Entertainment / Music
Kead Wikead celebrates 13 years in showbiz
09 Apr 2016 at 08:40hrs | Views
WHILE some in showbiz look for money and glamour from their chosen line of work, for local DJ Kead Wikead who has been in the industry for the past 13 years, a simple nod from a satisfied reveller after a hard night's toil on the decks is enough to keep him motivated.
From the days of the popular DJs clique, Baller's League, which popularised Kudu Bar at Hartsfield Tshisa Nyama, Kead Wikead (Banele Thabiso Mbuya-Ncube) has been a consistent feature on the Bulawayo's entertainment scene.
Starting off as a DJ while in high school, Kead Wikead has performed with South African DJs Ganyani, Fresh, Black coffee, Christos, Tira, Kent and Cyndo. Tonight, Kead Wikead will celebrate 13 years of being in the industry with a party featuring DJ TuneMaster from Gweru at Club Eden. The usual suspects Kananjo and Keezy are backing him.
Calling himself a mix-DJ Kead Wikead said appreciation from club goers was what kept him on the decks for all these years.
"When someone walks into the club, sits and have their drinks and thereafter look at me and nod in appreciation, I'm happy. All my years as a DJ that is what's been keeping me going and I've spent nearly half my life on the decks," said Kead Wikead.
Speaking about his history in deejaying the Mpopoma-born DJ said the first time he was on the turn tables was in high school in 2003.
"I was at Marist Brothers during a talent show and I was 15 years old. Those days we used cassettes not CDs. Before I was part of a kwaito dance group called All Stars when I was in Form Two before the show so I was used to it,' said Kead Wikead.
"I liked music and I had a walkman and by virtue of carrying a lot of cassettes around when I was at school, my friends automatically said I should be the DJ."
With a dream of being a draftsman and physiotherapy, Kead Wikead said he could not resist the calling of being DJ.
"When I was doing A-Level I met Robbie Moyo the manager of Metropolis Pub who is a family friend and visited our family home in Kumalo. My mother told him I was a DJ and then he said when I turned 18 I should come to his club. When I was 19 he gave me my first club contract," said Kead Wikead (who was called DJ Scratch in the beginning).
He said in 2007 he moved to Visions Night Club (now Club Forty 40) after winning a deejaying competition there.
"Upon seeing an advert on DJs auditions at Visions Night Club I entered. It was a DJs battle and out of 14 DJs I was picked as the best by DJs Solyd and Tonde and got a contract to play at Visions thereafter," said Kead Wikead.
"This was the same time I met the late DJ Gunz who was working under the banner Baller's League at Bulawayo Athletic Club (BAC) and Brass Monkey."
He said joining the Baller's League was the turning point of his career as it opened doors for him.
"During the days of Baller's League, Kudu Bar was the place to be. I was young but people appreciated my song selections. We were the talk of the town and most clubs and parties had a Baller's League DJ. This is where I got the name Kead Wikead.
"However, after sometime I decided to pull out in order to grow and I was now resident at Ivy League, (Paparazzi Night Club)," said Kead Wikead.
After years as a DJ, Kead Wikead entered another battle the Miller Soundclash two years ago where he came first in Bulawayo and failed at the last hurdle in the national finals in Harare.
Judges at the competition said in the first round at the national finals Kead Wikead breezed past his competition with many saying he was the runaway favourite and were surprised that he made some mistakes in the final round.
Kead Wikead explains what happened: "It wasn't a perfect set I must admit because during the DJ battle Kananjo played some of the tracks I wanted to play before my set. Then I thought it's better to change my set at the last minute. I played a lot of two step music Pharrel, Bruno Mars, Rihanna and Shakira. However, this didn't pan out well as Ray Dizz won and The Dude came second and I came third," said Kead Wikead.
Besides deejaying Kead Wikead is a music producer with tracks Kame Village, Memories, Strength to Strength, Whispering Angels, Tokwe Mukosi and Mekeleni which are all found on music sharing site TrackSource.
From the days of the popular DJs clique, Baller's League, which popularised Kudu Bar at Hartsfield Tshisa Nyama, Kead Wikead (Banele Thabiso Mbuya-Ncube) has been a consistent feature on the Bulawayo's entertainment scene.
Starting off as a DJ while in high school, Kead Wikead has performed with South African DJs Ganyani, Fresh, Black coffee, Christos, Tira, Kent and Cyndo. Tonight, Kead Wikead will celebrate 13 years of being in the industry with a party featuring DJ TuneMaster from Gweru at Club Eden. The usual suspects Kananjo and Keezy are backing him.
Calling himself a mix-DJ Kead Wikead said appreciation from club goers was what kept him on the decks for all these years.
"When someone walks into the club, sits and have their drinks and thereafter look at me and nod in appreciation, I'm happy. All my years as a DJ that is what's been keeping me going and I've spent nearly half my life on the decks," said Kead Wikead.
Speaking about his history in deejaying the Mpopoma-born DJ said the first time he was on the turn tables was in high school in 2003.
"I was at Marist Brothers during a talent show and I was 15 years old. Those days we used cassettes not CDs. Before I was part of a kwaito dance group called All Stars when I was in Form Two before the show so I was used to it,' said Kead Wikead.
"I liked music and I had a walkman and by virtue of carrying a lot of cassettes around when I was at school, my friends automatically said I should be the DJ."
With a dream of being a draftsman and physiotherapy, Kead Wikead said he could not resist the calling of being DJ.
"When I was doing A-Level I met Robbie Moyo the manager of Metropolis Pub who is a family friend and visited our family home in Kumalo. My mother told him I was a DJ and then he said when I turned 18 I should come to his club. When I was 19 he gave me my first club contract," said Kead Wikead (who was called DJ Scratch in the beginning).
He said in 2007 he moved to Visions Night Club (now Club Forty 40) after winning a deejaying competition there.
"Upon seeing an advert on DJs auditions at Visions Night Club I entered. It was a DJs battle and out of 14 DJs I was picked as the best by DJs Solyd and Tonde and got a contract to play at Visions thereafter," said Kead Wikead.
"This was the same time I met the late DJ Gunz who was working under the banner Baller's League at Bulawayo Athletic Club (BAC) and Brass Monkey."
He said joining the Baller's League was the turning point of his career as it opened doors for him.
"During the days of Baller's League, Kudu Bar was the place to be. I was young but people appreciated my song selections. We were the talk of the town and most clubs and parties had a Baller's League DJ. This is where I got the name Kead Wikead.
"However, after sometime I decided to pull out in order to grow and I was now resident at Ivy League, (Paparazzi Night Club)," said Kead Wikead.
After years as a DJ, Kead Wikead entered another battle the Miller Soundclash two years ago where he came first in Bulawayo and failed at the last hurdle in the national finals in Harare.
Judges at the competition said in the first round at the national finals Kead Wikead breezed past his competition with many saying he was the runaway favourite and were surprised that he made some mistakes in the final round.
Kead Wikead explains what happened: "It wasn't a perfect set I must admit because during the DJ battle Kananjo played some of the tracks I wanted to play before my set. Then I thought it's better to change my set at the last minute. I played a lot of two step music Pharrel, Bruno Mars, Rihanna and Shakira. However, this didn't pan out well as Ray Dizz won and The Dude came second and I came third," said Kead Wikead.
Besides deejaying Kead Wikead is a music producer with tracks Kame Village, Memories, Strength to Strength, Whispering Angels, Tokwe Mukosi and Mekeleni which are all found on music sharing site TrackSource.
Source - the herald
