Stansplash, the underrated MC
HE HAS the voice, the talent, the character, the charisma and everything else that is expected of a top emcee; yet he has remained in the shadows of the entertainment industry.
Many dancehall followers in the country know him for the popular dance that he choreographed for Mavado’s hit song “Aktion Pak”, as he has performed it on many occasions.
Despite having been in the industry for a long time, Stanford Chibanda, popularly known in music circles as Stansplash, has found it difficult to break into the mainstream entertainment arena but it seems the heavens are finally opening up.
These past few months, the MC’s inf luence has been growing with every opportunity he has been given to go on stage, thanks to his ability to captivate the crowd with his powerful voice. Stansplash, who has worked with numerous established acts including King Alfred, Judgement Yard, Legendary Sound and Red Fox Sound, to name just a few, albeit in the background, has deservedly earned his place among the top MCs in the country having been impressive behind the mic on many occasions.
He proved his worth at the Jah Cure concert when he managed to calm down an angry crowd that was throwing missiles on stage after sound glitches delayed the main act.
His stage presence and energy has made him a darling among many music lovers who have been fortunate to see him on stage.
The Sunday Mail Leisure spoke to the MC last week and he revealed the obstacles he has had to overcome to gain recognition in the country.
The 31-year- old Bindura- born artiste developed a liking for reggae and dancehall music at an early age as his uncle used to play the music a lot.
Spending just a small part of his childhood in Bindura, their family moved to Harare where he became engrossed in the urban culture, which would later shape his future career.
“I only did the first term of Grade One at Bindura Primary School before we moved to Harare, which is where I completed my primary education at Avonlea Primary,” said Stansplash.
“We moved around a lot, so I stayed in various areas including Warren Park, Chitungwiza and Emerald Hill so I got to know different urban cultural vibes as I was growing up.”
It was during his first year at Mazowe High School that he gave it a shot at being a DJ and after realising that he was good at it, he pursued that path until he finished his O-Level studies, becoming the school’s official DJ as he would play during various school functions.
“We used to host gigs and do sound clashes where the DJ with the latest riddims was the likely winner since it was hard do get new music during those days. People at school started calling me Weedat, because my eyes were always red and since I was deep into dancehall music, I was associated with smoking weed.
“During the holidays, I would sneak out from home to go to some of the top clubs that included Synergy, Tropicana, Maze and Circus just to name a few and it was during those outings that I realised I wanted to be an entertainer.”
After high school, he left the country to join his older brother and sister in the UK where he started studying Media and Information Technology at Bedford University. Unfortunately, he failed to complete the programme due to financial constraints.
“While I was in the UK I linked up with King Alfred who had already made his name as a DJ that side so he started showing me the ropes.
“I started playing with him at various clubs and shows that he was hosting and since I was under the wings of someone who had already made a name, it was a bit easy for me to get recognised there.
“We then teamed up with a Jamaican promoter, Scully of Sovereign Sound and started bringing various Jamaican acts to the UK, which gave me the opportunity to rub shoulders with the likes of Tony Matterhorn, Chris Gold-finger, Assassin and Mavado, among others.”
Being a skilful dancer, he would always show off his dance moves and many people would follow suit, which is how he got to be called Splash, as his moves had a splash effect on the dance floor.
“Alfred said that every time I got on the dance floor, I splashed my moves as people would start copying me so he started calling me Splash but I decided to add Stan to the name and that is how I came to be known as Stansplash.”
After several years of spinning records in the UK, Stansplash decided to retrace his roots, packed his bags and came back to Zimbabwe in 2008.
He started looking for slots to play at various nightspots that were thriving in the capital during that period but it proved to be a difficult task.
“When I came back I had the idea that since I had made it in the UK, it would also be easy for me to penetrate the Zimbabwean club scene but as it turned out I was wrong.
“It took a while for me to start getting slots at clubs but I did not lose heart and as time went on I started getting opportunities to play and MC at places like Globetrotters, Monaco, Londoners and Old Kebab, to name a few.”
When Irandu and some of his friends from the UK started hosting Mad Sundays at Mereki, Stansplash was also called to come on board as a guest.
When the Mad Sunday concept was moved to Red Fox Hotel, this gave the MC the opportunity to get his own Saturday slot which was called Slick Saturday.
“It was during my stint at Red Fox when I created the ‘Action Pak’ dance which spread like wildfire and made me even more popular on the local dancehall scene. People started encouraging me to spread my wings and start doing other events and that is how I ended up teaming up with DJ Sadiq. I had been introduced to Sadiq by his older brother Jah Hanif and we started hosting Crazy Sundays and Splash Car Wash at Mereki.
“Lenny Matterhorn came on board and we formed a crew called The Majestic Three, which became popular as our sessions were attracting large crowds and this opened several doors for us as we started being called to play at other big gigs in the capital.”
Stansplash has been working hard to push his brand and as things stand, it looks like he is moving in the right direction with many promoters now seeking his services.
He said that this was his time to shine and he was going to continue riding on the hype he managed to create during the last half of 2016.
“I believe this is going to be my year and I am hopeful that I will get more opportunities to showcase my talent. It has been a long and difficult road but I am grateful that my talents are now starting to be recognised.”