SA musicians have come together to relaunch the main stage at Johannesburg’s Market Theatre. We profile who’s who of the old and the new – and look at why they’re making waves
Maria McCloy on Kwaito
CONTRARY to what he said in the press over the past two weeks, Arthur Mafokate, kwaito star and owner of the 999 music label is not quitting the music industry – but the reasons he initially gave for retiring highlight a much-hyped dispute between Kalawa Jazzmee records headed by Don Laka and Oscar “The Big O” Mdlongwa versus Arthur’s 999.
The two record companies are enormous money-spinners and stand out as the premier independent producers of the hugely popular kwaito (DeGong or township house) music trend of the Nineties.
This week Arthur said the rivalry had moved up a gear and that his life was in danger. He further claimed that his brother was beaten up outside the 999 Hillbrow office. He refused to say who was responsible.
The rivalry between 999’s Abashante and Kalawa’s Boom Shaka is a matter of public record. And the Kalawa/999 feud has been further fuelled by a song from Kalawa’s Brothers of Peace that blatantly accuses Arthur of plagiarism. Arthur calls these plagiarism charges “nonsense”.
While an informed source this week claimed that Kalawa is responsible for the threats to Arthur, Kalawa’s Oscar (a member of Brothers of Peace) said that the people making the threats should stop. Arthur said he was returning to the business because he and his fans had managed to convince his parents – who were scared for his safety and had convinced him to retire – that his bands needed him.
After announcing he was about to quit, Arthur said he would fulfil all performance commitments, but did not appear at last week’s Hugh Masekela concert at the Market Theatre, even though he and Abashante were billed. This week he said this was related to “the ongoing problems within the industry … my life was in danger”.
However a Market insider who wished not to be named says that Arthur’s publicist knew all along that Arthur would not be performing.
Peter Tladi, who organised the concert, claims Arthur simply never pitched and that Abashante left after they decided the money was not sufficient. But according to another source Arthur did not perform because he felt Masekela wanted the women of Abashante to appear as mere dancing girls – which he saw as undermining their singing and rapping abilities. The source said that “they are more than pretty young backing dancers willing to have their butts pinched by old legends”.
But despite media talk of “kwaito wars” to rival the East Coast/West Coast rap wars in America, Kalawa’s Laka this week played down the drama, blaming the media for blowing up a healthy competition between rival companies and labelling it “war”.
Yet Laka and others in the industry hinted that Arthur was also using the situation to promote himself and Kalawa’s Dolly Gaehler claims that last year Abashante refused to perform with Boom Shaka.
Several commentators have added that competition is inevitable in such a rapidly growing music market – where teenagers suddenly find themselves driving BMWs and managers like Arthur and Oscar are turning up to R200 000 per festival organised.
Serious battles in South Africa’s pop industry are nothing new: diva Brenda Fassie verbally attacked Yvonne Chaka Chaka in the Eighties (in one instance leading to deaths at a stadium concert) and then Rebecca Malope in the Nineties. Later Brenda and Senyaka were at one another’s throats.
In further developments this week, Laka dismissed Arthur’s talk of death threats and even went on to claim that Arthur and Oscar are, in fact, friends. Yet at the same time he said that the two have been brought together several times over the past year to make peace.
Further, Laka has instructed all Kalawa employees not to discuss details of the feud with the press. On Tuesday of this week Arthur and Oscar had yet another meeting and it was there that Arthur was again asked not to quit. Others say that Arthur had never intended to quit and is milking the publicity.
At its most severe, the Kalawa/999 rivalry has seen repeated rumours of guns being carried and pulled and particular talk of an ongoing heated exchange involving female members of both Kalawa and 999 being involved with the same man, who works in the 999 stable.
One observer says that there is no animosity between the two front men – but problems that have arisen come from personal disputes of lesser members of each crew. Both Kalawa and 999 employ between 60 and 70 people each on a daily basis. He added that Arthur and Oscar were resolved to discipline members within their respective groups.
Several industry insiders have said the fight all comes down to money and a control of the kwaito market – that and a battle of egos as to who will ultimately wear the kwaito crown.
Kwaito proponents are calling for an end to the feud. There is a need for unity because kwaito already has enough critics. The “old school” sees kwaito as talentless, mass- produced and lyrically mundane drivel, and along with this comes accusations of being too sexually explicit.
Not many music critics have looked beyond the fact that they don’t like the music, and they haven’t acknowledged that kwaito has become popular and influential in South Africa in a very short time.
But there is room for more creativity in this genre. There are around five major players producing all the local sounds we hear in clubs and on the radio, resulting in hearing four bars of a song and knowing exactly who the producer is.
New blood and fresh ideas are needed. Competition, materialism and inflated egos will only prevent young South African music producers from creating the next music culture.