The South African music scene might be chock-full of thriving dance music styles at the moment, be it Afro-house or qgom, amapiano and even hip hop – not to mention the Jerusalema global dance graze – but Durban’s newest recording label, Maleningi Records, is heading out in its own direction.
With a broad mix of superbly talented musicians signed to the label just a year into its existence, Maleningi Records is set to make an explosive impact on the South African music scene.
Taking its rightful place as one of the most exciting independent local labels to emerge in recent years, the label is dedicating the month of March to developing and showcasing the finest musical talent from across the KwaZulu-Natal region.
“The company is taking business seriously, making sure the musicians reach the widest possible platforms so that all of SA can bear witness to the greatness that can be achieved when you have a formidable team in place,” it said in a statement sent to NOWinSA.
Introducing; Lex LaFoy, DJ Wobbly and Maleningi Records founder, TeabagCC
Durban is no stranger to being a hugely influential player in the South African music scene and lays claim to the birth of several Urban subgenres and music stars – while Johannesburg and Cape Town are often regarded as the leaders in hip-hop.
Through Maleningi Records, Mzansi is about to be introduced to a new breed of hip hop and urban music artists, with a roster of homegrown talent made up of Lex LaFoy, DJ Wobbly, Audio Simz, Celestial Mic and many more.
Lex LaFoy
Lex LaFoy, aka The First Lady of Maleningi Record, is no stranger to thriving within the cut-throat and male-dominated hip hop scene.
From as early as 16 years of age, the formidable Red Hill MC has gone toe-to-toe with the best of the best the city has to offer. Once she had totally dominated the local scene, she headed to the city of gold where a promising acting career opened up for her.
Fast forward to 2021, she has just dropped her new smashing single, ‘Durban Magic‘. Taking us back to the early start of her music career and most importantly, her love for hip hop , she said: “In 2004 when I was in matric, I was kicked out of the house for my rebellion and sent to my Dad’s. I discovered a local radio station DYR (Durban Youth Radio) that had a local hip hop show. I recited a song from a book from one of my many lyric books. People loved it. That began my immersion into the hip hop scene in Durban.“
DJ Wobbly
The most recent new single release comes off the back of signing DJ Wobbly with his new single, ‘Kumawa Dawg‘. DJ Wobbly is the poster child for identifying and promoting talent in the SA music industry. Through his djing career, he has blazed trails that brought us great artists such as Gemini Major, Witness The Funk, Dream Team and Nasty C to the mainstream.
Having come from dance background, he knows exactly what gets the people moving and it is no surprise that Maleningi Records identified him as one of the new stars of KZN.
“I used to be a dancer in high school. I was at Northwood High School where I did a lot of musicals and I was part of the technical team. Sound has always been my love. I taught myself how to DJ via YouTube, learned some tricks from other DJs along the way, and after a performance at a high-profile 21st birthday I validated my place in the industry.”
TeabagCC
TeabagCC, real name Wandile Ngidi, is an undeniable pillar in the city’s music and South African entertainment industry as a whole. Born and raised in Isipingo, not only is he’s deeply entrenched in KZN’s music scene, but has touched the lives and careers of all your Durban music favorites in some way or another.
Explaining his strong ties to the province’s entertainment industry, he said: “I started my music career at 14 as a composer and rapper. When I reached university I branched off into DJing, which then really threw me into the KZN events and entertainment spaces. While pushing my career as an events coordinator, I opened an artist development label called Cultured Chaos Entertainment in 2012. I left the mainstream DJ space in 2017 to focus more on the executive role I felt was lacking in the scene.”
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