Modern Soul Experience #8
[Deejay Kanu's Birthday Edition]
A Musical Journey with Deejay Kanu & Sebaco B'Jazzled
ModernSoulExperience Episode #8 by Sebaco B'Jazzled DOWNLOAD
(New-Jack Swing)
(Deep House)
Artist Profile & Event Of The Month
Artist
If there’s
one of the most recognized images of a person throughout the world on graffiti
walls, posters, t-shirts and other memorabilia items that will be of rapper,
actor, poet Tupac Amaru Shakur better known as his stage name 2Pac or Makaveli.
Born June 16 1971 in Manhattan, New York City, sources say his birth name was
Lesane Parish Crooks.
He lived his
early life involved in the Black Panther Party were his mother Afeni Shakur was
an active member. After the family moved to Baltimore, he enrolled at the
Baltimore School of The Arts studying acting, poetry, jazz and ballet.
It was in
the early 90’s that 2Pac’s career took off, firstly in the Hip Hop scene with
various demos and mixtapes before he released with the group Digital
Underground. This was followed by his debut album 2Pacalypes Now, then in 1993
he released 2nd album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. The big screen
caught the attention of the talented man as he went on to act on movies like
Nothing but trouble (his first film appearance), Juice (his first starring
role), Poetic Justice alongside Janet Jackson, Above the Rim, Bullet,
Gridlock’d, Gang Related.
Though he
was not shy away from controversy, he went on to release some of the best Hip
Hop albums under the record label Death Row headed by Suge Knight which had
Snoop Dog and Dr. Dre as his stable mates. “Me Against The World” and “All Eyes
On Me”, two of the albums that he cemented his place as one the most
influential Hip Hop artist of his generation. He formulated the group Thug Life
his friends and later on a new group Outlaw Immortalz.
This is a
special episode as it’s a dedication to half part of the Modern Soul
Experience, the other member of the “PINKY & THE BRAIN” team. 20th
June 1984 saw the birth of Thabiso Bogoshi, better known as Dj Kanu, a.k.a Kamazu
a.k.a Kanuza a.k.a Kamina Kawena to his close associates.
The stage
name was given to him after the Nigerian Soccer legend Ngwanku Kanu (as he
shared a slim framed body, haircut & of course the striker’s slow motioned skills
in the field of play while growing playing soccer in the dusty streets of
Soshanguve). Now he has transferred those skills on the mixing tables and he
sure does show flawless talent when he mixes just as he did in front of the
goal posts.
His taste in
music varies from Funk & Soul (music he describes shaped his childhood days
and was a daily routine in his household). The 80’s Disco also played a huge
role in him having the love for House music, and that’s evident in his mixes, a
blend of various genres (80’s-90’s Funk, Soulful House, and Club classic House,
RnB).
It was some
of his favourite Radio dance shows (The Sound Survey with Evidence Kemp &
Dj Dikgwele on Metro FM, The Vinyl meltdown with DJ Fresh on YFM) that made him
pursue his Dj career by recording the shows on cassettes. The radio jingles
during mixes would make recordings difficult especially on some of his
favourite songs, so it prompted him to collect those songs on vinyl and that
was the beginning of his Dj career.
As the
saying goes “the more years the wine, the more mature and smooth in taste”,
that’s exactly what Dj Kanu has become as nowadays he not only plays House
music but old school Funk, RnB, Soul at his resident pub and other gigs,
showing his versatility on mixing different genres. We continue to celebrate
you “King” Kanu
