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In the beginning SABC created ONE and gave it multiple presenters.
And the SHOW was without form, and void; and boredom was at the face of each viewer. 
And the weeping of the viewers moved upon the ears of the producers.
And a voice said, “Let there be light” and there was ANDILE! 

No, you’re not reading Genesis, Chapter 1; just Chapter 1 of my interview with Andile Ncube. Yes, the same one who has as much grandmas in his admirers list, as he does young chicks. The mama’s want him as their son in law, the chickitas want him as their baby daddy and the brothas want him as their adviser. They want to know how he does it.
“How does he exude so much respect and yet look so sexy?”
“How does he manage to keep the fun loving youth of Mzansi sitting down for a full hour on a Friday NITE?”
How does he do it? They wanted to know and my mission was to find out.

This is only Part 1 of what will most probably be, your first real look into The Man That Is Andile Ncube:

I know that the day I went to meet Andile was one of my luckiest days because so many wonderful things happened to me throughout that day and the first thing that I saw when I got to Urban Brew to see him, confirmed that the day was gonna end exactly as it started. 

Knowing Mzansi celebs (Khanyi & Kelly excluded), I had been stressing about the possibility that he may not want to talk openly about his “affair” with “Kenneth Mashaba’s wife” and that was one of the things I wanted him to talk about SO..

the sight of the petite beauty dropping him off in a snazzy black Beemer as I drove in, was definitely one of the highlights of my evening. I was like “Ya! Ndanibhaqa!” (Gotcha!)
Ag shame, I should not have stressed. He is anything but secretive about his love for the talented actress. 


More about that in Part 2, right now, this is about Andile, Music and his baby, ONE! 

Everyone buckled up? Here were go...

BS: First things first, thanx a lot for responding to my letter, much appreciated.
Andile: You’re welcome!
BS: I believe you also produce the show, we know what a presenter does but what does an Assistant Producer do?
Andile: Actually, I’m now the Producer and Sam Magagula is the Executive Producer.
BS: And the difference?
Andile: As the Producer I come up with the concept for the show, insets we’re gonna be showing, decide what videos we are playing that week and basically the actual production of the show. I’ll also do the editing, change this and that, if we don’t like it etc.

 (Guys, as you know the show is recorded live so he is referring to the pre-recorded stuff, e.g. interviews on the streets, insets etc.) 

The producer is the person that puts it all together and the person that I report to is the Executive Producer, and in our case, that’s the person that will attend meetings. I don’t do meetings much, I like doing the more creative stuff so he would go to the meetings, I’ll meet with the artists, talk about what they wanna do on the show etc. I’m more hands on, that’s what I do.

BS: Ok, in my letter, we briefly spoke about your (One’s) addiction to Kelly Khumalo has she got shares in the show?
Andile: If there is something between me and Kelly it’s only because we click…

BS: Ok, forget about you clicking with her, I’m talking about her being on the show all the time?
Andile: Actually, now that you mention it I’ll take a look into it. I hadn’t realized it was too much. It’s like saying, “Why is Khanyisile Mbau in the papers a lot?”, you have to look at what’s topical as well.
I respect Kelly Khumalo firstly as a musician, and if you listen to her first album you will hear why. I actually told Kelly that when she stops fooling around and focuses on her music, she will do far better than she is now. So firstly I think she’s a great musician... 
BS: That, she is.
Andile: And I think that the other stuff overshadows the talent. I will have her on the show because I believe she’s a great musician but I wasn’t aware that I have her on a lot but now that I’m aware, I will look into it. I mean, I have faults, I’m human.

BS: Do you realize how much power you have??
Andile: Yes, and that’s why I will not abuse it. My power is in an industry where we know that people will take money to make things big. I remain humble because I want to have my own opinion; I don’t want to be blind sighted because of this and that.
I said something last year that “If it’s big on ONE, it’s big eMzansi” and it’s true because you ask yourself “Why is One all of a sudden so influential in what happens to record sales?” It’s because people at home have gotten to trust me.

BS: I am happy about the fact that you are passionate about not-so-famous musicians too. My boys, Kofifi are a case in point.
Andile: Yeah, I figured just cos they aren’t big on YFM or in Celebrity circles, the album is still hott and I wasn't afraid to say that! 

