Category: Entertainment

Phenomenal 14-year-old DJ Bubuza is a rising force in the underground scene, best known for his creativity as a producer and for his skills behind the decks.

DJ Bubuza, whose real name is Bulelani Makhaya lives in Cosmo City’s extension 5 with his mother, father and sister.

DJ Bubuza grew up in Paulshoff in Fourways and moved to Cosmo City when he was seven. He is currently doing grade eight at Blue Eagle High school. He says that Kabza de Small is his main source of inspiration.

 According to his family,music has always been DJ Bubuza’s passion, and in early 2021 his parents helped him take his first step into the world of music by sending him to a music academy.

 “They saw the passion that I have for music,” DJ Bubuza said. “They took me to Dino Bravo DJ Academy where I learnt a lot of things. Now I can DJ and produce music. I want to be a music engineer after I finish my matric.”

DJ Bubuza’s understanding and flair for production has caught the attention of fellow producers and music fans. He is well known for his passion, his dedication, his performances, and his flair for entertaining crowds.

DJ Bubuza’s parents are proud of their son. He fell in love with music at a young age,” said his mother Hlengiwe Makhaye. “We had to make sure that he got to do what he is passionate about. We had to send him for DJing lessons after school for six months. He is constantly learning new things, and we hope he won’t lose focus.”

“He wants to go far with music, and we are giving him all the support,”said DJ Bubuza’s father Freedom Tembo. “He is very talented, and I think he took it from me because I was a hip-hop person. He is very young and we want him to be always safe especially when he is going to perform. We are giving him our full support. We will also make sure that he understands the importance of education.”  

“Music industry has taught us to respect one another and how to communicate with people through music,” said a budding hip hop artist Gze Leeroy about his work with friends NathanSA, Ceejay and TeePro to produce their music album ‘Balance The Noise Movement.’

During the lockdown, the four friends teamed up to work on a 10-track music album, which was produced by Dunny 82K.The album started as a production of one song titled ‘Kubva kudara’, a Shona phrase meaning “we come from afar,” Gze Leeroy said. Then, when they realised the power of the song’s message, they decided to proceed to do an album.

“We then decided to create other songs with similar messages to the first song,” he said. “It then became a movement to motivate and bring people together. The aim was now to fight against discrimination and use music to unite different cultures. Thus, we decided to call the album ‘Balance The Noise Movement.’”

The songs in the album tell different stories using lyrics from different languages, including Shona, Zulu and Tswana.

“People should become one despite background and language differences,” Gze Leeroy said. “As a team we always make sure that we bring something new and nice for our city. We all have one vision, which is to never give up till we reach our destiny.”

 Upcoming artists in the townships face frustrating challenges. “Recognition does not come easy,” he said. “It is not easy to make it out there, but the advantage we have is that we do our own music video production, and we are well connected to our producer. The other challenge is to work on getting more fans.”

“We are working on another album and some promotional videos to boost our social media platforms,” Gze Leeroy said. “We have already recorded five singles which are currently being mixed and mastered, waiting to be released together with the videos early next year.” 

Hip hop talent in local communities hides in the underground where a growing rap and hip hop scene goes unnoticed.

Within this hidden world, experimental dancers strive to showcase their talent. Kamogelo Machaba, known as Trapgoat, is one of these hip-hop dancers who deserve the spotlight.

The 20-year-old started his dancing journey while he was still at high school. Becoming an entertainer, let alone a dancer, was something Trapgoat considered a dream. He is one of those dancers who decided to create his own dance moves, forming an image that is blended with contemporary hip-hop beats.

Trapgoat has a lot of masculine energy when he dances. He likes making his dancing something electric and unpredictable, but also soft.

“My aim is to be a professional dancer one day,” he said. “It is not easy because some people always try to discourage me. However, I keep on going and I see that I am making enormous progress.”

Trapgoat was raised by his grandmother in Limpopo. He relocated to Johannesburg, and he attended his secondary education at Diepsloot West Secondary. In early 2021, he moved to Cosmo City. Being a great dancer he is, he stole the hearts of many and ended up being called to perform at a local event. Everything took a different direction after he met Ronald Kubisa (Ronnie The Hustler).

 “Ronnie The Hustler is working hard to see me flourish,” Trapgoat said. “I really want to thank him for everything especially the advice that he gives me .”

 Trapgoat has made many videos dancing to hip-hop songs while promoting energy drink brands. He said he hopes to get a sponsorship from one of the top brands.

“He is a serious dancer,” said Ronnie The Hustler. “He approached me last year. And we decided to work together this year. I am happy with the effort that he is putting to showcase his talent. I will help him wherever I can, and God will lead the way.”