D.Y.K – DID YOU KNOW?

D.Y.K   4 August 2021

 

SHA SHA

  •  She is an introvert despite being in the music industry.
  • Her love for music led her into joining the choir at a very young age and began taking piano lessons, which helped in her music composition and formations
  • She was introduced to DJ Maphorisa by her cab driver which helped kick start her music career
  • Her biggest fears are creepy crawlies such as bugs and spiders.
  • If she were not a musician, she would be a nurse.

 

DJ CAPITAL

  • Music festivals are DJ Capitals favourite shows to play.
  • DJ Capital is a three-time SA Hip Hop Award nominee and has opened for major international acts such as Usher, Wiz Khalifa, Lil John, DJ Drama, Deadmau5 and more.
  • Dj Capital prefers playing small towns over the big city clubs.
  • DJ Capitals first DJ break was back when he was in university, a headline DJ didn’t show up at the club he was at so he jumped at the opportunity and found himself behind the booth.
  • He dropped out of university in his final year to pursue DJing and told his parents by writing them a letter.

 

KWESTA

  • Kwesta quit school at the age of 16 to pursue a full-time music career.
  • In 2017 he was top of the list on MTV Base’s Top 10 Hottest South African Hip Hop Artists, a huge leap from his 9th position in 2014.
  • He listens to a wide range of music; from Eminem to Luther Vandross. Kwesta’s favourite Luther Vandross song is “Dance with My Father”.
  • He’s married to his long time girlfriend with whom they have a daughter. Both his wife and daughter share a birthday; Oct 13th which he got tattooed on his arm while in Nairobi for Africa Nouveau Festival.
  • The craziest place he has ever had to perform in a strip club

 

REASON

  • Reason worked as an art director at The Jupiter Drawing Room.
  • He divorced his ex-wife, Mosa Moeketsi, after seven years of marriage. It is alleged that the reason for their divorce was his love affair with Luthando Shosha, popularly known as Lootlove. However, a few days ago, the couple went their separate ways
  • In 2018, the artist almost lost his life in a tragic road accident. After surviving, he thanked God for granting him a second chance at life
  • Sadly, he lost his firstborn son, known as Obakeng, in 2013 after suffering from anaemia
  • He was the Hype Magazine’s King of the bedroom, including other five rappers in the country

 

KID X

  • He has loved Kwaito his entire life, but he fell in love with the hip-hop music genre ten years ago after listening to Eminem’s biopic 8 Mile
  • He was inspired to sign up in Cash Time Family by his friend Smashes. He left the recording label in 2014
  • Kid X looks up to South African artists Teargas, Pro Kid, and Proverb
  • He has a crush on Rihanna, the American popstar, and has even has posted pictures of her on his Instagram
  • He shares a brother-like relationship with his mentor, KO, because they are homies. 2020 has been a great year for KO because 5 of his songs were on Top 50 Radio monitor charts.

 

 NCT 127

  • Their name comes from NCT, which stands for Neo Culture Technology, a term coined by the head of S.M. Entertainment, and indicates the group has no cap on the number of its members.
  • Despite having debuted in July 2016, the group has already landed its full-length album on Billboard’s albums chart, debuting at No. 86 and becoming the second-highest-charting Korean boy band after BTS.
  • The group was named Apple Music’s latest “Up Next” artist, the first time for the streaming service to pick a K-pop act.
  •     Taeyong has a scar on his stomach which looks to be from an appendectomy. he also has a scar by his eye
  • Jaehyun can reach the highest notes in NCT 127. He doesn’t sing with them, but he can reach whistle notes

 

BUSISWA

  • At a very young age of 15, her passion for writing poems was full-fledged and her first poetry work was performed at the funeral of her grandmother when they relocated to Durban.
  • Busiswa works for Art for Humanity where she provides workshops for school children, as a means to develop an appreciation for poetry and visual arts
  • Busiswa believes that her best trait is the fact that she can write all day, every day and not run out of words as she is a great communicator.
  • She also did the song – My name is for Dj Zinhle
  • Busiswa’s ideal holiday destination is Jamaica.

 

MR JAZZIQ

  • His music influencers were his father and uncle, who were always in the company of famous musicians. He used to be around musicians such as Culoe Da Song, Shimza, and Oskido
  • By the time he turned fourteen, he was already spinning tracks. He was so good at it that he decided to kick off his DJ career. By the time he was turning sixteen, Tumelo had already started producing
  • The last proper physical record he bought, was Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III.
  • The first single he ever bought was 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin.
  • A trend that DJ Jazziq believes should end is people being rude and mean to other people on the internet for no reason

 

THE WEEKEND

  • The Weekend is trilingual, he can speak Amharic ( Ethiopian ), English and French
  • The Weekend says his trademark dreadlock hairstyle which was inspired by artist Jean-Michel Basquiat caused him to sometimes wake up with neck pain
  • Before he made it big, The Weekend worked folding shirts at an American Apparel retail store in downtown Toronto around 2010
  • After switching schools several times, The Weekend eventually dropped out of high school when he was 17, also persuading his best friend, La Mar Taylor, to join him. Along with another friend, Highly Alleyne, the pair decided to move into a one-bedroom apartment in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood.
  • Drake initially introduced The Weekend to his fanbase in 2010 by posting two of his songs on his October’s Very Own blog. In 2011 Drake asked him to appear on his Take Care track “Crew Love”.

