Pinehas Nakaziko
Local Kwaito artist and actor, Jesaja Angula, popularly known as J Bentley within the music circles, is working towards stepping up his game, while still sticking to the kwaito and hip-hop style that he can’t let go off. J-Bentley has been producing music and films for over ten years now and has since created a niche for himself in the underground market while still receiving much majority recognition for various popular hits that he has released in the past.
Many got to know J Bentley after he dropped his first sixteen track album titled ‘Vambo Lokasie’ in 2011, which included various hit songs such as Vamboe Lokasie and Tonight. He says this first album was to open people’s eyes about his past life as a Refugee in Angola and the struggles he went experienced in the streets of “Vambo Lokasie”.
New and fresh, J Bentley returned to the industry last year with a more matured and stronger album titled ‘Not-Guilty’, which was released end of November. The new album aims to give hope for the year 2018, and for him to step-up his game, by penetrating into the international market and making music that can cater for everyone.
According to J Bentley, he regards his new album as his best work thus far. The album is made up of nine explosive tracks and is a definition of who he has become. “This is just 3 percent of what we know about “J Bentley”,” he says, adding that the rest will surely be revealed as his fans expect more good music from him.”
The album consist of high quality and well-crafted songs that one can say ‘are well cooked in the studio’ The songs “Vambo Lokasie” and “Dis Windhoek Hierso” are some of the hit songs that one cannot skip without not listen to.
The video of another hit song from the album, ‘Run this Show’, featuring BlackGhost has been released on You Tube and continues to attract more viewers.
J Bentley is also the founder of the “StreetDreamz Music” and “Miss Face of Windhoek”, both of which are charity organisations that deal with helping the less vulnerable in Windhoek and nearby towns.
He was born in Lusaka, Zambia and raised in the notorious Streets of ‘Vambo Lokasie’ hence naming it after his first album and his upcoming film. The film is in its final production and is set to be released this year.
In the music industry, he was introduced at a young age, by being part of the Namibia’s liberation movement ‘Swapo Party Kids Pioneer’ in the war torn of Angola.
His passions for music also came in the early 2000 while still in high school, when he recorded a song with his friends using his grandma’s tape cassette recorder, with an instrument by Puff Daddy, an American Hip-hop artist.
His music career however started late in 2005 in Norwich, England were he formed a group consisting of five members from Namibia. A year later he recorded his first solo track at the Norwich Nr5 Community studio before going solo upon returning to Namibia in 2006.
This year, J Bentley sees the local music industry changing for the better, with the young and upcoming artists working together to step up the game.