With almost 2 million listeners in KwaZulu-Natal, it’s safe to say that Gagasi FM holds it down as the frontrunner of radio in the province. We caught up with their hip hop DJs Zamo, Lab and King Sfiso.
ZAMO the Icon
The original ‘old school, vinyl-loving’ lady of hip hop on Gagasi, Zamo dropped out of tertiary education in 2006 and completed a one week radio course to fulfill her passion. “I’d dropped out of school so I had to make this work, I applied at a couple of places. A few weeks later, I got a call from Zowakha Mbatha for an interview at Durban Youth Radio. I started my training a week later.” Still to fully tap into her potential at Gagasi as she puts it, she is fast becoming a brand to be reckoned with. When she’s not on air she dedicates her time to TV video production but insists that she’s 1000% committed to her duties on air. “The listeners are much more educated and therefore demand quality. Social media has also made feedback instantaneous. Cheap thrills don’t work as much anymore. Sensation soon fizzles out. You have to put in the effort and keep it real.” Putting her to the test, she lists her favourite hip hop tracks of all time.
- Mos Def – Travelling Man
- Dead Prez – Mind Sex
- The Roots feat Jill Scott LIVE – You Got Me
- Godessa – Minds Ablaze
- Notorious B.I.G – 10 Crack Commandments
DJ Vumar
Vumar’s aim is to get a new listener every time he’s on air – and he may just be on the right track judging by the listenership. “I guess the challenge ikabili for me is keeping loyal listeners happy whilst trying to lure in new listeners at the same time – and keeping them happy too.” When he’s not spinning rap hits he’s browsing the internet. “I spend hours a day just browsing, downloading and watching numerous types of documentaries until the early hours of the morning. Generally, I’m a private person and don’t share personal information easily. I go with the flow and know when to zip it and when not to.” He breaks down his top 5 classic tracks for HYPE:
- KRS One – Mc’s act like they don’t know
- Naughty by Nature – Feel me flow
- Wu Tang Clan – Killer Bees
- DJ Honda – Travelling Man
- Busta Ryhmes – Dangerous
King Sfiso
Sfiso is the weekend king of hip hop on the show and lists his top five hip hop tracks of all time as:
- Mos Def – Ms Fat Booty
- Kanye West – We Major
- Slum Village – Tainted
- Kendrick Lamar – Money Trees
- Prokid – Woz’obona
Catch Zamo & Lab every Thursday from 8pm-10pm & catch King Sfiso Fridays and Saturdays from 7pm on the Weekend Takeover.