 

YUNG SWISS

  • At 18, he moved out of his father’s house because he wanted him to play soccer, but Yung had a passion for music, an aspect that his father disliked.
  • Swiss’s ”Mayo” chorus which was freestyle on DJ Speedsta’s single is his highest-charting hit single as it was the most played record on South Africa radio stations for 12 weeks in a row, as well as being No. 1 on the African Chart on Beat 99 FM Nigeria.
  • Yung was actually not into music as a youngster however he was forced to listen to his mom’s music which he says has influenced his sound.
  • He was introduced to writing his own raps in high school when he found his best friend at the time’s rhyme book; he was hooked ever since.
  • Growing up Yung Swiss wanted to be a brain surgeon, then he wanted to be a pilot which then changed to becoming a soccer star until he eventually found  his passion for music

 

TELLAMAN

  • Tellaman believes his uniqueness lies in the fact that he’s not a hip-hop artist or an R&B singer but he can do both genres and others with ease without diluting the song
  • Tellaman was forced to go to church with his family and that is where he started singing
  • His first passion was playing soccer
  • He taught himself to produce for fun and ending up falling in love with it
  • Tellaman enjoys being compared to Chris Brown because he believes musically Chris is a superstar and one of the only artists in the world who can sing anything and feature on any song and make it a hit.

 

 DEVINE MAHARA

  • In the year 2014, he became the first award winner of Zimbabwe’s Got Talent.
  • His songwriting was inspired by the rich and natural environment of the town. From this journey countless personal songs originated.
  • He  was one of the many artists who recorded part of the song Because We Are during the first lockdown in 2020
  • Divine has been compared to some of his heroes – Marvin Gaye, George Ezra, Jason Mraz and Oliver Mtukudzi
  • Divine Mahara is a composer and  seamlessly combines folk, indie, pop and Americana with traditions borrowed from his Zimbabwean heritage.

 

BLAQ DIAMOND

  • The two Blaq Diamond artists come from the same township. They grew up in the same place as well, Ladysmith in KwaZulu Natal.
  • When Ndu and Danya were in high school, they used to rap battle on the school bus. It was pretty apparent that they were the strongest rappers in their time, and thus they naturally gravitated towards one another
  • Jeannie D from Afternoon Express complimented the duo and said that many people find their music relatable, and she admires how they keep it real in their music videos.
  • The first day the duo released their album in 2020 they were number one across all genres. It was a milestone for the two since they had been trying to grab people attention.
  • When they were choosing a name, they felt that their sound was exceptional and distinctive. Their history of coming from a small town also played a significant role in their decision. They have a story to tell, like that of a rare black diamond.

 

TEKNO

  • Tekno was helped by his father to develop his musical gift. At the age of 8, he was enrolled in a music school where he learnt and mastered the rudiments of playing the piano and guitar
  • He dated songstress, Chidinma Ekile. He also dated Tanzanian actress Elizabeth Michael and lastly Nigerian model, Agnes Masogange.
  • Tekno is a phenomenal music producer and is the one who produced one of Davido’s biggest singles “If”
  • The world’s premier music publication, Billboard suggested that Tekno will become the next Nigerian star to conquer America
  • In 2017 Tekno signed a deal with Sony Music Entertainment alleged to have been worth $4 million.

 

MAFIKIZOLO

  • The group originally had three members but one member was killed in a road rage accident in 2004
  • The members have known each other since childhood
  • They each went solo in 2008 to pursue their musical careers. Theo released 1 album and Nhlanhla released 2
  • If they weren’t in the music industry Theo would have been a radio personality and Nhlanhla a lawyer
  • Performing overseas is one of their biggest dreams because they are aware of their audiences abroad.

 

DJ STOKIE

  • DJ Stokie, whose career spans 20 years, was one of the first DJs to the one who pioneered the Amapiano sound.
  • He was selected as a finalist of the Mad Half Hour program featured on Joburg’s youth-based YFM radio station.
  • He started his career by playing for local pubs and parties until he got a big break in 2006 and didn’t earn much but was determined to make it work once he started being able to afford to buy groceries for his household.
  • DJ Stokie is also affectionately known as the “Kasi (township) Hero
  • He lost his mother at an early age, and grew up with his dad and uncle, he acknowledges that he received amazing support from them and they were the reason he fell in love with music.

 

KABZA DE SMALL

  • While starting out Kabza De Small didn’t have the necessary equipment to learn how to mix and use to fake his sets using a DVD player
  • Before pursuing music as a career, you would be surprised to learn that Kabza used to dance is’Puntsula with his friends in the township streets of Mabopane.
  • Kabza is a self-taught Fl studio composer and would lock himself in his room and proceeded to tinker with the Fruity Loops and  FL Studio programs  until he eventually mastered them
  • Kabza De Small has topped Spotify’s list of the most streamed South African artists in the country. Kabza also tops the list for the most streamed South African male artists in South Africa.
  • He kicked off his journey in the entertainment industry as a  DJ in 2009, as a young DJ starting out he would struggle to get paid and sometimes would be paid in beers.