And at the same time when Mandoza releases a crap album like he did with Phunyuka Bemphethe then I won’t have Mandoza on the show and I won’t play Phunyuka be Mphethe, it’s a crap song and it’s a crap album. 
Everyone should be at a level where they’re stepping up their game and getting better and better. I should be honest when I stand up there and say “Go get this album, it’s hott”, because the people at home expect it and they trust me to be honest. 

(Someone who knows Andile’s wrath at mediocrity is Brown Dash. When BD followed up the award winning Mthandazo Wabolova with a weak Dashboard, Andile tore him to pieces live on Television and asked him if he was tired of making real music! Yho, I was shocked but lord knows I had been saying the same thing but somehow telling a person live on TV that their “new” album sucked was definitely bold but I loved it, it needed to be said.) 



BS: I read an article where you told the interviewer that the show where you interviewed Pam Andrews was the worst because you did not feel her album and there was nothing newsworthy about her at the time?

Andile: There was nothing newsworthy about Pam at the time and when we did the interview she had just left backstage and you’re not allowed to talk about ETV anywhere on SABC.
Her album was doing terribly; we were not hearing her songs on radio and I was actually disappointed at that interview coz I know Pam! She worked with Katlego (on Backstage) and she’s going out with Paul Viv who works right here and I mean, Pam comes here all the time and whenever she’s here, she’d come say hi and we’d talk so in my mind I thought we were gonna take all that and put it on TV but it didn’t happen.
I was more angry and disappointed at myself for not being able to transform that. The conversation with Pam was just not going anywhere man, I was like “Oh sh*t” and I remember one of our bosses at the time, calling and asking “Guys, why do we have Pam on?”
I mean she wasn’t even sure of her album, she was uncomfortable coz it was not doing well, So I wasn’t saying that it was a bad interview but I was disappointed that I was a bad interviewer. I didn’t bring out that crazy Pam that everybody expected to see and it was a bad interview because of that.

BS: Ok coz I was like “Why should it be about how he personally feels about a person’s album?”

Andile: No, It’s not about me. I always tell people that I don’t like their songs and they think it won’t be on the show but I explain that what I like or don’t like has got nothing to do with ONE. 
I hate Mgarimbe, but I played the song, it was on my top 5 coz people voted for it. 

BS: Why do you hate it so much?
Andile: I went to visit a friend of mine who stays in Tembisa View once and as we were standing there a taxi came to drop people off next to where we were and Sister Bethina was playing. When it left, kids were going “Khon’ ozo lahla” and I hated that! 
I mean, I have kids at home, I have a little sister, I have cousins , I have nephews and nieces that are young and they don’t need that kinda bullsh*t. 

They don’t need that kinda bullsh*t filling their heads, in a time & in a world where we’re worried about them when they go to the shops alone. That’s me. 

I don’t know if you saw the interview with him but when I asked him “Ndoda, the first thing we see when we open your album is “Thank you to God and in God we trust” but yet your product is that?”. And he said something about when Boyz to Men sing I’ll make love to you, we are like "aawww" but we frown at local artists singing in vernacular wara wara but for me it’s still a cheap way to make a buck out of something that’s killing the nation instead of building it. 

I really have a problem with the song, I don’t like it. He knows I don’t like it but I still had him on the show, and I invited him again on the Christmas show. There are songs I like on the album but that one I hate just because of what it is. 

BS: Hah shame and it’s such a cheap album. It’s only R36!
Andile: That’s another thing I hate about this industry. It’s ridiculous that an album in SA costs R100 or more. Jay Z costs R100 and DJ Sbu costs R100?
BS: No DJ Sbu’s cheaper. (eish, mistress uyathand' uku korekisha!) 

Andile: By how much? Why isn’t a CD only R50 so as to make it accessible to everyone and make it possible for everyone to buy the music?
BS: R50? No man! I think I bought DJ Sbu for R69 and you might just find that Pam Andrews is more expensive than DJ Sbu, which doesn’t make sense.

Andile: Yeah, like Jamali, I know is expensive but why should we buy an album made all the way over there & brought here, for the same price as we buy an album made and manufactured right here? 

