Helen Herimbi
The world doesn’t have a shortage of twins who go into the same career. There are the OGs, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Tia and Tamera. Then there were radio personalities, Hlelo and Ntando Masina. We also have Darren and Ryan Rigney who are more popularly known as Twins on Decks.
But right now the most visible of the pairs have to be hip hop DJs-turned-event producers, Bandile and Banele Mbere, aka Major League DJz.
Their immensely popular Major League Gardens, which has taken a turn to Polokwane, is an outdoor affair that sees some of the biggest names on radio share a stage. But this month, they are back in the province where it all started: Gauteng.
On March 19, the sixth Major League Gardens will take place at the Nasrec Expo Centre and the boys told me the early bird tickets sold out even before they’d had a chance to announce their sale to the media.
“The past events we have had have been a success,” said Bandile. “So before we even put out the line-up, we decided to try and release the early bird tickets first. They sold so quickly that we were actually surprised. We’re so happy that people are still supporting the event.”
This after the very first Gardens – at Wanderers stadium – was rained out, but people still wanted to party. They have since hosted the event at Innesfree Park where they also stopped traffic. “The first one rained and we recovered, thank goodness. But to us, rain is a blessing,” Bandile told me, “and the Joburg one last year at Innesfree was so big that we couldn’t accommodate everyone. So we’re trying to accommodate everyone this year by moving the Gardens to Nasrec. It’s a good events venue for the moment.”
The Gardens event is called a “social festival” and it’s got more to do with them giving a nod to their journey into the entertainment world than them just trying to be different.
“Growing up, we used to have these social events in high school,” recalled Bandile.
“I also remember those because you’re just chilling with your friends and you’re so excited to just be there together. We took that idea and thought we wanted to build a brand with our own name that can remind us of the fun we used to have back then. That’s why we’re calling it a ‘social festival’.”
They have an amusement park theme planned for the social fest and there will be plenty of rides and games to keep people occupied from the afternoon. The likes of Cassper Nyovest, Kwesta, Big Nuz, Riky Rick, Emtee, Nadia Nakai, Lulo Café, Kid X, PRO, Gigi LaMayne, Nasty C and more will be on the stage.
Major League DJz aren’t only about the Gardens, though. Last year, they took home the Best DJ of the Year gong at the South African Hip Hop Awards. “We did put in a lot of hard work last year though, so I think it was well deserved,” said Banele.
Under their New Age Kwaito movement – which is “hip hop guys influenced by kwaito” – they released a song called Slyza Tsotsi featuring Okmalumkoolkat, Riky Rick and Nyovest.
And with Slyza Tsotsi getting major airplay and even a sync deal with KFC, Major League cemented their name on the urban landscape. Although Okmalumkoolkat’s voice is the first you hear on the song and only Nyovest appears in the chicken ads, the DJz maintain that they are still recognised for it.
Banele says: “The song has enough legs to move with other artists. You must remember that KFC wanted Cassper in the advert, but they wanted our song. It’s a different deal on its own. They spoke to us about it.”
The boys have planned to keep churning out the music and, of course, to take the Gardens around the country. Durban and East London, you guys are next.
Major League Gardens, at the Nasrec Expo Centre, Joburg, on March 19. Book at Computicket. No tickets at the door.