After being delayed a few days in Bermuda due to technical problems with his private jet and missing a gig in Zimbabwe, the world’s top hip hop producer, Timbaland finally landed in Durban yesterday.
His arrival completes the all star line-up for the inaugural ZARFest put together by Kenny Kunene and his business partner, Gayton McKenzie.
The controversial Sushi King has booked an international line-up consisting of R&B star, Ciara, top rapper, Fat Joe whose hit, Lean Back, is considered one of the best hip hop tracks in the world as well as the controversial Lil Kim and DJ Scratch.
Scratch is considered the world’s top hip hop DJ and through his role as a producer has sold over 30 million units world wide.
Four concerts form part of ZARFest, the first of which took place last Saturday night in Harare. However, the headline act, Timbaland was unable to join them due to the misfortunes with his plane.
“I don’t know much about jets,” said Timbaland on arrival at The Hilton Hotel, where he is staying with his two children and wife for the duration of his Durban visit. “But we got stuck in Bermuda and then there were time change issues which meant that I unfortunately had to miss my show in Zimbabwe.”
“I love my fans and I actually got sick; I was so stressed out in Bermuda,” he continued. “But I am a spiritual person and I realised it was in God’s hand and beyond my control.”
At a press conference held at The Hilton Hotel yesterday, DJ Scratch, Ciara and Fat Joe all said they really enjoyed the Harare concert. The American artists and the entourage of forty are all staying at the hotel while in Durban. Outside The Hilton was parked the usual fleet of ZAR super cars owned by Kunene and Gayton. This includes the latest Porsche, Lambourghini and Hamma.
Controversially, Lil Kim did not turn up at the press conference, with Kunene offering the excuse that the diva was too tired.
The first leg of the South African concert takes place in Durban at the outerfields of Mr Price King’s Park on 1 June. The following day the tour then hops aboard a Boeing especially hired by Kunene for their next concert, taking place on Thursday evening at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The final show takes place at the Coca Cola Dome on Friday night.
“ZARFest is a celebration of ZAR as a brand,” said Kunene at the press conference. He and McKenzie have a Cape Town and a Johannesburg ZAR. These two up-market bars are the nightspots of choice for South Africa’s BEE and ANC Youth League elite. “ZAR was opened on June 10 last year and this month is also the celebration of a year since the World Cup. In celebration of this I have bought five of the best artists in the world including the legends.”
Both the Durban and Cape Town legs of Zarfest have been cancelled, due to poor ticket sales. That leaves Jozi to carry the torch for ZAR’s first birthday celebration, with the June 3 performance at the Coca Cola Dome still set to go ahead.