#ThobelaThursday:
Kwaito Babies - The Gospel of Mzambiya & Msawawa

Announcements:

1. Welcome to another Thobela Thursday thread, we do this every Thursday
2. We will be focusing on the music they released at the height of Mzambiya and Msawawa's popularity so till around 2004
3. The video quality on some of these is garbage but I tried my best.

In 1999 Kwaito had become the biggest genre amongst the youth, Teen pop had taken over pop music & Jam Alley was the biggest music show in the country.

Nimrod Nkosi and Oscar Mlangeni discover a corner in the market for child stars and they sign a talented 10 year old from Zola.

They sign Mzambiya to their new label Bulldawgz entertainment and work with him as their first artist.

Soon after they release his debut album From Zola To Hollywood lead by the single Kumele Senzeni... It's an instant radio and club hit for the 11 year old boy.

Mzambiya sells 80k in under 2 months and starts touring the country with his highly choreographed and energetic shows. By the end of 2000 Mzambiya is an artist selling on par with Mandoza, Brenda and Arthur.

So in the late 90s the only people who were bigger stars than kwaito artists were soccer players so this lead to a lot of kwaito hits ft soccer players

Bulldawgz decided to capitalize on this by releasing an EP with the young superstar ft Steve Lekoelea. Jersey No. 10 was a HIT.

So the story goes that Mzambiya was performing at a show where he was headlining & there was a dance group that impressed him. He introduces the boys to the Bulldawgz team and they go on tour with him as dancers. One of the boys specifically is a show stopper, 8 year old Msawawa.

Bulldawgz decides to make Msawawa their second artist.

In 2001 they release the album The Hurricane with the lead single Bowungakanani ft Mzambiya. Straight out of his suitcase comes a kwaito classic (is there a kid who didn't know this song?)

2002 Mzambiya releases his official second studio album "Heir To The Throne" and ode to his township featuring the lead single Zola.

The major hit from the album is a crossover hit called Of Love & Kwaito ft my personal childhood crush Percy.

(I still remember voting for this to be played at the end of Wildroom)

Mzambiya is also featured on one of the years biggest hits, Kortez with 17 year old Mshoza who had also been discovered by the Bulldawgz team on Jam Alley.

On the other side of the label Msawawa drops his second studio album Home Sweet Home.

(this is a lot of confidence and charisma from an 11 year old)

The hit is a song called Bhibo that fills dancfloors across the country. (I tried my best to find the video but it's stuck in the S**C vaults)

2003 is the year of the major collaborations. Mzambiya drops the collaboration album Undisputed with the hit Wonka Umuntu with Backstage actor Chippa.

Notice how Mzambiya is consistently used to springboard other artists careers (Msawawa, Mshoza and now Chippa)

Msawawa calls on Tsekeleke for his third album Sibalukhulu on the hit Big & Small.

(this song is a BANGER!)

2004 Mzambiya releases his last real hit album with Zikode. The first single of the same name is a hit but not to the standards of his previous work.

Okay after 2005 things get a little messy and slow down for the teen sensations.

The drop in popularity of kwaito means a drop in sales, they're aging and start being tabloid regulars specifically for young Msawawa with allegations of alcohol abuse, dropping out and fraud.

The years that follow are filled with underperforming records and messy relationships and Mzambiya releases another collaboration album with Chippa and later Howza but honestly the numbers aren't what they used to be.

Msawawa drops his last platinum single Dlala Baby in 2010.

So this is where we call it a night for today.

The boys did come back together clean and sober to drop a Qgom track Imoto Kashukela in 2018 and it does slap. Please support black talent and veterans. Mzambiya goes by the name Zikode now and has new music.

Okay but follow me for more #ThobelaThursday content.