Channel O's
O-Boma starting the week of Monday, 2 October to Friday, 8 October. The DJs will spin their wheels of steel and viewers can vote via sms or the Channel O website for their best DJ.
As a bonus, all the DJ's will be playing at the awards after party on Sunday, 15 October to showcase the skills that got them nominated in the first place.
The event will be recorded live and broadcast on Channel O on Sunday, 22 October at 20h00.
The full DJ information is as follows:
1. DJ FreshDJ Fresh has 13 house albums under his belt and has shared a DJ booth with international names including Little Louis Vega, Frankie Knuckles, Armand Van Helden and Dominic Spreadlove.
He has played at the legendary Ibitha and was among a team of South African DJs who performed at the Masters At Work party at the Miami Winter Music Conference in 2002.
Not only is Fresh a respected DJ, he's also an entrepreneur. Apart from launching his company Big Dawg Productions, he's established the DJ Fresh Annual Scholarship programme, which awards tertiary scholarships to deserving students who cannot afford it.
2. DJ BegoThe DRC-born DJ has played at numerous events, most notably the Big Brother Africa party held in Club Uhuru, the World Cup trophy at the Dome and the Kora Awards Opening Ceremony in 2005.
Bego is a resident DJ at Club Moloko and has a great ear for music catering for all with his variation of R&B, hip-hop, house, jazz and a bit of Latino.
3. DJ StylezThe Kenyan-based DJ defines himself as "an artiste driven by passion". He honed his skills from the age of 15, using some old turntables that his friend had in his garage.
Six years later he partnered with a friend called Sheel to start a unit called Skratchaholics which pioneered the art of entertaining via dee jaying, instead of just being people who played music in the back ground.
Stylez has now formed CodeRED, an entertainment company that has organised parties for the Kisima Awards show and the East African Motor show among others.
He is a radio jockey on Nairobi's Capital FM and has been instrumental in breaking artists like Prezzo, Bamboo and Mau Mau in Kenya.
4. DJ Jimmy JattJimi Amu a.k.a DJ Jimmy Jatt, is revered for his role in setting the pace for hip hop music across his country, Nigeria, dating back from the early 90's when he jumped on the scene.
Hip hop gigs grew bigger when Jimmy hooked up with DJ Raves in major university campuses across Nigeria, appealing to the kids of the elites and hip hop disciples who were die hard fans of radio jocks. His events became the Mecca of hip hop where hip hoppers across the country converged.
He has played at major international gigs including, among others, The Tupac and Biggie (Notorious B.I.G) remembrance concerts, Akon, 50 Cent and Sean Paul concerts to mention a few.
He is currently the official DJ for the play safe national campus tour in Nigeria, poised for warring against unprotected sex.
5. Ready DPerhaps better known as the DJ for Prophets of the City, Ready D has won the SA Dee Jay Mixing Championships four times and won the DJ of the Decade award. He competed twice in the world DJ Championships and finished in the top ten positions.
Ready D has accompanied the Channel O's Urban Massive crew in gigs around the continent. He has performed alongside international acts like the Public Enemy, Fugees, and Ice T to name a few.
Ready D is rated amongst the top 30 hip-hop DJs in the world.
6. DJ WaxxyOne of Jimmy Jatt's protégé's, Waxxy started Dee-jaying in 1991 and came to South Africa in 2001 through a DJ exchange programme between YFM and Rhythm; a radio station in Nigeria.
Now he is one of the country's most sought after wax masters of cutting edge R&B; dancehall and Ragga.
Waxxy has spun discs around the world and shared DJ booths with the likes of Jazzy Jeff, Kut Killa and triple World DMC Champ DJ Craze, although he counts his best gig as the one in Brussels; Belgium, alongside Sean Paul in 2003.
He is a resident DJ on Channel O's O-Boma and The 411; and has been instrumental in showcasing Bass-ment, a show which not only mixes audio, but video as well. He has played at Channel O parties across the continent, including the Nokia Face of Africa after party held in Sun City recently.
Waxxy says the best thing about being a DJ is "having the power to make people dance, to make them happy - to reach out to people".