 

JONAS BLUE

  • He started learning to play different musical instruments when he was 7 years old. He learnt to play the flute and the saxophone. Growing up, he developed an interest in mixing music and aspired to become a DJ and a music producer.
  • In between school and launching his music career Jonas Blue spent his time as DJ at a place called Harry’s Bar, he met Sam Smith there, while he was working as a bartender.
  • He originally covered Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’ because it was his mother’s favourite song when he was a child.
  • When he was 11 years old, he started his own DJing company called Body Groove Discos and would charge friends to play at their birthday parties
  • He is into classic cars and gets all of his cars in the colour blue his most recent purchase was a Mercedes 280SL Pagoda.

 

LEON

  • Leon’s voice is actually very deep, and people have told her that they can’t hear what she is saying when she talks.
  • She used to smoke a lot which impacted the sound of her voice.
  • Leon’s father is a composer, and her mother is a bass cellist, she grew up in a very music oriented family., Her aunt , uncle and sister sing as well
  • She was always encouraged to become a singer since she was a little girl which helped her shape the career she has today.
  • Leon was introduced to very diverse genres of music as a child and has said that her sound ranges from classical to neo-soul, from Scandinavian sounds to icons like Janis Joplin and Etta James

 

 TAKEOFF

  • He started making beats and developing rhythms in the seventh grade but didn’t start taking music seriously until 2011. 
  • Musicians run in the family. He is related to the other members of Migos. Quavo is his uncle and Offset is Quavo’s cousin. His younger brother YRN Lingo is also a rapper.
  • In March 2014, Takeoff, along with other Migos members, was involved in a shooting incident outside of Miami. Apparently, an unknown shooter fired upon the van carrying the hip-hop trio, from a parallel vehicle
  • He has been growing his dreads for 5 or 6 years. He tries to keep them natural and doesn’t care too much about them
  • He has never made any of his love relationships public. But one day the stripper London Dallaz posted pics with Takeoff in her bed, thus proving the fact that he slept with her. He was also shortly linked to Katy Perry.

 

DJ KHALED

  • DJ Khaled owns his own restaurant called Finga Licking, which is based in Florida. It’s famously known for its delicious chicken wings and red velvet cake.
  •  DJ Khaled has the same first name and last name which is Khaled Mohamed Khaled
  • He once found himself lost at sea once, but, luckily, he was able to get help from a number of locals who managed to get him back on dry land.
  • DJ Khaled is Palestinian-American. His parents made their move to the United States at an early age, knowing that, in order to provide a better life for themselves, the family needed to leave Palestine behind.
  • He worked as a DJ for a South Florida radio station called 99 Jams, and this job helped him to meet plenty of celebrities before becoming a famous producer.

 

NAS

  • He is part Nigerian. His jazz musician father, Olu Dara, is of Yoruba descent
  • In July 2013, Harvard University established the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship, which will serve to fund scholars and artists who show potential and creativity in the arts in connection to hip-hop.
  • Nas was nominated for a Grammy 13 times.
  • He was introduced to the hip-hop world as Nasty Nas, but his first moniker was Kid Wave.
  • Nas has a few acting credits to his name, including Belly and Black Nativity, but it’s a little-known fact that he turned down the lead role in Save the Last Dance.

 

JAY Z

  • 1. Jay Z and Busta Rhymes went to school together and once battled with each other in their cafeteria
  • 2. Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy featured on his song ‘Glory’ when she was just two days old.
  • 3. Jay Z is worth $500 million, according to Forbes.
  • 4. JAY-Z actually lived in London during the late 1980s.
  • 5. The FBI was called in when Jay-Z’s single ‘Show Me What You Got’ leaked online in 2006

 

TYLA

  • Kooldrink is the first producer she ever worked with, making the collaboration a very lucky pairing
  • Tyla nearly went down a whole other career path in Mining Engineering.
  • For Tyla, songwriting is the ultimate form of storytelling and she writes her music based on personal experiences  as well as if she was a different person
  • Tyla’s dream collaboration would be with be Wizkid or Doja Cat
  • She grew up listening to a lot of old school R&B which has shaped her sound. She drew a lot of her inspiration from artists like Cassie and Aaliyah.

 

KOOLDRINK

  • From a young age Kooldrink experimented with electronic music and became somewhat of a child prodigy, he was resident DJ on the 5fm Ultimix at the age of 13
  • At the age of 16, he played the main stage at the H20 festival and was offered a record deal at a major international label before even finishing school.
  • His dream is to take African electronic sounds to spaces like MainStage at ULTRA
  • At just 20 years old, Kooldrink has already worked on projects with Sho Madjozi, DJ Maphorisa, Rudeboyz, Diplo, Shane Eagle, Ganja Beats, Youngsta CPT and many more. 
  • Kooldrink reached out to Tyla to produce with her, however, was unsuccessful in his first few attempts but he was persistent which led to the creation of the hit song Getting Late in 2019.

 


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