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Oskido

Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
Kalawa Jazmee supremo Oskido is going nowhere, as at 50, he is still strong and knows how to keep a crowd eating from the palm of his hands.

There was much evidence of this during his annual All White Party held at The Vista on Christmas Day, when he celebrated his 50th birthday and sampled his album 50 Degrees.

Dishing out hits like gifts Oskido showed that even at that ripe age, he still knows how to rock a night club. Talk of wine maturing with time.

For some, half a century is a time they start to wind down, preparing to enjoy pension, but for Oskido this is the ideal time to up the ante and keep his name relevant in the urban music jungle.

In the midst of SA hip-hop music, topped by the likes of Cassper Nyovest, Nasty C and Sjava, Oskido still has the nose to be in the mix of things and has aged like wine, maturing gracefully and showing off his skills on the decks.

The man has made a name for himself in South Africa, setting trends with Kwaito music that has been interwoven in the urban culture of South Africa and the region for so many years.

This is a man who’s behind artistes such as the Trompies, Heavy K, DJ Tira, Brothers of Peace, Mafikizolo and a whole lot of others that have been at the pinnacle of South African pop music.

In Zimbabwe and Bulawayo in particular Oskido is a darling to many.  He is followed religiously and his Kalawa Jazmee stable is a fan favourite.
Oskido has released many albums but this year he decided to celebrate his 50th birthday with one and dish out tracks from it.

He still has the energy of a 25-year-old and his performance shows that he will be in the game for a long time as he has stated that he would only stop when God tells him to.

And during that time he revealed that he was not making money off the Kalawa Homecoming Party as it was to give back to Bulawayo.

He revealed this at the Bulawayo Central police station on Wednesday where he got Nkululeko Nkala arrested after his joke of the availability of cheap tickets on the black market backfired.

Nkala, Khuliyo in music circles, made the joke on a WhatsApp group chat when he was asked where people could get tickets to the Homecoming Party.
After being dragged into the police station, Oskido is seen and overheard in a video shot by former radio personality Ezra “Tshisa” Sibanda saying he was not making money from the show.

“Do you know how much money we put in this gig? We don’t even make money. We’re trying to uplift local people, yet you mess up the show.”

Asked why they hold the show year in and year out yet not making money from it, Vusumuzi Siqalaba of XMO Squad said Oskido wanted to give back to Bulawayo.

“The Homecoming Party has put Bulawayo on the map. People now know that in December when you want to party in Zimbabwe; the homecoming party is the place to be,” said Siqalaba.

“It’s not about making money but for Oskido it’s about giving back to the community he loves. He wants people to have something to look forward to each year.”

He said it costs a lot to hold such a show.

“For a show of that magnitude the production of it already costs us $15 000 for stage lights and the screens, before we talk about venue hire, Zimra, National Arts Council, Censorship Board, Immigration and all. The money needed to hold it costs us more,” said Siqalaba.