Sometime
in the year 2008, we sat down as Stealth
Independence, and started talking to ourselves, about ourselves and our
music. We said;
“Alright,
whenever we get into the studio, we come out with great music every time. Every
time we climb onto the stage, the crowd screams so loud, they love our music. Even
when they hear our song for the first time ever, they love it and want more.
Wherever we walk, people want to talk to us and they say we are the most
brilliant storm to have ever hit Swaziland. We have even performed for old
grannies and they loved our music (to our great surprise). Other artists are
inspired by us. Many artists have even started to sing and rap in SiSwati,
mainly because we confidently led the way when many claimed that it was
impossible to rap in SiSwati, or when naysayers claimed that SiSwati music would
never be accepted or enjoyed by people inside and outside Swaziland. Even
Lindelwa Mafa chose our song Dlala
Swaziland to use it on the Swazi
Rhythm show every week. When we meet people in town, they stop us for signing
of autographs. Damn, we have even signed autographs on some women’s breasts!
But, where to from here? With all this glory, what do we have to show for it?”
That
was a very important discussion. The kind of dreams we had were massive! Yes,
we are still living the dream. We are still paving the way the best way we can,
wherever we can. But I narrate this short story, not because I want to tell a
story about Stealth Independence’s
“past” glory, but because I want to speak about Swaziland music and its future,
especially the music that is still struggling for recognition in Swaziland (and
outside).
At the
time when Stealth Independence were
rocking the stage, together with the likes of Cocktail, Mozaik, KRTC, Anakhonza, Movement, Milewsky, UGLY (Sainte) G, and many others, there was no Data
File Host for people to download music and thereby get
more people to listen to one’s music. I have seen many Swaziland artists post
their music on this site, with some getting as many as three thousand FREE
downloads. Massive achievement! After viewing such achievement, I then ask
myself; then what after this? Many artists have been posting their music on Data
File Host for the past three years. They are still
posting it there and still getting no shows inside or outside Swaziland. Some do
have their music played on Swaziland radio, but then, let’s just face it, no
one gets money from airplay on Swaziland radio. They don’t give no royalties
there! Nonetheless, it is a big step up and we must praise the radio DJs who play
our music there.
We
know that Swaziland artists produce music because they want to achieve great things
with it. However, we must realise that signing autographs on women’s breasts
will simply not get us anywhere, unless we deliberately and consciously use
that on-breasts autographs as a stepping stone to greater heights. You have
been posting your music on the internet for the past three years for FREE downloads. What is it that you can
say those downloads have brought back to you as a stepping stone to greater
heights? That is the question that I leave with my colleagues. It is time this
question is answered! In 2008 I answered this question by calling out, publicly
and frequently, for UNITY amongst Swaziland
artists. Seven years later, I still strongly believe that unity is still a
necessary catalyst for Swaziland music to grow and for Swaziland artists to
finally attain justice for the many hours they invest in their studios!
