JEOFFREY MUKUBIDancehall music, reggae’s rebellious cousin, is usually crass and unfiltered, and the man at the helm of the local scene is Don Kamati.
His music captivates audiences and makes them aware of the gritty realities of Windhoek’s urban areas, with themes often explored by the man himself.
Kamati has risen to stardom in a little over three years, and has taken the music industry by storm ever since his first official single, titled ‘Remy Martin’, hit Namibian airwaves.
The award-winning undisputed king of Afro-dancehall has made a name for himself alongside some of the best artists in the country, like Top Cheri, Sally Boss Madam, DJ Spuzza and DJ Castro – without having dropped an EP or album yet.
Asked why this is the case, Kamati says he has a very realistic approach to releasing proper music projects.
“I’m learning from artists who were there before me, and who are not relevant any more. Sometimes artists are pressured into releasing a lot of music after one hit, while they clearly know they are not ready. I have come to understand that it’s not just about the music industry, but the music business as well,” he says.
Kamati says he is comfortable releasing singles for now, and that releasing an album at this stage would be like shooting himself in the foot.
“I can’t let my competition study and analyse my music, because I feel it is still premature. As much as I really want to drop an EP or album, I just feel I haven’t had enough time to polish my music,” he says.
The Oshakati native says the Covid-19 pandemic has treated him better than expected.
“The only way the pandemic really affected me was with the money in my pocket, but I was constantly doing live-streaming shows, and it has honestly influenced my brand in a positive way. After watching a documentary titled ‘The Great Reset’, I realised Covid-19 came to shed a brighter light on some of us,” he says.
Kamati says his social-media following and music-video views have skyrocketed during the pandemic.
“The pandemic really made some of us aware of the power we have if we collaborate with each other, because we are all we have anyway, and now people can really appreciate real music,” he says.
It may seem as if everything is playing in his favour, but Kamati says some institutions do not value artists and take advantage of Namibia’s talent.
“I have come to the conclusion that the Namibian Society of Composers and Authors of Music is a useless body, and it needs new leadership. I’m challenging other artists who really love the industry to join me in fixing the issue of our intellectual property rights, as they are being violated every single day. If artists understand the need for change, then maybe we can move forward. I understand that the intellectual property act or law is outdated, and that there are people who are actively fighting for it to be amended, but we need a solution for today and not tomorrow,” he says.
He does, however, praise platforms dedicated to supporting Namibian music, such as DonLu Africa and Viralcom.
His outlook on the industry is that there will always be growth.
“I love the fact that we are becoming more creative, and we have more people in leadership positions that are changing the game. We are in a new era now and have a new wave of artists, and corporates are slowly seeing our contribution and investing in us,” he says.
Finally, Kamati says he is planning on doing more collaborations with his upcoming collaboration tour, set to begin on 1 April at Rundu.
“I will be going from town to town, collaborating with emerging creatives a lot this year, because I feel Windhoek is not the only place with good musicians or creatives. I have also started my own record label, Illusion Music Group, which is more of a mentoring institution with me signing people, or rather just collaborating,” he says. – unwrap.online
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