DIDI Reloaded has launched a new creative space named #barsandpoetry, offering artists a platform to create good quality music and experiment with different hip-hop sounds free of charge.
#barsandpoetry is inspired by Color Studios, which is a unique aesthetic music platform showcasing exceptionally talented artists from around the globe, focused on promoting the most distinctive new sounds.
The project started last November after Didi Reloaded realised that 2021 was a bad year for local content creators and musicians because most promoters and club owners committed themselves to bringing international Amapiano artists and locals were overlooked.
Didi Reloaded, whose real name is Pedro Mavungu Kiyakunwa, is the founder of Didi Reloaded Films and has eight years of experience in visual arts.
The former Namibian Annual Music Awards winner said he is proud to have been part of many prestigious projects, from shooting for various great artists, as well as documenting the revolutionary ShutItDown protest in Windhoek.
According to Didi Reloaded, hip-hop and RnB artists in Namibia are “ghosts” and there is a need to create a platform for them because even local music television shows have failed the artists.
“With this platform, your work is loaded online and you can use it as reference and to build your portfolio. We are working with everyone. Already local artists are tired of seeing posters featuring only big artists. We want to see everyone – the child deep in the Tura and the one in Kleine Kuppe. Hopefully, this platform will encourage local music fans to log onto YouTube and create a playlist of local music,” he says.
So far, Didi Reloaded has worked with 30 artists whose music can be accessed on Facebook and Instagram.
He says artists can message or call him to find out how they can get involved.
“You don’t need to pay anything at all, you just need to DM or call me and I will tell you on what day we are going to shoot. For new recordings, I want artists to shoot at least two songs, one mellow and one upbeat song,” he says.
The 30 artists that have already made it onto #barsandpoetry include KP Illest, Curtiz IV, Junior the Prince, Karishma, Laquida, AGXGO, Mohole, Skrypt and Sad Boy.
Didi Reloaded says he wants to make this platform inclusive of all types of artists, such as poets and various genres to create a platform that can speak to everyone.
“I am currently looking for poets, because the main focus is to get whatever music that is really Namibian out there… We are also looking for spoken word artists, they can reach out to us,” he says.
He hopes to find a sponsor to help him elevate the platform to boost the talent of local artists, as it has always been difficult for local artists to secure funding from corporates.
“Currently, I have more than 50 videos up and packaged with a proposal. That way they can get a good idea of what I am trying to do,” he said.
– unWrap.online
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