BS: But Andile, when you check out how much the artist makes from one CD sale, it’s only like a few rands and even cents in the case of prices like Mgarimbe’s. 

Andile: Instead of R80 and selling 10 000 copies, if it was R50, how many copies do you think you’d sell? Many more!
BS: I don’t agree. I don’t think the price determines how many copies are sold, I don’t think so.
Andile: Really? Now the CD’s are R80 if they were R50, you’d just add R20 and you buy two CD’s for R100. I don’t understand why we pay so much but again we pay a lot for everything in this country and CD’s is just one of them.

BS: Ag shame but they don’t make much out of the sales.
Andile: Yeah, I know and I had a show about that once. I remember when Sbu Ma lawyer came on the show. I was so hurt. I remember dancing to Sbu with his song Ama lawyer lawyer….Sbu came to me and was like "Dude, I need your help, I don’t have a single thing" and I was like, "yeah, let’s see what we can do", and we did that show. I think when you’re down and out; your creativity reflects that too.
When Mariah Carey was down and out she went to chill and then when she was ready, came back with a hell of an album.
I mean if you go and see MaWillies right now, joe! ( I could actually hear the pain in Andile’s voice) When UMavusana from OudaMeesta comes to me and says “Bhut Wam ndicela undincende” and those are like people I grew up listening to.
I remember the OudaMeesta tape that I bought, it was blue my favourite track was with Ishmael (Starts Singing) This is S.K. double E.M with Oudameesta…


BS: Ooh, that was my song! It was called Zomba (I also start singing, yeah you know how I roll) Zombal, Zomba, Zomba yeah he Zomba!

Andile: So yeah, seeing him in the shape that he is in was very painful for me.
BS: Eish, and it’s not like there’s something you can do. If he’s working on something then you could try putting him out there but what do you do if he’s not doing anything?
Andile: People expect me to be a saviour, and I’m like “Damn, I wish I was, I wish I could help really.”

Silence…..

BS: So what criteria do you use to choose which video’s you’re gonna play? 

Andile: Unfortunately, we have to be lenient because we come across a lot of whack videos. DJ Sbu’s video for instance, I thought it was a bad video but how do you not play it? It’s the biggest song in the country!

BS: Ah for sure, you gotta play it.

Andile: Yeah and I’ve told them and I’ll say it again this week when we play the Jay Z video, I’ll say it that guys help us help you. Make videos that will make you stand out! 
For example, Arthur, hate him or love him but he makes damn good videos. He goes all out just to make good videos and the quality plus choreography in his videos is good and you gotta give him props for that. 

We have to be lenient because if we say we’re gonna play only videos that live up to the standard of American videos then we won’t play any local videos at all, forget it.

BS: I think they are trying though, TS Records is getting it right.
Andile: Yeah Ntando’s Nguwe was good.
BS: I also liked Brown’s Ayobayo, as well as Sash’s video.
Andile: Sash’s video is hott. Did you see the show when we played Bongo Maffin’s brand new one? With Stoan playing the lead?
BS: I saw it but didn’t like it Sorry!
Andile: But they’re doing concepts. The quality’s good and they’re doing concept.
BS: Hayi, I didn’t like it! I saw it with Stoan going up and down and at the end they get together with three CD pieces becoming one…aargh, did you like it?
Andile: I liked the concept & that they’re trying something different.

BS: You see, the one they did before that one was nice.
Andile: Oh No! Jabulani? Where you can see Stoan flying around and you can see the strings holding him?? No, I think we just liked the song.
BS: Ok, that too! Maar the video was much nicer than this one.
Andile: True. Recording companies need to invest more money into videos but I think for them it’s like SA”s not giving us any returns” so that’s why they only give out like R20 000 for one to shoot a music video. Low budget,

BS: Yho I have issues of my own about that.
Andile: Yeah, you can shoot a low budget video but do you remember Ntando’s Nguwe? It’s just Ntando walking in a field but it was nice!!!

