• Snoop Lion, Tuface, D’Banj, Zahara, Flavour, Fally Ipupa others on parade

FROM the day MTV Base disclosed its plans to stage the MTV Africa All Stars music concert in Durban, South Africa, excitement filled the air, especially among music lovers, who saw it as another opportunity to groove with the stars.

By the time reincarnated Snoop Lion, alongside other African greats such as Tuface Idibia, D’Banj, Flavour, Zahara, Fally Ipupa, Professor, Big Nuz, Camp Mulla and Zakes Batwini were unveiled as part of the parade, it was obvious that Durban residents and guests were in for a blast.

Conceived jointly by MTV Base and Kwazulu-Natal Province of South Africa, as part of a sensational new pan-African music and youth empowerment campaign, the initiative aims to celebrate the star quality and widespread appeal of contemporary African musicians, providing exposure to the continent’s hottest musical innovators and pacesetters.

On the other hand, it seeks to raise the international profile of KwaZulu-Natal as a premiere destination for tourism and economic development. So, to a large extent, it was a ‘win win’ situation for the partners and the participating African stars as well.

From the King Shaka International Airport to the Southern Sun Hotel, Durban, where most of the guests and artistes stayed, the atmosphere was frenzy, as shuttles buses arrived with participants from different parts of the world, who flew into Madiba’s country to be part of the big African party.

Loaded with all sorts of musical instruments, including lighting and sound equipment, the massive MTV Africa All Stars stage at the People’s Park was the centre of attraction around the Moses Mabhida Stadium; it was an imposing structure, good enough to lure fun lovers. Clearly, there were sings that something huge was about to happen.

During the media briefing held at the Beverly Hills Hotel, located on Lighthouse Road, uMhlanga, to herald the event, the artistes spoke with so much confidence; the excitement was written on their foreheads as they fielded questions from newsmen. With the assurances, especially from Snoop Lion, who promised to groove fans to standstill, the stage was set to light up Durban.

As at 4pm on the concert day, fun lovers had started trickling into the well-guarded People’s Park one by one, group by group, while heavy sound kept blasting from gigantic woofers positioned at strategic sides of the venue; South Africa’s DJ Cleo was in charge of the console. Before long, the venue was full with fun seekers, most of who came to see the reincarnated Snoop Lion live on stage.

The VIP section was lively, with guests seated in groups. The bar was loaded with assorted drink, free of charge, while food was never an issue; it was a matter of choice. Representing Naija at the VIP lounge were the likes of Alex Okosi, Olisa Adibua, Omalicha of Rhythm FM, Gbemi Olateru of Beat FM and others. However, the fun was at the regular stand, where people mixed up easily; there were no boundaries.

Finally, the stage came alive with the hosts, Nomuzi and Sizwe Dhlomo, who signaled the beginning of a fun filled evening. Few minutes of introduction and the usual commentaries, the hosts introduced Kenya’s Camp Mulla to open for the evening.

An alternative hip-hop group based in Nairobi, Camp Mulla has grown a big fan base over a short period, having over 40,000 fans on Facebook and over 30,000 followers on Twitter. The group is considered one of the most exciting upcoming music groups in Kenya. Their musical style, fashion sense and origins have drawn comparisons with The Black Eyed Peas.

Big Nuz had a good outing at the MTV Africa All Stars concert. The name comes from Big because they are doing big things and NUZ is the license plate of one of the biggest townships in South Africa, Umlazi, situated in the south coast of Durban. Big Nuz consists of 3 guys Mandla Maphumulo aka Mampintsha, Mzi Tshomela aka Danger and Sbu Khomo aka R Mashesha. Formed in 2002, Big Nuz has been the busiest Kwaito group in the South Africa, doing shows from Cape Town to Manchester (London).

From Professor to sexy dance creator, Fally Ipupa, the fun continued, with the crowd digging in small groups, until South Africa’s Zahara came on stage with her band to calm the atmosphere with her soulful voice. Clutching her guitar, the singer and songwriter proved her understating of music, as the audience watched in admiration. Though she sang mostly in her local dialect, everyone felt her music; it was glaring.

Zahara released her debut album Loliwe in 2011, which proved to be a big success as it went Platinum in 13 days and went double platinum after just 17 days, selling over 100,000 copies in South Africa. Her debut single, Loliwe, has had over a million views on YouTube. On the 1st of May 2012, at the annual South African Music Awards, Zahara won 7 awards, including Best Female Artist and Album of the Year. You needed to see the reaction of the audience as she performed Loliwe on the MTV base stage; it was awesome, watching the talented lady leave the stage.

Nigeria’s Tuface Idibia was on point, as he treated the large crowd with songs from his old and new recording, including hit track, African Queen. However, his track, Ihe Neme was all Idibia needed to stamp his authority at the event.

Flavour, on his part, got the crowd dancing to the sound of his beats. Alongside his dancers, the Oyi crooner mesmerised the crown with his tradition waist dance, which got the ladies screaming for more.

Son of the soil, Zekes Bantwini also got his slot to thrill home crowd. Known as the man, who discovered kwaito sensation, L’vovo Derrango, and owner of the independent record label Mayonie Produktions, which is based in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, he describes his music as Sophisticated Dance Music – a Cosmopolitan lifestyle that talks about different lifestyles. Armed with a Diploma in Jazz and popular music, and currently studying towards his degree with University of Kwazulu-Natal, Zakes got the South African ladies grooving all night long.

The arrival of Koko Master, D’Banj, on stage, sparked up excitement in the audience. Having gone separate ways with his Mo Hits’ guys, D’Banj mounted the MTV Base stage with his younger brother, K-Switch. In his usual style, D’Banj was charismatic as he took the audience through dance sessions, jumping from one part of the stage to the other. From Suddenly to Top of the world, Cash Flow, Sister Caro, the grooved flowed for D’Banj, who infected the crowd with his Koko mentality. His performance climaxed with Oliver Twist, his monster hit.

The ecstatic crowd roared in excitement as the Snoop Lion mounted the big stage in style. Dressed in traditional Zulu outfit, Snoop felt so much at home, as he belted out songs from his rich repertoire; rap enthusiasts sang along. As promised, the international rap icon now turned reggae-pop star, gave fans an unforgettable experience. Starting with classic hits tracks such as Snoop Doggy Dogg, P.I.M.P, California Love, I Wanna Love You, Snoop thrilled fans with a medley of chart toppers throughout his music career. He also paid tribute to a fallen brother, Tupac.

As many had predicted, Snoop recalled D’Banj on stage and both men performed Endowed Remix. Obviously excited, D’Banj succeeded in the getting his ‘Uncle’ Snoop to do the Koko dance, amid cheers and applause from the crowd. Snoop later transformed from legendary rapper to cool reggae superstar, as he sang songs from his ReIncarnation album.

A true African, Snoop invited all the artistes on stage to wrap up the night of frills and thrills. It was fun watching the American superstar do the Zulu dance, alongside South African indigenes such as DJ Cleo, Zakes, Professor, Big Nuz and others who led the dance session; Nigeria’s Tuface, D’Banj, Flavour and DJ Caise, who provided the Nigerian tunes at the show, also joined in the celebration dance.

“Coming back to my African roots to perform alongside Africa’s most talented acts has always been a dream for me,” Snoop said.

According to the Vice President of Viacom International, Alex Okosi, “MTV Africa All Stars concert is about celebrating African talents, who have gained international recognition through their hard work. We want to set a legacy for up and coming acts so that each year, they will have the opportunity to perform alongside international artistes using the Africa All Stars platform.”