Max-Hoba all for Afro-soul
MUSICIAN Max-Hoba (real name Maxhoba Maponya) is putting his money where his mouth is in a bid to help preserve the largely sidelined Afro-soul genre.
After completing a month-long European tour of six countries last week, he is now putting his energy to finish the Maxhoba Soulful Night, a show that he planned months ago to resuscitate Afro-soul.
The show at Carnival City on July 9 will feature Njabulo, Kabomo, Moneoa and Kelly Khumalo.
Having been a professional musician for over a decade dishing out catchy hooks for hip-hop artists like HHP and Tuks, MaxHoba feels that Afro-Soul has been left in the cold while hip-hop and house music continue to enjoy the commercial gravy train being served by radio stations and promoters. With two albums –
and – which enjoy good rotation on only two of SABC’s 18 radio stations, Max-Hoba thinks Afro-soul musicians need to empower themselves to make the genre a commercial success.
Next week’s show is just a step towards his dream. He is using his own production company to stage the debut spectacle and hopes to make it a regular event throughout the country.
“I’ve decided to take a jump because most of us (Afro-soul musicians) are pretending that we are okay but in reality we’re not.
“I’m using the event as a vehicle for us to start opening doors for ourselves. It’s a platform to implement the concept of artists working together and paying each other money for their performances,” he says.
Although he commends SABC’s 90% local music phenomenon, MaxHoba feels a change is needed to open doors for less popular genres.
He says Metro FM, SABC’s biggest commercial radio station, has influence on what songs music compilers from smaller stations are play-listing. This has domino effect on whom promoters choose as headline acts in their shows.
“As a result, everyone is trying to get into the Metro FM space just so they could spread to other stations.
“SA uses the Hollywood concept of giving a big break to one black (Afro-soul artist) at a time.
Right now people are going crazy about Musa Sukwene because he’s got a hot new single.
“Why can’t 10 people be the talk of the town at the same time. It’s not like Kabomo or Moneoa don’t know how to sing anymore,” MaxHoba says.
He spent most of last month in Europe performing eight shows and attending music workshops.
The knowledge he gained in those events seems to have paid off.
The Welkom-born, Free State, singer self-funded the trip.