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URBAN BEATS With Bongani Ndlovu
EARLY this year, Bulawayo rap group Kasi Lunatics were linked to famed Kalawa Jazzmee head Oscar “Oskido” Mdlongwa.
The crew was said to have inked a deal with the highly successful record label which would have seen them record some of their material with South African DJ, Bobster.
The deal, on the surface, was hailed as groundbreaking and an indication of better things to come from the group. Kalawa has launched the careers of some of South Africa and indeed Africa’s biggest acts. For the best part of two decades it has been at the helm of South African music, providing nothing but the best in house, kwaito, afro pop and soul music.

Oskido’s own reputation is impeccable, with a slew of hits credited to his name from his days as the Brothers of Peace’s front-man to the current era of kwaito and house which has seen him link with the likes of Uhuru and Professor to create some dance floor shaking hits.

Forever alert to the changing tastes of youths, Kalawa has recently created a hip hop division dedicated at exploiting the rapidly expanding genre, with former Cashtime member AB Crazy at the forefront of the label’s thrust into the genre.

It is against this background that many hailed the deal between Kalawa Jazzme deal as groundbreaking for not only the four-man Bulawayo crew but also other rap acts in the city.

The crew’s success was expected to spearhead further success for other acts in the city, as the move would open more doors for similar artistes. Bulawayo hip hop has failed to make much headway into the country’s music scene and some expected that the move south of the Limpopo would herald better fortunes for city artistes.

However, as the months have rolled by and the proposed deal has seemed to stagnate, things seem to be going sour. Last week Kasi Lunatics were reported to have penned a “letter” in the form of a song castigating Oskido for his failure to see the deal through. The crew has waited months to see the deal come to fruition, but the wait seems to have been in vain as they are still waiting to see progress on Oskido’s promise.

“Kasi Lunatics are supposed to be in South Africa right now as we speak. A lot of people have been asking us why we are still around and we are now tired of answering that question.

“We have decided to sing a letter to Oskido and the track is titled Oskido,” group member Milezy was quoted as saying.
While it is admirable that the group chose to put its concerns in song, one is also tempted to give a note of caution to them. Hip hop is a genre of self-expression and its practitioners generally address what affects them in song lyrics and the group cannot be faulted for following the genre’s long held traditions.

However, “dissing” Kalawa’s main man in this instance would seem to be a premature course of action.
While the crew’s sense of disappointment at how things are unfolding is understandable, it may be better for them to engage the South African label via more diplomatic means.

Oskido, with all his success in the music business is probably a busy man and maybe the group of young Bulawayo artistes has been flying beneath his radar for the past few months.

A song, however damaging or not its contents are, seems hardly the way to get his attention.
The proposed deal between the crew and Oskido brought them a lot of attention and they are now seen as leaders in the Bulawayo hip hop scene. How they handle this situation will give pointers to other artistes on how to handle themselves in similar situation in the future.

Oskido is a heavyweight on the African music landscape and the group would be advised to tackle the issue properly. While the quartet are certainly a talented bunch, there is no prize for guessing who stands to gain more from this proposed partnership.

Many artistes would kill to become a part of the Kalawa stable, and while things are not moving at the speed at which the group anticipated, they would be better served by bidding their time and trying to contact Kalawa through other means.

“I once had a dream where I dreamt that Oskido actually lied to us that we were going to have a song recorded under that Kalawa label. Through this song I am trying to fulfil my dream,” said Milezy.

While Milezy’s dream may turn into reality in the future, it seems rather farfetched to crush relations with Oskido over that one particular dream.

According to Kasi Lunatics, Kalawa has repeatedly informed them that DJ Bobster will work on their single after he finishes work on his own album.

While this may be stalling tactics on the label’s part, it may also be true. In the meantime, the crew should be advised to let their music do the talking.

Kasi Lunatics are a talented group and it would be folly for them to sit on their laurels and wait for Kalawa Jazzmee to get back to them instead of developing their craft even further.

It was their music that got them noticed in the first place and that is what they have to persist with.