Soccer Players Must Stay Away From Singing
By Quibell Ramantswana , 03 Jul 2010
African Football Legend: Doctor KhumaloFor the past two decades, the image of South African music has changed enormously. It is unimaginable to suggest that some football supporters and musicians are not pleased about the overall success of South African.
This positive reaction came after a local music board revealed the artists names who have contributed most to the local music industry since the Nineties.
Music reviews suggest that some artists have registered themselves as footballers-come-musicians, a category which is not legally authorized.
Part of being a musician involves singing, naturally, same as in football that what comes naturally is to play soccer.
From the soccer fans’ perspective one can easily understand their concern; these loyal fans pay their hard earned money on weekly basis to watch these players displaying skills in what they do naturally, playing diski a.k.a soccer. But for them to be asked to cough up extra cash to watch these soccer players displaying a different act, music, which belongs to artists such as Mdu, Oskido or Robbie Malinga is a total rip off!
“The only positive contribution that had been made by a soccer player to a song was…”
This delusional habit began in the mid-nineties, when former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana player, Doctor 16V Khumalo, collaborated with Bob Mabena, a radio personality. Known as Mtungwa, Khumalo knew that he had thousands of followers (not on Twitter!) and decided to take advantage of that fact. The notion to collaborate with Bob seemed rather innovative and appealing as the duo were the nations darlings in their respective professions.
When comes to soccer, Khumalo was a top producer on the football pitch; he was like Black Coffee on the music field - such a talented-soccer-super-man! But their track Get Funky didn’t live up to the expectations - it failed to get funky on the radio charts!
A few years later, after the country had recovered from the musical bombshell created by a soccer star who tried to score fans through microphone - another familiar name popped up, a former Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana player, Steve Chippa Lekoelea, who added his name and registered to the music home office.
Lekoelea was uquivalent to David Beckham in South Africa; if his singing expertise only matched his free kicks! Steve was so convinced that his football skills and popularity would invade the Kwaito music scene and subsequently earn him respect from music society…He teamed up with Mzambia, another young artist who was admired by youth of South Africa, in the Townships. Together, they came up with Jersey No 10 song. Music critics concluded that it was not worth considering for the SAMA Awards. That’s as far as it went.
By this stage you’d think other players might have learned the lesson, but the next thing you hear is that Jabu ‘Shuffle’ Mahlangu, another Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, aimed to follow Chippa (Steve Lekoelea) and Mtungwa’s (Doctor Khumalo’s) footsteps.
The last time we heard about his debut album, The Shuffle, it was at the final stages prior to being released. Of course it would have been released eventually – has anyone heard his songs on the radio, or seen his CD at any local music shops and flea markets? Just asking…
I don’t know what it is with our top soccer teams’ clubs; perhaps they offer career guidance to help their stars to achieve more when their football career ends. Nevertheless, if they do so, whoever advised soccer players to consider SINGING is clearly not to be recommended as an advisor. Lets hope It’s not Kaizer Motaung or Dr Irvin Khoza….Usually, the next destiny for ex-South African soccer players has always been a Correctional Services department not the music industry.
In 2008, when the news reached music comrades that Thabang ‘Chillies’ Lebese was about to drop his chillies taste and dribble through into the music industry - people suggested that he should be stopped! Imagine when Mdu and Arthur learned that they were about to lose their music titles, Godfather and King of Kwaito, respectively, over a former football player. Believe me, it must hurt! Lebese said he dedicated his first single, Ama Parasites, to his lifestyle as a soccer star, with fake friends.
There was speculation that his manager, Venolia ‘V Mash’ Mashego, had tried to get him to sing in a World Cup line-up. Talking about being trapped by his football nature, isn’t he supposed to be there as a soccer legend?
Other players who have tried their luck in the music industry are: Daniel Mambush Mudau, Edward Magents Motale, Sipho Nunens and Fortune Koloba. Unfortunately, their music profiles didn’t make it to Google and they are therefore, still untraceable. If there is any DJ who has played one of their songs on his/her set - feedback would be appreciated.
The only positive contribution that had been made by a soccer player to a song was Shibobo by TKzee featuring Benni (McCarthy) - not that he made a massive difference to the song, it was still going to be huge with or without him.
The question has been asked by South African soccer fans, who are also music fanatics: When are these footballers going to realized that singing is for singers, not footballers?
Of course this may sound unfair to other soccer players who would love to sing for charity – but everyone is entitled to do that…regardless of profession.
