The last day that Luveve Boy set foot in a radio studio Cal_Vin

Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent
ALL that Cal_Vin ever wanted was to have locals support his musical career and become the rap king in the City of Kings and Queens and Zimbabwe.

Alas, he was unable to fulfil his dream with his efforts of staging concerts such as Made in Bulawayo going in vain as they were attended by a handful of people. Even when he went around selling CDs, people did not support him the way he deserved considering the amount of work he put into his craft.

The only time he was able to fill up a venue was at the Bulawayo Amphitheatre on November 1 last year when he laid lifeless in a silver casket as thousands packed the venue to bid farewell to him. This was after he was involved in a hit-and-run accident on October 25.

Always irked by people not supporting him, Cal Vin at some point likened himself to Lovemore Majaivana who was also very vocal about this issue. Days prior to his death, he lamented the lack of support by corporates and individuals during a radio interview that was to be his last at the Skyz Metro FM studios.

Typical of Cal_Vin, he arrived at the studio located at Pioneer House one hour late and show producers had concluded that the Banjalo Abantu hit-maker had snubbed the interview. After all, this was a station he was not shy to blast for everything from delayed payments for gigs to not supporting his work to a point where they decided to stop playing his music in retaliation.

Surprisingly, he made it to the interview that was being run during the Sigiya ngeLocal show. He was accompanied as usual by a gang of friends. Cal_Vin was always in the company of his friends right up to the day he breathed his last when was run over by a car on his way home.

As Monday marks exactly a year since Cal_Vin breathed his last in the wee hours of Monday, October 26, 2020, a few metres away from his Luveve 5 residence, Saturday Leisure in remembrance of the star, caught up with Skyz Metro FM’s Khaya Moyo, the lady who gave Cal_Vin the last opportunity to be heard on radio.

Khaya said at one point, she had lost hope of conducting the interview.

“Cal_Vin was scheduled to be on air at 10AM and by the time he arrived at the studio at 11AM, I was contemplating rescheduling the interview because it was conflicting with another programme.

“The first thing he did though was to apologise for being late, but I was angry because I thought he had stood me up as he wasn’t picking my calls. When he pitched, I was relieved as this happened after the issue of his music being blacklisted by the station,” said Khaya.

She said they went ahead with the interview with the highlight being Cal_Vin’s lamentation of lack of support for artistes by corporates and individuals.

He narrated how this lack of support saw him fail to raise funds to shoot a video of his Z’Khuphani remix, a song that featured South African music giant Cassper Nyovest and was a regional hit.

“It’s difficult to pick the best moment during the interview, but it could be when he mentioned how he knocked on every single door in Bulawayo in search of funds for transport to South Africa where he wanted to shoot the video of Z’Khuphani. I remember how he said no one supported such a milestone achievement.

“This really made me realise how things can be difficult for our artistes as no one rallies behind their efforts of putting the country’s music on the map. This was quite disheartening,” said Khaya.

Following Cal_Vin’s death, the presenter said she started to ask herself if the interview had served its purpose of giving the rapper a platform to speak his mind.

“What I admired about Cal_Vin was his determination and passion, but most importantly, the fact that he was not afraid of anything. He stood up for the truth and was really concerned about the country’s music industry’s growth.”
She said being the last radio presenter to interview the rap king will forever be an honour.

“I was honoured to get this opportunity and now that I look back, I realise that it was a magical moment and history was made. Sadly a few days later, we were talking about a different story of his death. When I received the sad news, I was actually on air and for some reason, I went to the last chat we had on WhatsApp and sent him a message thinking the news was false.

“I was afraid to call and was in denial. When a number of people confirmed the news, I shed tears. Even the station’s listeners heard how emotional I was,” said Khaya.

“I definitely get flashbacks and more so now because a few days ago, it was October 17, a year after I had the interview with the late rapper.”

Having been one of the first journalist’s to arrive at the scene where Cal_Vin was involved in the hit and run accident, the soil patches covering the bloodstains, the grim faces of his fans, friends and family vividly live in my mind. A year after his death, his killer or killers still roam free in the streets somehow evading punishment for ending one of the local rap industry’s brightest prospects.

From the Saturday Leisure team, we say continue to Rest in Power ntwana kaManax. We pray that the perpetrators who led to the loss of life be brought to book and the law take its course.

To Cal_Vin’s fans, friends and family, we say stay comforted and keep on supporting his music as this will definitely cheer him up. — @mthabisi_mthire

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