It might be easy to throw pot shots at the nascent Afro-pop genre. It is incessantly boisterous and festive, more carefree Congolese rhumba than Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s strident Afro-beat. To the few who consciously eschew it, it is formulaic, evoking nothing beyond meet-you-by-the-river Afromantic themes and December-time wedding bells.
But for Ntando Bangani, seemingly the genre’s top exponent (if the four Metro FM Award nominations are anything to go by), there is more to his music than immediately meets the ear. The titles of his first two albums, the platinum-selling Kwantu (Cradle of Humanity) and current gold effort Imvelaphi (Heritage), hint at more than a fleeting flirtation with Garveyism.
Garveyism, the legacy of Marcus Garvey’s mass black organisation that preceded the United States civil rights movement, was typified by metaphorical and, at times, literal back-to-Africa clarion calls. In Ntando’s music, you can feel the artist take his cues from both echoes.
“I know I have a whole lot to talk about,” he says, attempting to explain his astounding popularity. “I always want to talk about those things that are substantial and personal to me.”
It is easy to write off Afro-pop as an industry cash cow. And you may be tempted to dismiss Ntando as a prefabricated pop star helping his label, TS Records, corner a lucrative market by singing in his native tongue.
Granted, on the one hand, he does speak of his sound as “a direction TS Records and I discussed”. On the other, Ntando surprises by putting aside the pretty-boy looks and chatting out the kind of “fire bu’n” Sizzla lyrics that are unpopular with mainstream audiences for their take on homosexuality. To me, the fact that Ntando references the Bible and modern-day reggae artists such as Luciano and Sizzla at one end, and name-checks vintage Afro-pop group Platform 1 at the other, is far more revealing than stating how he got his first major break. Incidentally, that happened while he was writing and singing tracks with former schoolmate Nhlanhla Nciza of Mafikizolo fame and current label mates Brown Dash and Mzekezeke.
Before the tours to Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom and the opening slots for John Legend (next month), there were the years spent in former Pirates player Otto Mjangqeka’s fabled Trenchtown Studio in Kagiso, where Ntando grew up.
By the time Brown Dash began regularly enlisting his services to help him craft ghetto classics — such as Brown Dash’s 2003 Puff and Pass album — he was already mature from having been in the studio for seven years flat. “I’d go there every day,” he recalls. “People come and go, but I was always there. I was there writing, singing and arranging. My ex-producer, Otto, is a perfectionist, so we would do the same song over and over for months,” he answers in response to a question about the productivity of those sessions. “But it is what had to happen for me to learn.”
For producer Robbie Malinga who, along with Mojalefa Thebe, crafted the bulk of Ntando’s first two albums, the factors contributing to Ntando’s seemingly unanimous mandate from the people are numerous. “He’s one of the best singers in the music industry,” states Malinga. “His voice will take him to the next level.”
Ntando, in turn, attributes part of his success to the distinct musical bedrock created by Malinga and Thebe. “These days, people use house beats and just put Afro-pop lyrics on top. Very few people play and sing Afro-pop at the same time,” says the dreadlocked 24-year-old.
“I grew up in Meadowlands, which has a very rich musical history,” says Malinga. “There is the rich history of Afro-jazz and bubble-gum. So, through that background, we are able to come up with a different sound. We are taking South African music to the next level, so it’s not just about computers.”
While Ntando continues to propel his wholesome family values through the blending of musical genres, the Metro FM Awards will most likely prove, once again, to be a publicity stunt capitalising on artists and musical movements the station did not initially endorse.
According to a Sunday World Shwashi report that came out after last year’s awards, Ntando thanked a litany of African-language radio stations before Metro FM, which had just given him the best newcomer award.
Label mate Mzekezeke has been snubbed for “not fitting” the urban-contemporary format, but insiders say it is because he is seen as the creation of arch-rival Yfm.
Megastar Rebecca Malope was incredulous at her nomination for the best gospel award because of the nominal airtime her music, and gospel in general, receives on the station.
In the past few years, many radio stations (with 5fm being a notable example) have clamoured for a black listenership, leaving Metro FM’s assertions of being blacker than thou to ungracefully bite the dust. Any hip-hop artist worth their salt will tell you that, as a movement, hip-hop has only received belated support from the station. Popular exponents such as Pitch Black Afro, for instance, were the invention of Yfm’s innovative Rap Activity Jam.
In defence of the awards, Metro FM programming manager Leo Manne said it is not the business of an awards ceremony or a radio station to champion musical styles or artists. “All we do is reflect what’s happening in the industry. We are not in the business of creating stars; record companies and artists do that.”
The details
The 2005 Metro FM Music Awards take place at King’s Beach in Port Elizabeth on November 26. Performances include Rebecca Malope, Thebe and Mandoza. Tickets are available at Computicket. For more information, Tel: (011) 714 5800