One of the conversations that keeps floating around the industry is … we need to give upcomings a chance. Fair enough.
However what I hate about these conversations is that no one ever tells these upcomings the brutal truth. Everyone is always so nice and polite around these upcomings. The brutal truth is … ain’t no one owes you a chance omes. Nobody owes you airplay, a gig or exposure. And if you do eventually get a chance, it will be as a result of three things: sheer hard work, talent and networking.
The problem with today’s upcomings is that they are dumb AF and entitled. The dumb AF is as a result of not doing research. As for the entitlement … honestly I have no idea where that comes from.
I was an upcoming at one point of my career. An upcoming that came from Walvis Bay nogals. At the time my primary target was radio. I was looking at the grim prospect of going head to head with heavyweights like Lomo The Prince, Tafanji aka Taffy Raw, Che The Goddess, Katiti the Small One, Cheeze KBVDP, Q-Base, Ruby The Dime, Kabeza, Laimi, Mufaro, etc. An industry with so many unique and talented brands. A skinny laaitie from the baai was kama coming to convince this stubborn Namibia that the industry needs another voice?
I did research. Worked on my craft endlessly. I respected the established brands on the radio. However, I studied them all so well that I was hell-bent on creating my own sound and brand. Two failed auditions at Unam Radio and NINE years later … the rest is history!
Allow me to give you a practical and true example of why I am of the opinion that upcomings are dumb AF and entitled. Last week I told you I keep a keen eye on the national broadcaster and the private broadcasters’ content. Last week Friday, I found myself watching probably the biggest weekly entertainment show on TV … “Whatagwan”.
The show usually has guest DJs to complement the work that presenters Trina and Paul Da Prince do. A guest DJ on Whatagwan usually gets anything from 30 seconds to two minutes to shine. And when I mean shine, I mean … the camera is on you, the whole Namibia has their eyes on you. It’s your stage, it’s now or never.
Last week Friday’s guest DJ gets that 30 seconds to two-minute chance and guess what this DJ consciously decides to play?
Amapiano. Allow me to explain why this was dumb AF! An Amapiano song on average takes anything from two minutes to four minutes to mature.
How do you decide on Amapiano when your window period to impress is literally anything from 30 seconds to two minutes? At the same juncture … this DJ was asked by the host, Trina, if she knows Helena Ngaifiwa (this after Trina spoke to Helena for about five minutes about the Simply You Magazine Lifestyle and Fashion Awards) and she literally shakes her head indicating “No”. More like … “Does Helena know me?!”.
I was shocked. Both by this DJ’s choice to play Amapiano (mostly South African Amapiano) and the fact that she does not know Helena Ngaifiwa. Who the actual in my right mind does not know who Helena Ngaifiwa is in this industry?!
What do you think will happen the next time a corporate consults me on who to book for an event? Do you think that I will recommend the DJ that was on last week Friday on Whatagwan? Nah fam. I will recommend an experienced DJ who maars have seen it all and have done the 10 thousand hours.
Until the next loop, we say “GMTM”!
NSK is a professional MC. For bookings, email naobebsekind@gmail.com
@naobebsekind (Twitter)