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Melissa Mpofu/Bongani Ndlovu
VAULT Cosmetics, a USA make-up company, has offered to sponsor the recording of Bulawayo hip hop artiste Cal_Vin’s (real name Calvin Nhliziyo) first music video. This comes after the cosmetics company founded by Zimbabwean make-up artiste Jackie Mgido was impressed by the fast-rising rapper’s music and was saddened after realising he had no music video.

Mgido said they would assist Cal_Vin because of the potential he had to be an international star.

“It doesn’t make sense that we’ve this young guy who’s doing really great on radio, yet he doesn’t have a music video. Artistes need to have at least one quality music video in order to be visible and marketable, especially outside the country’s borders,” she said.

The USA-based make-up artiste, who arrived in the country yesterday ahead of the Vault Cosmetics launch in Bulawayo on January 31, said all expenses for the Zikhupani video shoot would be on them.

“I’ve since hired a camera crew from Harare who’ll be responsible for the video shoot. I’d love to have a whole bunch of people including designers and models rallying behind this shoot as we want to have an amazing week,” she said.

Mgido said the video would be shot at scenes which would expose Bulawayo, especially considering that plans are to put the video on international platforms.

“I’d love to shoot the video at locations which speak City of Bulawayo. We hope to use a lot of landmarks from there just to expose the city,” she said.

An elated Zikhupani hit-maker who has a career spanning 12 years said he was glad his hard work was finally paying off.

“I’ve been an underground rapper for the better part of my career. I don’t know where Jackie got to know about me but I’m happy that I’ve been afforded this opportunity to shoot my first video,” he said.

Cal_Vin, who recently collaborated with Stunner, said the video shoot would be conducted next week Wednesday and Thursday.

“The track which is about life in the ghetto will be shot in my neighbourhood, Luveve 5 at the shops called koMpofu. The song has a Kasi feel and rightly should be shot in the ghetto,” he said.

Cal_Vin was introduced to rap music in 1996 and recorded his first album in 2003. He started making his own beats in 2005 and was once known as C.D.O.G (Cash Does Only Good). He released seven mix tapes as a secular rapper. In the same year, he founded Volteface Records and now has seven artistes he is working with.

Cal_Vin said he went through three phases in his life from rapping as an underground rapper to a commercial rapper.

“I went from being an underground rapper as C-Dog to being a Christian rapper St ChurBoy then to being Cal_Vin. I was in South Africa when I became a Christian rapper for two years, then came back to Zimbabwe and went back to secular music,” he said.

Besides the video shoot, Cal_Vin also landed himself a slot at the Vault Cosmetics product launch after-party at Horizon Night Club next week Saturday. He will perform together with Harare hip hop artiste Tehn Diamond and tribal house group Djembe Monks.