They always say Zulu men are ‘
stubborn and always right’. Last night I came very close to believing that.
We were jamming in true Durbanite style and by that I mean we enjoyed a very good sandwich in the middle of Natal.
The slicesFirst we met up with a maskandi artist who is apparently very good with his guitar. He is from Kwa-Mashu and he has been famous for a very long time. Me thinks he should be in the ranks of the Oliver Mtukuzis of this world. Whenever someone is introduced and you hear about the Shell Road to Fame you should know they have been in this game for a very long time and they know what they are doing. I just hope he is not one of those that die and we have to raise funds. This man has got real talent and I hope he is making money with it.
Plus his English is also on point. More on that later.
The other slice was
BIG NUZ. I’m not sure if they need any introduction. It’s those three guys that if you haven’t heard of them you would think the name refers to one person. Especially since one of them totally fits the BigNuz character with the bigtummy and all.
///hides///
And by the way, DJ Tira is only their producer – he is not part of the group. Yerrr...I think mna shem that when you make people big, or mentor them like they say he is you take a back stand kancane and watch them grow. Clearly that’s not what happens in Durbs. DJ Tira appears in all videos of these people... when they perform he is there... when they win an award, he runs to the stage with them. Is that normal? Maybe I’m just not schooled in these things.
Anyway, back to the jam.
The Revelation: Big Nuz is given the maskandi CD. They love it. Though they don’t know Bongani himself, they love the music! They will be very happy to collaborate and they are already seeing the masses dancing to the song on Christmas. Wa dlala wena!
Bongani is also given Big Nuz to listen to. Yhu! Clearly this Durban kwaito is dynamic... udiBongz is already singing along to the song. He is ecstatic. He can’t wait to put his guitar into
ngifun’ukbahappy.
Then they come together to bring the two slices together.
Fireworks!
It’s true when they say Chemistry breaks any barriers. The two artists took off like a house on fire. The music was good... the sense of humour was great and the chosen song was “Ntombenhle”.
Like a true Zulu man Tira was already envisioning the ntombi bringing him food on a tray.. saying... “
yebo, baba” and no, I didn’t take offense. I am certain these were just boys having fun.
Already they jump into the studio coz they think they have a song... so why wait? They get into studio and put the song down. They are pleased with their work.
This is when the voice that narrates the show said: “
We hope they will be able to record on day 4 when it matters” Tjo!
And the following day we come to what the show calls...
Spreading the jam. The artists are taken to Moses Mabhida Stadium for them to have a little fun and bond. They meet this madala who tells them what they coming to do is not play ball. In fact, what they are gonna do requires a different kind of balls. He says this showing with his hands. And at this point I see
Zapiro’s COPE Cartoon appear before my eyes. LOLLEST
So yha... Bongani was very excited about the task at hand... signing consent forms without reading them n’all.
They were going to bungee jump. I think that’s what it is.
BigNuz comment:
A rope is a rope, mfana. You see if there was a prize to it...say if we jump we get R3million I wouldn’t even think twice..I would have signed njengoBongani... and they burst out laughing. "
Now I can’t put my life on a rope. That’s a big risk. Let Bongani represent the collab."
After a while though they gave in to the jump...and thought it was fun.
Fast-forward to day 4...
Making The Sandwich.
Remember that they have a song ready nhe.. bona they have rehearsed and rehearsed and the song is done. All they have to do is get into studio and put it down, officially.
One, the boys are late, Bongani is early.
Two, there’s a little girlie there who is supposed to be the engineer slash music producer.
Obviously Tira the mentor is there too so the little girlie is totally overtaken as Tira takes over. He sits on her chair and does the recording. The little girlie’s voice is shut out completely. Durban Culture takes over. They know what they are doing and the bottom line is the little girlie’s studio is not suitable to do such a recording as theirs.
The thing with the little girlie’s studio was that it was closing Bongani is a little’nyana box where the group wouldn’t see him... they were recording each instrument separately (
which I suppose the boys are not used to) Also, the little girlie’s studio doesn’t have a certain screen that is supposed to show the recording as it happens. Basically, the little girlie’s studio is of an old style and uses old ways which the Durban boys just can’t adjust to.
The verdict: They are going back to their studio to record the song.
The result was a really good sandwich with a Durban flavoured jam. And I definitely wouldn’t mind being caught dancing to it.
All in all.. I totally enjoyed last night's episode. Big Nuz and Tira are totally hilarious. And Bongani too - with his English. He was going on in English in the little girlie's studio just so that the little girlie would know whats happening since Tira and them had taken over. The picture of the little girlie looking confused over Tira's shoulder in her own studio doesn't wanna leave my mind. lol
The jam is really good, shem... And I have been listening to it this morning.
Enjoy the song.
You might see the little girlie appearing on the video, nhe. with head phones and all. If you do, dont think she made much music. I wonder if the production company will be paying her. Phela the song was recorded at Tira's Afro studios anyway...