BS: Yeah, mna I was more upset by Mina Nawe messing up a beautiful “Where I wanna Be” with a crappy video.
Andile: Oh, the one they did at the station? KC from Mhlobo we Nene said something about them on the show, he said, “Guys, all you have to do now, take your music and take your faces and just merge it.” And it was true. They make great music but ungabadlula nje apha.

BS: Yho, I saw that! You had an Afro Pop Special and the following week you did Kwaito, I was so happy!
Andile: Yeah we wanna do that every year. Every December we wanna play 100% local. I would have loved to start it earlier like do it from October, November, December.

BS: Yeah coz that’s when they start releasing their festive hits.

Andile: We’re gonna do December like that. Introduce all the new kwaito, all the new afro pop, all the new house, from doing it this year we’ve learnt a lot. Especially with House, we’ve learnt that you can’t just do House without doing it Jika Majika style.

BS: Oh, I missed the House special…
Andile: (Whispers) Don’t worry you didn’t miss much.
BS: Ha ha ha but it was only coz I don’t like House Music.
Andile: I like House when there’s someone who sings, not just an instrumental.

BS: Yeah man, the show has gone through many changes, is it very difficult to get a winning formula? It’s like there’s an experiment every week. What are you guys trying to do exactly? Not that I’m complaining?

Andile: When I started presenting there were 2 producers, one of them a guy called Tim who acted on the Show as Billy Bob, remember him? Obviously they did what they thought worked but I can tell you now that obviously it didn’t work. 

It was out of reach with the ordinary South African and nobody wants to see a dreadlocked white dude wearing shorts and talking crap, you know what I mean? When they left I became an Assistant Producer with two producers and they put their spin on it. Then there was my era with Thato...

BS: Who got fired…

Andile: As I was saying, there was an era with me, Thato & Sam and there was a totally different spint to it. Now it’s just me and Sam and we changed things but in March when we RE-LAUNCH, the show that’s gonna be there is gonna be there for at least a year before it gets changed. That’s because there’s gonna be a set formula whereas what we did now was to just put together what works.
So, we’re gonna be launching with a big bang. There’s a new format, there’s a new name of the Show…

BS: Let me guess, which you can’t talk about?
Andile: …Which I can’t talk about. Possibly One or two new presenters of the show.
BS: What do you mean new presenters? (I'm stunned, is he just testing my reaction?) 
Andile: I will still be there but I’ll play a very small part in the show. I’ll probably play a part where maybe every month I’ll come and play my top ten.

BS: Why?
Andile: We need a change man but don’t worry I’ll still be there, I’ll still be a presenter on the show but we need a gal and possibly a midget, y’know what I mean? We need to spice things up a bit.

BS: The way I’m loving the show right now, if there are gonna be changes, I don’t want them all at once, introduce them gradually and it’ll be cool. We don’t wanna get shocked. (Listen to me giving me instructions like it matters...dayyum!)
Andile: Yeah for sure. We’re not gonna be drastic I’ll be there. 

BS: But I think the name change is a good thing.
Andile: Yes, the name change and the graphics, those graphics drive me mad. When we re-launch we’re gonna stick to a formula like there’s an entertainment minute where we get to go around the world, check what’s going on in music and especially in South Africa where we don’t know that it’s Brickz’ birthday today.
Did you know you could listen to Metro and on the news you’ll hear that it’s Britney Spears’ birthday??? On the news bulletin!!

BS: Same thing when they do celebrity birthdays in the morning, it’s never about local stars! Or so and so’s kid from America.
Andile: I got mad when it was said in the news that Proof was dead. Who is Proof??? When Aba from Abashante died there was only this tiny article in a newspaper “Aba’s dead” and that guy died a tragic death! 

(That pain is back in his eyes)

Silence…. 

Andile: Eish..ya so there will be big changes in the show.

BS: Between now and the big changes? You’re not doing the charts anymore and the sms’s are still requesting for the songs.

Andile: Between now and March you’ll be seeing what you saw with Bongo Maffin & Trompies these past few weeks. The charts were only for the December period, to get everyone excited…

BS: Oh, kinda like a build up to the 31st to see what song would be played at 00:00
Andile: Yeah, it was more a build up to that than anything and I think more than anything we all knew that people voted and it was genuine votes, uyandiqonda?

