D’BANJ & BIG NUZ LIGHT UP THE ALL STAR LINE-UP FOR MTV AFRICA ALL STARS KWAZULU-NATAL WITH SNOOP LION
D’Banj (@iamdbanj) and Big Nuz (@BigNuz_Afro) are the latest urban megastars set to electrify music fans at MTV Africa All Stars KwaZulu-Natal with Snoop Lion. The first ever MTV Africa All Stars concert, staged by MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) and KwaZulu-Natal Province, takes place at the Moses Mabhida Stadium (@MMStadium), People’s Park in Durban on 18 May. Charismatic Nigerian singer-songwriter and crowd-pleasing live entertainer, D’Banj has risen to stardom thanks to his innovative fusion of AfroBeat, AfroPop and AfroFusion sounds, delivered in a combination of Yoruba, English and Pidgin English. The self-styled “koko master” and multimillion selling recording artist achieved global attention thanks to his 2012 smash-hit “Oliver Twist”, which sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and debuted at number 9 on the UK National charts just behind the likes of Rihanna and Tulisa. Inspired and influenced by the late AfroBeat maestro Fela Anikulapo Kuti, D’Banj has won a whole host of awards including Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007, Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009, the BET Awards of 2011 for Best International Act and Best African Act at the 2012 MOBO Awards. Fresh from their appearance at the MTV Africa All Stars tour in Nairobi, Kenya are the undisputed kings of kwaito, Big Nuz, the insanely talented trio that comprises Jojo (aka Mampintsha), Mzi (aka Danger) and Sbu (aka R Mashesha). Since forming in 2002, these awards-winning Durban homeboys have confidently transformed the South African dance music landscape, growing under the guidance of their mentor, DJ Tira, and gracing innumerable clubs and stages at home and abroad with banging dancefloor favourites such as “Umlilo”, “Ntombenhle”, “Serious” and “Newlands West”. D’Banj and Big Nuz join Snoop Lion (@SnoopLion), Fally Ipupa (@fallyipupa), Professor (@professorkalawa), 2Face (@2faceidibia), Flavour (@2niteFlavour) and Zakes Bantwini (@ZakesBantwiniSA) on the bill for the concert. Additional exciting artists will be announced shortly. Doors for MTV Africa All Stars KwaZulu-Natal with Snoop Lion open at 17:00 CAT on Saturday 18 May, and the first performance starts at 18:30 CAT. To get your tickets for MTV Africa All Stars KwaZulu-Natal with Snoop Lion, priced R40, go to Computicket outlets, the Computicket website (www.computicket.com), the Computicket call centre (0861 915 8000) or branches of Checkers, Checkers Hyper and House & Home stores (see Computicket for terms & conditions). For an awesome preview of what to expect at MTV Africa All Stars, check out the highlights of the MTV Africa All Stars club tour, airing on MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) from 10 May. Featuring high octane performances from Africa’s biggest live performers, the series takes music fans on...
Zakes Bantwini & Flavour To Rock Durban With Snoop Lion.
