Rapper Samuel Ngodji, popularly known as ‘Qonja’ by his fans, has come a long way to establish himself as one of Namibia’s most popular kwaito acts.
Qonja was born in Bucharest, Romania, from exiled Namibian parents who went to study in that country at the height of Namibia’s struggle for independence.
“First of all, I will extend my profound thanks to our heavenly Father for the wisdom and analytical talent he gave me. They say one cannot go to a foreign country without spending money. You must have good lyrics and a good character to become a star.
“I’m just happy I make music that inspires a lot of people. I’m speaking for them through my mic. At least I have the opportunity to speak for the masses through my music. It is nice to hear stuff like ‘I wanted to commit suicide, but your music stopped me’,” he says.
Qonja returned to Namibia from Viana in Angola, where he also spent some of his youth years, with his family after independence in 1990.
“I’m really honoured that Namibians have been supportive of my music ever since I dropped our debut single ‘Koek n Jam’ with my singing partner Mappz Kapofi in 2005. I’ve also been receiving a lot of praise for the strong message I carry in my music.
“My songs are inspired by my own life and the experiences of those around me. I don’t compromise on my principles to please others,” he says.
Qonja, who also performed in Cape Town in celebration of Namibia’s independence, gained prominence during the launch of Gazza’s album ‘Stof-Lap Chikapute’ at Zoo Park in Windhoek in 2005, and his free-flowing rapping style has captivated his fans since.
The towering rapper describes himself as a normal Namibian citizen who is just happy making music.
“I’m happiest on stage and with a mic in my hand singing and just enjoying myself while entertaining my fans with my God-given talent. God created music as a means of joy for the inhabitants of the world. We can’t all be teachers, lawyers and doctors.
“Who is going to entertain the doctor after a long day in theatre, and who is going to entertain the teacher after a long stressful day in class? I am just too proud to provide that entertainment with my music,” he says.
Also known as ‘Mdakadaka’, after his album ‘Mdakadaka’, released in 2008, Qonja gave Namibia great hits like ‘54321’, ‘The Good Life’ and ‘My Piece, My Tunje’, and has collaborated with stars like Brumelda, Sunny Boy, The Dogg, Black Sheep and Gazza.
Qonja was a pupil at Dawid Bezuidenhout High School at Khomasdal, where he started to take a keen interest in music with the influence of the late Julius ‘Eclipse’ Spiegel, who later became one of Namibia’s most influential hip-hop producers.
LIBRARY ROOTS
“It all started in the library of Dawid Bezuidenhout High School. Eclipse, who was my schoolmate at the time, provided the beat by scratching on a book, and I would be rapping to his beat. It turned out that I would become a rapper and a hip-hop music producer.
“I have now released nine albums, and there seems to be no slowing down. I’m now back in the studio just making songs. I’m still figuring out if I should drop an album or if I should just release singles like it has now become the global norm in the industry,” he says.
The rapper is currently in the studio cooking up new songs with hitmaker DJ Andrew on the Beat, who is also the producer behind the exciting new sound of kwaito star Exit and Afro-pop duet Ethnix.
Qonja came out of his mini hideout to headline the end-of-year Windhoek City New Year’s Bash that attracted some of the finest musicians.
He says he has mainly been influenced by the South African kwaito giants Arthur Mafokate, Mdu and Trompies.
“It didn’t initially cross my mind that I want to be a musician or a kwaito musician. But then I started interrogating myself about what I wanted to become in life, and a small voice started whispering to me that it has definitely got to be music and nothing else.
“I grew up in a house where both my parents loved music. There would be a hi-fi here playing the latest hits from the likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson and Papa Wemba, but then I would also listen to my mom’s Judy Boucher on my Walkman,” he says.
Qonja says he was influenced by a mixture of music, but mostly pop and rock because his cousin who used to work at Radio Energy used to bring him cleared-out CDs after the station went digital, such as ‘The Good Life’.
He singles out his hit ‘54321’ as his own favourite song.
Asked if Namibia has good enough artists who can stand their ground against the best on the continent, Qonja responds affirmatively, adding that Namibians are world beaters.
“Just like Harry Simon and Frank Fredericks, our musicians are also ready to conquer the world given the right support structure and proper funding.”