Arthur, Thobela from EMI and a guy called Mpho from Sony would come here every week before we compiled to check the votes.

BS: Are you serious?
Andile: Yes, just to make sure that it was all above board so we’d work with them and they’d count with us that ok, Chomee, 300 etc. I’d do it with them every week.

BS: WOW! (Am not surprised about Arthur though, this sounds just like something he would do)
Andile: That’s how important it was to them. It was such a big deal to them and even the artists themselves. The guys would call and ask if they’re number one etc.

BS: Why do you think the show is so successful? I actually started paying attention when you took over and it wasn’t because you look…umm whatever…

Andile: (Laughs) Hayi bo, nyhani?
BS: Yes!

Andile: (Laughs)You know, the other day my mom was telling me that her friends introduce her as “Mama ka Andile” and they say I’m cute but she’s like “No, I’m not Mama ka Andile, my name is Nunu and I do have other kids" and then she asks me, “My son, since when have you been beautiful? Hayi iTV iyazenza izimanga!”

I think people see my honesty. Do you know why Zola is the most loved person out here? Cos he‘s honest. 
I think Zola opened up, showed us he’s honest with us and therefore we believe him.
I believe Zola and that’s why I’m honest on the show like I’m part of the viewer’s family. I could be your older brother, the cousin, I mean I’m not glam (Ok, clearly brotha is a Closet Metro Sexual, what does he mean he’s not glam?) but at the same time I’m not dodgy, I’m just a dude okhulele ekasi wahlala ema suburbs, which is the story of most south Africans. Wa geleze kuma Model C and abelungu bambiza Andy due to lack of knowledge, wavuma. I have qualms about that like OMG.

BS: I refuse to call you Andy.
Andile: Well I refuse to be called Andy.  I hate it and even my mom is like “Mntanam, wangu Andy ngoku? Andina mntana ongu Andy mna”. Andy’s one of those names like when people can’t pronounce your name and it’s like you’re not important enough for them to learn how to say your name so they will degrade you and call you Andy yet I say Justin just fine.

BS: Speaking of Justin, how true is the story that you refuse to buy International Music?

Andile: I refuse to buy it yes, I refuse to buy it but I do have it through the process of recording companies giving it to me. For every rand that I’m gonna spend, I’ll buy a local CD that I know has got one song that I love and let me hear the potential of the rest. I’d rather go and buy Kofifi as a birthday present for someone else coz I know I have it and they don’t have it.I’ll rather go buy Mafikizolo for an older person that I know would like it. 
I don’t see why I should be taking my money and pumping it so far for people who get here and are so arrogant! For people who get here and they don’t give *bleep!*. For people who get here and give us lousy 2nd grade performances. Just take our money and go!

I mean when I know ukuba Mapaputsi sweats in the studio and read about his car getting repossessed or read about it, why don’t I take my money and give it to him?

(Phone rings and he goes: “I’ll only answer this if it’s Katlego. Ok, private number, they’ll call again later” Hee! then he continues) 

If I’ve got all the local albums I want and I feel like buying Pink, I’ll go out there and I’ll buy Andile Gaelesewe or go buy Jamali for my little sister. I’d rather feed and reinvest and sometimes I’m like yho, I want that Jay Z album but it’s a sacrifice that I’ve chosen to make.

BS: So you really really don’t?
Andile: No. I don’t buy a single copy. I’d rather go to Reliable and buy an old DVD ka Deliwe. OhI had the biggest crush on her when I was a kid!

BS: What is your favourite local TV programme? Besides ONE & Generations?
Andile: Stokvel! I love Stokvel. Do you watch it?
BS: No, if I find it on maybe.
Andile: You must watch Stokvel, I absolutely love it.

BS: I hear Katlego Danke is your favourite actress?
Andile: I loved her as an actress before she was my galfriend......

You know you gotta catch part 2 hear how the rest of this conversation goes, right? 

I'm sure you also want to know what Lil Missy over here has to do with Andile's interview? Well, let me just say: Her name gets mentioned somewhere and you gotta check out Part 2, Andile spits fire!!! 

Keep it locked to Shuga's Blogiwood for your Mzansi TV stars unlimited! Peace!

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