Blaze (23)

Blaze or DJ Blaze is a South African hip-hop DJ, turntablist and record executive from the Cape Flats on the outskirts of Cape Town, Western Cape, Republic of South Africa. Considered to be one of the forefathers of hip-hop culture in South Africa, DJ Blaze started his career in the Cape Flats in 1987 spinning records for local b-boy crews, as well as his own rap group known as Bush Culture. After touring South Africa and playing many club gigs and winning several DJ competitions, Blaise relocated to Johannesburg, Gauteng, where he enrolled in electrical engineering at the university of Wits Technikon, where he also began giving workshops at various clubs, on DJing and hip-hop culture, which led DJ Blaze to open his own Saturday matinee club for the young kids from the city, suburbs and townships. That club, Metropolis, has run from 1993 to 2001, making it the longest standing hip-hop club ever in S.A. Currently Metropolis hosts workshops on all five elements of hip-hop every Saturday – B-Boy (break dance), graf (graffiti), self-knowledge, rapping and DJing. Early in the 90s, DJ Blaze career stepped up to another level, when we began working in the formal music industry. Again underpinned by his belief in taking hip-hop to as many people as possible, Blaise undertook several projects including freelance promotion and consulting for Warner Bros. SA, Polygram Records (now Universal), Sony (Blaise helped co-ordinate and promote the platinum selling album, The Fugees – The Score) and BMG Africa (co-coordinating, promotion and DJing for the national Funk Da Nation tour). 1995 was a hectic year for Blaze – not only did he win the South African mixing and scratching DJ competition but he began working full-time for BMG Africa as a promotions officer, before moving into marketing and product management. Before long, Blaise had carved out a niche for himself as the hip-hop expert in The SA music industry and in his four and a half years at BMG, worked with both domestic artists (among the Funny Carp who reached gold status) and international product (in 1999 Blaise headed for New York to an international strategic marketing meeting for Puff Daddy’s Forever album). At the same time, DJ Blaze’s DJ career went supersonic: in 1997 he was part of a Friday night Mix show on 5FM with Tich Mataz and in 1999 initiated one of the few hip-hop mix shows on radio – specifically on YFM with DJ Fresh. Aside from the regular club appearances, DJ Blaze has also played at several high-profile events including the FUBU International fashion show – acting as the very successful events music co-director as well. At the 2001 Face Of Africa finals at the Sun City Super Bowl where Blaze acted as music co-director and spun the discs as the finalists in the continent-wide model search took to the ramp. As the most respected hip-hop DJ in Gauteng, DJ Blaze is a fixture at the big hip-hop events in the region – from the Peace In The Hood event to YFM’s Birthday Bash. And if there’s a turntable battle to be had, expect to see Blaze in the area! Together with the Chop Su Crew (Bionic and Mista Big) Blaze is one of the most highly visible DJs in SA. “I love DJing” Blaise says “I love to see the reaction of people on the dance floor when you play great songs and keep raising the energy. I think I’ve mastered the process by now, you know, just to keep rocking the joint with the funkiest hip-hop and R&B club bangers. It’s like writing music, but with other peoples records!” After close to 20 years living the hip-hop life, working in the formal music business and hanging out in various hoods to stay in touch (“Its better that the movies because it’s the genuine thing”) this gym-mad, science and math’s loving, musically trained, basketball playing individual is the real deal. When it comes to accessing the underground, the street level or the professional hip-hop community (DJ’s, clubs, media, radio stations), DJ Blaze is your man.