JJT Making it Against All Odds

Kwaito artists Joshua ‘Josstar’ Hamukwaya, Josef ‘Joe’ Muzamene and Reynold ‘Toxa’ Eliakem, also known as JJT, are proving that there is no such thing as an impossible dream.

The three artists are blind but they are determined to make music and to work towards breaking misconceptions. They have released their first 12 track album titled ‘Kwaito Never Dies’. The songs on the album send out positive messages and the beats are catchy.

Reynold said that the album is inspired by life events in general. “All the songs on the album were written by us. My favourite tracks are track one, eight and 11. The first track, ‘Ndiku hole’, because we are expressing our love for all the women out there. Telling them not to focus on what other people say when being in a relationship. Track eight, titled ‘Lisa’, is another favourite because we are telling all the women to stop depending on men and getting a lot of children that they can’t care for. They should look for work and put bread on their own table. Track 11, ‘Sweet Song’, because it’s a feel good song that can be enjoyed by anyone,” Reynold said.

The other song that also stood out was track two, ‘December’, which is a party song that will surely have many dancing. Reynold also spoke about being visually impaired. He said that he doesn’t allow his condition to get him down. “I was operated on about 14 times. At a time I could see for a bit but in 2009 my eyesight went completely. All that time I told myself that I will still continue to pursue my dreams,” he said.

“I work for the Electoral Commission of Namibia as a switchboard operator, which just goes to show that even though you can’t see, there are still many things that you can do,” added Reynold. He is also urging people that are living with disabilities to never give up on their talent. “Never give up and work hard for the things that you believe in. People with disabilities get discriminated against but that should just motivate them,” he said. “At the moment we are working on our second album but that will only be possible if people help us by supporting our music,” he concluded.

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