CQ, Familia sweep Born & Bred Awards

Just over four years ago, two boys sparked off a friendship by e-mail. Living in the cities two different countries at the time, in the missives exchanged they updated each other on the latest information with concerns to the music worlds they lived in. This would continue for a year until they eventually met each other.

Alan Mvula is affectionately referred to as ‘The father of Zambian Rap’; a song that he performed seven years ago titled “Love Has No Colour” became the first locally produced rap song to be consistently played on local radio stations.

O O - The structure in the above sentence, sounds like an alphabet game on one of those segments in Sesame Street. Brokenhill caught up with Daddy O to find out about his take on fame, love life, poetry and road less traveled i.e. not following the status quo.

As lead vocalist of the New York based multi cultural Jazz group Afroblue , Tutu together with Trevor Bridgewater were 1st Prize winners in the World Music Category at The USA Songwriting Competition in 1998. This was for the Bemba song Pelesa. In 1999, yet again Tutu and Afroblue were Grand Prize Winner in the 1999 Unisong International Music Contest this time for the song Neka, a Bemba adaptation of a song called “Trees”. Tutu has shared stage with greats such as modern jazz genius Ronny Jordan. Brokenhill caught up with Tutu at her base in New York soon after for an interesting Q&A.

When the Brokenhill team heard that the "T.I.V.O, the duke of hip hop soul" was in Jo'burg for a couple of weeks, they sent me on a mission to discover the ticker within the DJ, producer and songmaker.