Sunday 21 July 2013

A Young Catch Up With Madira [M4M]




He's worked with the likes of Mananz. Here, we speak to him about his role about his role as a manager of Cape Town super crew, M4M.


Greetings fam, you good?

Eita holl... I’m doing high-quality man, can’t grumble. UK’khal’akusizi!!

I know your name and I know you deep in the game. Tell us a bit about you, who is Madira, where you from, who you working with etc.

That’s true man. Some people know the name but they don’t know who Madira is and what he does. The saying "Sukumjonga umntu umgqibe". Born Madodana Madira Mgcuwe, Madira is your ordinary guy from Old Crossroads (CT), originally from Peddie/Ngqushwa (EC). I was once a performing artist back in 2003-2005 with a Crew called Poison from Old Crossroads. But I dropped the Mic in 2006 after I failed a Major subject at Varsity (CPUT) ngenxa yokuphazanyiswa ngumculo, but I have no regrets coz it was one of those life lessons. I had to dive out of school and look for a job, coz namajita am, sasicinga ukuba you record a demo then you are a Star. *mistake* We were less educated about music I must confess. I have a 9-5 job but for the love of music I also work with M4M Crew, im also a member of The Creative Database with 1Kind, Ncutshe, Manez and Malum’Nick. If awuyazi iCreative Database, lets cancel this interview please.*jokes*


M4M Crew, what's the idea behind this super group.


Man, M4M Crew is not new, it has been in existence for a few years already, But it was Manity, Pincode and Rheebongs. The inspiration is basically to show Cape Town and South Africa that Cape Town got talent and that our youth is capable of doing good things if given a chance. This is also a way of showing UNITY, something that I believe lacks in the movement. Remember these artists represent 3 Townships, Phillipi (Vegita), Mfuleni(Pin-Code) and Delft South (Manity and Rheebongs as DsO).

Whose idea was it? Who decided this needed to be done?

Like I said, M4M Crew has been there for a minute but as you know that all 4 members of this crew, each one has their own solo career. So I can say they were too busy, with individual careers, to keep the impetus. Not that they failed though. I received a call from Rheebongs and Manity. And they were like “Boeteri, singaba sibay’4, wena uthini?”Hence I believe in them, I jumped for it on the spot. As they say, the rest is His-Story.

Was it easy to connect these guys together?

I’m not going to say it was difficult, yet it was not easy. I mean, these are four big and established artists already, we know Pin as an upcoming young'un who won the title of "The King of Street Rap WC2012". Vegitta aka Mr “Bodybag” as a Fearless BattleEmcee in Cape Town as far as Vernacular Hip Hop Battles are concern, with a record of 3 battles undefeated in a row. And DsO as one of the finest groups to ever come out of Cape Town, Two individuals with passion and dreams. So there was not a lot of work for me to do. A lot of work is now, to keep the Crew at the at its highest peak. M4M Crew is a big thing. I have been a supporter of them, so it wasn’t that bad. "Started off as a game man/ Microphones were great fans/ suddenly we became friends/ orderly we became a band/" thats Manity on "Show Time" those lines say it all. All we need to do now is to deliver our promise.

What challenges are you facing as a manager of this super group?

At first I refused to be or be called a Manager. I suppose before I can manage others I need to manage myself first. So I see myself as their Mentor, because I know how it feels to be where they are. Nangona nje ndingazange ndibe lapho ndandifuna ukuba khona ngomculo kodwa Ndihambile! Ndifundile! Ndibonile!. Every artist needs someone who will be honest enough to say “That performance was poor” or. "This track is not proper". Without being labeled as a “Hater”. So my responsibility is to do that, also to organize them “Gigs” whenever possible. I guess that’s where the managing part comes in. I don’t restrict them when it comes to bringing ideas; we put them on the table and make a conclusion as a team. But the biggest challenge I faced so far, was when I had to play a part in comforting the whole Crew. This was after the recent highjacking that we experienced on the 29th of June, on our way from a radio interview at Bush Radio (Headwarmaz show). It was not easy ukuthuthuzela amadoda, but ke, life goes on.
(Let's put that one on Ice, I'm getting flashbacks now)

M4M Crew - Slaughterhouse. I see that this comparison pisses some guys off. Is it a matter of time before they bow and agree?

Hahahha, I didn’t notice the pissing-off part. Can I not answer that question please? But on the real, I’m confident nabo Joe Budden, Ortiz and Crooked-I, they would be proud of M4M Crew hahah. I don’t want to commend them too much, I’d rather let the work do the talking. This is a Crew not to be taken for granted.

Do you think every rapper/group needs a manager?
Yes of course. I believe every artist should have. Some people believe in doing their own thing, but there will always be a time where you will need a spokesperson, someone to run your errands. Music is like a football game. You see a lot of errors when you are off the field. So a coach is needed at times. Someone who will be proud to see your good results too.


I see the group's name on line up's of different shows and I hear they scheduled to perform on Cape Town Hip Hop Awards. How do you get all these gigs man? Is it a matter of knowing people in high places or you goes out there and take a stand like a real manager does.

Yes man. We are pushing. Sadly for the CTHHA, they have been cancelled until further notice. But that does not mean we should be on pause, Aluta Continua. Yes we received the call from CTHHA team and we grabbed it coz opportunities like that come once in a life time. We also salute them for showing us love. A special thanks to Barcoded Music/Entertainment for considering us. I believe in networking, I also believe in having good relationships with everyone coz ndafundiswa ukuba akulunganga ukuba yinkomo edla yodwa. I can say the secret is to establish a strong band, get gigging. I don't believe you have to know people at high places," if you dream about it, impossible is nothing" thanks to Mawande "Manez" Sobethwa for sharing that thought. I believe with a good approach and being at the right places at the right time helps hey. I trust that whoever wants to work with the crew, they do so simply because they believe in us. I have received a few gig proposals as well. But I don't want to put pressure on the guys. I consider their solo projects too. Shout out to Mashonisa from Backyard and Mananz Houdi Harry for turning the ignition, the car is now in motion.

