The Cool Kids of Khayelitsha

Playlisted on many radio stations across the country and igniting stages in Cape Town, the Cool Kids are a Khayelitsha-based four-man crew combining DJ skills, music producing and event management. What is more, they have done it their own way.

Sibusiso ‘Spoilt Deejay’ Macalambisa, Simbongile ‘Laphiro-Maniak’ Wani, Sophakama ‘Trendy-DJ’ Cele and Ayabulela ‘AYAPROW’ Pakade have featured on popular stations such as Umhlobo Wenene, TruFM, Bush Radio, Metro FM and more, and boasting major collaborations with the likes of Black Coffee, Oskido, DJ Bongs, Dr. Malinga and others.

The DJ collective produced a song on DJ Sphectacular and Naves’ album Kings of the Weekend, which is available on iTunes. They’ve performed at popular local venues, such as Mzoli’s and Pisto’s in Gugulethu, Kefu’s Jazz Club, Room 8, Ace’s Park, 12 Down and Solly’s in Khayelitsha, Tsoga, Maragona and Park in Langa, as well as various places in Cape Town and Johannesburg, slowly making their name known.

Also dabbling in events co-ordination, they’ve hosted corporate events for ETV’s Rolling With Celebs (2014) and the Gold Diggers show launch, and more. They’ve played alongside some of the country’s best DJs, namely Black Coffee, Oskido, DJ Bongs and Dr. Malinga.

Formed in 2008, 13 young and eager high school kids came together to form BiggFunMusic, which was then called Soul-Solutionz. “Over time the number of members in our group got less and less, because dedication and passion towards the BiggFunMusic business venture was not equal,” says Sophakama Cele.

“As we continued to DJ and learn more about this industry and business, it just became evident that the skill of disc-jockeying alone would not sustain our grand vision … We had to constantly look at what was trending, what had the potential to trend, and how we would fit into it,” he says.

“One thing that they’ve learned about the entertainment industry is that very few things are constant,” says Cele.

“We have got this far by doing things by ourselves, and also spending an immense amount of time aligning ourselves with relevant people, conducting research and constantly knocking on doors, hoping that someone else will recognise our talent,” says Pakade, “The one factor that allowed us to succeed is not being afraid to do things ourselves. We have very few people outside of BiggFunMusic that ensure that we’re doing things right. We simply take it upon ourselves to do what we think and want.”

“We’re totally different from other Cape Town Djs,” says Sibusiso Macalambisa. “Firstly, we don’t define ourselves as DJs more than we do as performers.”

“When it comes to hustling and trying to build the brand that is Bigg Fun Music we’ve had a lot of doors shut in our faces we’ve been in situations where we don’t have a roof over our heads or something to eat, but the love has kept us going, hence we refuse to call each other friends, we’re brothers,” says Pakade. One of the biggest lessons they’ve learnt on their rise to the top is respecting their brand and not drawing any negative attention to themselves. “We work on ourselves as much we can– in terms of the craft and how we want to be seen by the greater public, and our fans. We’ve learnt to be patient and build a tangible name, as well as create and respect the relationships we form, and we’re still learning,” he adds.

Simbongile Wani says, “We hope that our music touches and inspires other young people to go out there and grab those platforms of opportunities and be whatever they aspire to be. We’re trying to kill this mentality of fellow black South Africans who don’t like supporting or celebrating other black South African musicians who represent success and become successful … Our communities and the lifestyles that we come from is a constant reminder of why we should be successful in what we love and more.”

BiggFunMusic is a prime example of how one can make a name without a record label and managers. In fact, Bigg Fun Music aspires to one day be an Indie label in their own right.

“The internet is there for us to exploit, and at BiggFunMusic we do just that,” says Macalambisa.