Durban/Lagos, 18 April 2013: South African house sensation Zakes Bantwini (@ZakesBantwiniSA) and Nigerian high life guru Flavour (@flavournabania) are to join the “all star” line-up at MTV Africa All Stars – KwaZulu-Natal, the sensational open-air concert brought to you by MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) and KZN Province. Bantwini and Flavour will join US entertainment icon and multi-platinum hip hop star turned reggae artist Snoop Lion (@SnoopLion) aka Snoop Dogg, at the 5-hour open air concert at the stunning Moses Mabhida Stadium, People’s Park Durban on 18 May. After his continental smash hit “Nwa Baby Remix” and his massively successful collaborations with Tiwa Savageand Fally Ipupa, high-life artist Flavour N’abania, aka Chinedu Okoli, continues to be Africa’s most requested artist, regularly collecting frequent flyer miles whilst jetting across the continent and as far afield as USA and Europe. He’s also become a regular fixture in Dubai and the Far East. Zakes Bantwini is without a doubt South Africa’s most prolific live performer: there is not a single stage in South Africa that this music mogul and leading light on the SA music scene has not killed! His songs “Wasting My Time”, “Bum Bum” and most recently “Karolina” have been burning up airwaves across the continent and have all been remixed by some of the biggest names in house. Speaking on behalf of MTV Base, Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa, commented, ‘We are delighted to welcome two such popular artists as Zakes Bantwini and Flavour to Durban’s shores for MTV Africa All Stars – KwaZulu-Natal. With Snoop Lion already confirmed, all eyes are going to be focused on KwaZulu-Natal as we put our hearts and souls into making this the music event of the year!” MTV Africa All Stars – KwaZulu-Natal will air on MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) and partner TV stations in Africa from Saturday 25 May 2013 (Africa Day). More details of MTV Africa All Stars – KwaZulu-Natal, including additional performers and ticket prices and outlets will be announced shortly. To find out more about the MTV Africa All Stars, please go to www.mtvbase.com, join us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/MTVBaseVerified, or follow us on Twitter @MTVBaseAfrica, using the hashtag#AfricaAllStars. Gagasi FM is the official radio partner of MTV Africa All Stars...
MAMAs nominees – MTV BASE
The website is gorgeous, the range of Pan-African musicians nominated cuts across genres and (stale) stereotypes (no longer relevant in today’s futureforward music industry) and the best part of all, you, the fan, get to vote for your favourite African artists online… SO GET CLICKING ASAP… We’re impressed with the first taste of the MTV Mama’s that will take place on the 22nd November 08 in Abuja, Nigeria… Our only confusing question is how the hell did Coldplay, Alicia Keys and Rihanna make this list??? Maybe it cuts across continents too… Here’s the official PR: MTV Networks Africa have announced the contenders for the first ever MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain (MAMA). The nominations for the inaugural pan-African music awards ceremony were revealed at a VIP soirée at Planet One, Lagos, Nigeria by Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, MTV Networks Africa and Norman Moyo, Chief Marketing Officer, Zain Nigeria, in the presence of nominees D’Banj, Wahu, DJ Cleo and Naeto C. Selected by an independent voting ‘academy’ of 150 music professionals and opinion formers from 30 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the nominations for the MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain showcase the wealth of musical talent that Africa has to offer, and provide the ultimate vehicle for young Africans to salute the African and international artists that rock their worlds. Heading the nominee list with 5 ‘nods’ from the MAMA nominations academy are Nigerian R&B duo P-Square (Best Group, Best Live Performer, Best R&B, Best Video and Artist of the Year), closely followed by triple nominees D’Banj (Nigeria) and HHP (South Africa), who go head-to-head in the Best Male and Artist of the Year categories. Wahu (Kenya) and Asa (Nigeria) share the honours as the most nominated female artists with two nominations each for Wahu (Best New Act, Best Female) and Asa (Best Female, Artist of the Year). Topping the country roll of honour with 18 individual nominations is South Africa, closely followed by Nigeria (16 nominations). Kenyan artists scored three nominations: Jua Cali for Best Male and Wahu for Best New Act & Best Female. Ghanaian artists were recognised in two categories: Best Live Performance (Samini) and Best New Act (Kwaw Kese), while Mozambique, Gabon, Tanzania and Uganda all scored one nominee with recognition for Professor Jay (Tanzania), East Africa Bashment Crew (Uganda), Movaizhaleine (Gabon) and Dama do Bling (Mozambique). US, and European artists are represented in three categories with nods to Akon, Rihanna and Alicia Keys for Best R&B, while rappers The Game and Lil Wayne both feature in Best Hip Hop. Prominent in the Best Alternative category are British rockers Coldplay, competing...
Get ready for the MAMA’s – MTV Africa!