What is the plan? What do you and the M4M Crew want to achieve with all this?

This is a new thing of this kind in Cape Town, Where you have a diverse group from different areas. Like I have stated before, we are about unity and breaking boundaries. We are open to anyone who would like to work with us though. We have received a few requests/proposals to collaborate with emcees from outside Cape Town and some from Zimbabwe (JCKoreRupt). If it means, working with someone from Belgium, for the love of music we will make it happen because we're Made4Music. From producers, Emcees, Designers and Event Organizer keep those requests coming please.

Working with rappers that are all doing very well for themselves. Does that bring any difficulties for M4M Crew?

In a way it does, I have to be honest. I feel the pressure because this name is too “Heavy, if you know what I mean. 4 big artists, expectations are always high. I would like to see all of them achieving their goals. It’s a challenge because I have to be fair with them all. DsO as a group is also busy with their Project. There is no time to rest. Music is demand, you can't write and not record and you can't record and not perform. So time is money and money is what we don't have. But we are one team and we are supporting each other always.

Mananz, one of the best producers to ever come out of Cape Town. He produced Kanyi's first single "Ingoma" and he did a beat for PRO on the Continua album that dropped last year. He is now a resident producer for M4M Crew. Tell us more about this relationship man and how did it come about?

Mananz is my "Home Boy" from my hood, Old Crossroads. I hate that fact that he is not where he is supposed to be. After the call I received from Rheebongs and Manity to join M4M Crew he was the first person to come to mind. Me and him, we coming a long way. I remember back in 2004/5 when we first recorded at City Varsity with Mid Frequency Prod (Check www.myspace.com/­mfqpro) he was the one who mixed and mastered our tracks with DjRato. I always respect his work. I got the beat for "Show Time" from him in 2009/10 and I lost it. When I started with M4M Crew, I went to his place and we searched his PC for 3 weeks looking for the beat. I liked the beat that I even beat boxed it for him to finally remember what beat I was talking about. Crazy neh!!! Yes he is one of the resident Producers for M4M Crew, we also have Mashonisa BKYD who's is also one of the finest Producers in Cape Town. With that 2, I don't think we will ever go wrong. But we welcome any Producer who is interested in working with M4M Crew. After the Bush Radio interview, I had a few calls from people who showed interest in working with the crew. So yah that's WhatsApp (But not the application on smart phones).

Buntu Jobela dropped a free mixtape online few weeks back. Who's next?

Manity dropped his free-digital mixtape at the beginning of July, it’s doing very well, and people love it. It’s a free Mixtape so pleople should enjoy the freedom. We haven't decided who is next we want Manity's tape to sink first, there is no rush. We had a successful Mixtape Launch for all the tapes on the 22 June 2013, we are planning of doing an M4M Crew Mixtape Launch Tour, and the next stop is either Phillipi or Mfuleni. Everyone will be given a fair chance.

Must we expect anything new from M4M Crew soon? An album maybe?

I wouldn't like ukukhwaza singekaphumi ethyolweni. Kodwa ya "Show Time" is still the best thing in the streets. There is no pressure, the guys are pushing their solo projects too, Vegita shot his video, shout out to Slash and his team. We are planning long term. We have a 12/24 months plan, so there is no rush son. Just follow the Crew and get updated.


Few days back Vegita who is one quarter of M4M Crew shot a music video for his hit track "Mabatshe". How did the shoot go?

It went very well man; again I salute Slash and his team. I like what he is doing. That's the UNITY we are about. Let's all share what we have. Le Hip Hop ayisiyeyakulobani yeyethu sonke. I haven't been in contact with Slash but I trust he is going to give us a good product. The scenes were too nice the weather was super on the day. We are a team; we are here to support one another. Vegita, Pins and DsO M4M gat'yo'back.

Any last words?

M4M Crew is not made of 4/5 individuals. I can proudly say, we are a team of 6. The 6th member be that Fan/Supporter who is now reading this, the one who is pumping M4M Crew tracks the one who jumps for joy when the crew is on stage, the one who is always asking for links to our songs, the one who liked our page on Facebook. Without you M4M Crew does not exist, we salute yall. We are encouraged to "Vuka Sizenzele" so this is what we are doing instead of lazing around and engaging kwizinto ezingazokusakha. Kukho amazwi athi “Being appreciated for what you do is wonderful, being validated by your peers is absolutely special. But when your role-model or a person that you respect says "I love what you're doing, am a big fan of your work, don’t give up” - Dumza Maswana.

Please drop us your details fam, we now thinking of booking M4M Crew lol

With pleasure.
Email: Madiram22@gmail.com
Contact: 0732194768 

ReverbNation: M4M Crew

SoundCloud: M4M


Thank you for your time man and Kasi Music Kona wish you guys all the best for the future.

Thanks to you for this time. We promise to deliver. Pins, Manity, Rheebongz and Vegita. KasiMusicKona M4M gat your back!
"Yay Yayeee".





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3 comments:

  1. Salute tar Madira its show time bbe. Yay yeyeeee

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  2. Nice interviewer now from here im so gonna go to that kasimp WEBSITE and download your joints...big ups M4M,MADIRA AND ALL Y'ALL...KMK PROPS.

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  3. Great interview..Keep going on the right path!

    ReplyDelete