Big Boys, Big Music, Big Nuz

“Where is kwaito?’ “Kwaito is dead!” and “Who is Big Nuz?” are just some of the placards that appeared as part of the video for Big Nuz’s biggest hit, Umlilo.

It has been two years since they released that video, and they find themselves still trying to address those questions and concerns.

The group – made up of Mandla “Mampintsha” Maphumulo, Mzi “Danger” Tshomela and Sbu “R Mashesha” Khomo – has made it their mission to revolutionise kwaito by adding dance beats and a distinctly KwaZulu-Natal sound.

“We managed to break through when people were hailing the death of kwaito,” says Tshomela.

He is referring to an era where the genre was in limbo.

Nothing new was being released by kwaito artists like Zola, Brown Dash and groups like Brothers of Peace.

“We soon realised that to make an impact, we had to come up with meaningful lyrics, catchy verses that would make our tracks memorable, and easy to sing-along tunes,” says Maphumulo.

“We are very keen to feature and work with anyone we see who has the same agenda as us.”

“We also realised that we had to do things differently from the mostly Joburg-based outfits that ruled in the Nineties and early 2000s,” he says.

“The region we come from [Umlazi, hence the NUZ part of the band name, which is taken from the area’s vehicle number plates] is well-known for its sense of community and we wanted this to come out in our music.”

Big Nuz have also taken to grooming up-and-coming artists, mainly because they had such a difficult time in trying to establish themselves.

They recorded a jingle for e.tv’s Backstage soapie and wrote a number of songs that failed to result in a recording deal.

“We do tend to support musicians from KZN, but it’s not only about ‘our’ province. We want to associate ourselves with anyone and everyone from this this talented continent,” says Tshomela.

“We are very keen to feature and work with anyone we see who has the same agenda as us.”

The group realises that they are the stars they are because of their fans, and they are constantly looking for ways to give back.

“The Fezile Dabi Aids Benefit Concert that took place this past weekend was our way of contri-buting to the Sasolburg area.After all, our fans are from all over South Africa.,” says Tshomela.

“We became part of the annual fund-raiser to show support and demonstrate that, just because someone is HIV positive, does not make them less human,” he adds.

“When you find yourself in a situation where your life is threatened by a disease like Aids, people tend to bog you down with depressing news and information,” says Maphumulo.

“We took a different approach by using entertainment to give HIV positive people, and everyone else affected, hope and something to look forward to on a daily basis.”

• Original Article Source: The Citizen