Our dedicated scribe of the moment, Reuben ‘The Matrix’ Malema, attended the MTV press announcement of the ‘MAMA awards’, MTV’s pan-African music awards brought to you by MTV and their sponsor ZAIN (a telecommunications company…). He reckons healthy competition is the way forward to uplift and keep on diversifying and enriching our music scene, we have to admit, we agree! See our photostory at our RepresentFlickr set here. Read all about the event below – the official media release follows. Sharpile RTMM! It’s official, MTV Networks Africa is here! And if all the over-the-top hoo-hah of Tuesday night has any truth to it, then the end for the MTN SAMA Awards is definitely not nigh but rather in a very real way so resoundingly here. The setting of MTV’s “take-over-Africa” spectacle was the Japanese themed Tokyo Sky of Fourways, Johannesburg. Ja, the ambiguity was very clear: the guillotine’s blade has gut-gushingly fallen on the video-jockey controlled entertainment industry in this part of Africa! I have to admit though, with all the fine sushi, on the house liquor en masse (Double Remmie Martin and Lemonade…one more please sir!), the glitz and splendour that was blatantly flaunted, the Network has a lot of credibility and plenty to offer Africa’s musicians in sharp contrast to the MTN SAMA Awards that favours the same few artists all the time and only focuses on SA. Let us not forget the controversy-riddled quagmire of the recent MTN SAMAs which did not help the situation either, in fact if anything – this year’s SAMAs managed to quicken the event’s long awaited coup de grace. Competition is often a healthy thing and in this case it’s long overdue. The Media targeted event (Nou Ek Spog!) had the makings of a typical TRL show on MTV Base. The MC was as chirpy as all the free flowing video mouthpieces on the network’s channels. The program direction was lively with a twist of spring. The audience (le paparazzi!) was very receptive, although at one stage a tad disappointed (we’ll come back to this one…). Mr. Alex Okosi, a Nigerian born, American raised, British groomed and now South African Corporate Executive is the driving force behind MTV Africa’s no-holds-barred takeover bid. His passion and inspiring vibrancy is believable enough to prop-up one’s expectations of the fresh wave of reprieve that has at last beached on our shores. An array of Dj’s and musicians were bopping away, including Cleo, KB, boys from Skwatta Kamp and Brickz. One particular artist caught my attention, the 12 year old In-cha who is an ingenious (lest I be tempted to declare her a maestro) violinist....
MTV Alert Concert in Retrospect
You know Represent is all about the people – one of our readers, Donna, sent in her take on the MTV Alert concert – Thanks D – enjoy readers. We hope all our winners had a wonderful time, Editorista and her chomees certainly did! Big ups MTV for the give-away and a fab night. Black men can mosh… … and white men can jump, the audience proved two Saturdays ago at the MTV Mot… orola concert in New Town. The party was flavoured with an incredibly mixed crowd, a variety of different bands and crossover of music genres from the hard rock of the Springbok Nude Girls through to the hip sounds of Jozi and kwaito legend Zola. The tent venue on Mary Fitzgerald Square was split into a swanky MTV style VIP area with plush white couches and viewing balcony that I was enviously admiring from the ‘ordinary’ people’s area just in front of the stage. The VIP area was crammed with beautiful, important people but front of stage was where the action and atmosphere took shape and the crowd certainly made the party. And while so many elements of the concert were great – the fun-loving crowd; the well designed and decorated venue; the ever cool MTV brand; the fast, friendly and reasonably priced bar service; the staging, screens, lighting and firework effects were impressive and the line-up looked like a great overall representation of South Africa’s music scene – I couldn’t believe that the organisers did not understand the mixed nature of the audience and could get the running order so wrong and as a result lose the crowd. Knowing the MTV brand, I was expecting a slick, professional show with spicy variety oscillating between rock, kwaito and hip hop to keep the crowed hyped. The concert started quite late at around 23h30 with opening bands Jozi and 985 getting the crowd jumping with their short, high energy sets. The length of time then given to the rock bands Springbok Nude Girls, Prime Circle and Barney Simon ensured that by 2am over half the crowd had lost interest, energy, were tired and decided to go home. As for the performances, Jozi was very tight and slick and 985 put on a good show but unfortunately the same can not be said of the band that I was really excited to see perform, The Springbok Nude Girls. Their opening with 3 ‘unknown’ songs ensured that even the most hardcore Nudies fans were looking around and raising their eyebrows in confusion! It felt like an arrogant performance but the fans forgivingly started to jump around when the hits...
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