Mshasho Productions, also referred to as Mshasho Music Productions and Mshasho Records, is a
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
n
Independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
founded by Namibian musician and
producer
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
,
Martin "The Dogg" Morocky in 2003. The company is a subsidiary of The Dogg's company
Mshasho closed cooperation
Mshasho Productions, also referred to as Mshasho Music Productions and Mshasho Records, is a Namibian Independent record label founded by Namibian musician and producer, Martin "The Dogg" Morocky in 2003. The company is a subsidiary of The Dogg ...
. The name ''Mshasho'' is derived from its original name ''Omushasho'' which is the
Oshiwambo
The Ovambo () language is a dialect cluster spoken by the Ovambo people in southern Angola and northern Namibia, of which the written standards are Kwanyama and Ndonga.
The native name for the language is ''Oshiwambo'' (also written ''Oshiv ...
name for a
shotgun
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...
. The label has shaped careers for artists such as
Sunny Boy, OmPuff,
Tre Van Die Kasie
Tretius Kauhangengo (born 1981), better known as Tre Van Die Kasie, most commonly referred to as Tre is a Namibian kwaito musician and rapper. Tre rose to fame after signing with Mshasho Productions in 2005. He is the half brother of fellow kwait ...
, TeQuila, Karlos Lokos, Chipolopolo, Richie and Kamasutra. The label has so far released ten albums, making it one of the leading record labels in the country.
History
The Dogg's album ''
Take Out Yo Gun
''Take Out Yo Gun'' is the second album by kwaito star The Dogg, released in December 2004. The album has received many positive reviews from critics despite the fact that it was released the same year as '' Shimaliw' Osatana''. ''Take Out Yo Gun' ...
'' was the label's first and only release in 2004. It dominated charts in 2005, with hits such as "The Dogg Is Back", "My life" and "Ngenge Ndasi". In early 2005, the label signed Sunny Boy, soon after departing from
GMP Records
Lazarus Shiimi (born 10 March 1977), known by his stage name Gazza, is a Namibian musician.
Career
Born in Oshikuku,Tonchi, Victor, L.; Lindeke, William A.; Grotpeter, John J. (2012) ''Historical Dictionary of Namibia'', Scarecrow Press, , p. ...
. The label quickly released Sunny Boy's first single "Balance" which became another hit from the label. Sunny Boy enjoyed more success and became very popular. Soon after Sunny Boy was signed, former Mshasho manager Isack Nyambali signed TeQuila and Karlos Lokos to the label. He also brought Richie Rich, Chipolopolo and Kamasutra close to the label. In mid-2005, Mshasho added other new artist to its roster including
Tre Van Die Kasie
Tretius Kauhangengo (born 1981), better known as Tre Van Die Kasie, most commonly referred to as Tre is a Namibian kwaito musician and rapper. Tre rose to fame after signing with Mshasho Productions in 2005. He is the half brother of fellow kwait ...
, Nasti, and surprisingly OmPuff (who was previously signed to GMP). Mshasho released Sunny's second single "serious" followed by his debut album ''
Young, Black en Gifted
Young, Black en Gifted, commonly referred to as Y.B.G., is Sunny Boy's debut album, released in December 2005 after he was signed to Mshasho Records in 2004. ''Young, Black en Gifted'' boosted Sunny's commercial popularity, thus making him a com ...
'' in December 2005, around the same time The Dogg also released a new single "Baby Don't Go". The album was very successful and was one of the best selling albums of 2005; it introduced a new subgenre of kwaito which Sunny describe as
Hikwa, a style of music that combines
hip hop and
kwaito
Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 1990s. It is a variant of house music that features the use of African sounds and samples. Kwaito songs occur at a slower tempo range than other styles of h ...
.
In October 2006, Sunny Boy left the label claiming
financial mismanagement
Financial mismanagement is management that, deliberately or not, is handled in a way that can be characterized as "wrong, bad, careless, inefficient or incompetent" and that will reflect negatively upon the financial standing of a business or indiv ...
by former-manager Isack Nyambali (this is referenced in "Heat It Up" from ''
The Sleeping Giant''). He then made agreement with The Dogg to drop him off the label to go establish his own. Although he left the label, Sunny Boy still considers himself part of Mshasho. All of his albums after ''Young, Black en Gifted'' feature production and appearance by The Dogg, and other Mshasho artists.
When Dogg was asked in an interview by Nammusic.com about his reaction to Sunny Boy leaving Mshasho, this is what he had to say; ''"Personally and professionally I am very happy for Sunny Boy leaving Mshasho to create his own label or production. It shows how much he has grown as an artist and we are still very close. I just don't want anybody to come between us as we are still very good friends and will remain that way."''
Sunny Boy's departure made OmPuff the second favorite artist on Mshasho. Other artists such as TeQuila, Karlos Lokos and Richie also left the label after Sunny Boy. Isack Nyambali was fired from the label. The Dogg criticized him in an interview with Nammuic.com claiming ''"Isack is only in the industry to rip people off"'' referring to the corruption he committed when he was managing Sunny Boy, Karlos, and TeQuila. Nasti, OmPuff, and Tre were the only artists who remained on the label.
Kwaito group
Fresh Family
Fresh or FRESH may refer to:
People
*DJ Fresh (born 1977), UK-based drum and bass artist
*DJ Fresh (producer), US-based R&B producer born Marqus Brown
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Fresh'' (1994 film), a crime film
* ''Fresh'' (200 ...
was briefly signed to the label. The group was dropped from the label in March 2012 after breaching their contract.
OmPuff and Tre Van Die Kasie are both working on their sophomore studio albums to be released in 2012 respectively.
Mshasho vs. GMP Records
The Dogg and
Gazza developed quick success after releasing their first albums, which helped them into establish their own record label, Mshasho Productions and
Gazza Music Productions
Lazarus Shiimi (born 10 March 1977), known by his stage name Gazza, is a Namibian musician.
Career
Born in Oshikuku,Tonchi, Victor, L.; Lindeke, William A.; Grotpeter, John J. (2012) ''Historical Dictionary of Namibia'', Scarecrow Press, , p. ...
(GMP) respectively. They led and dominated the commercial music scene between 2004 and 2005. GMP signed new and upcoming
Sunny Boy, who served on the label for less than two months before signing with Mshasho. Tensions between the two labels were heightened when Sunny Boy switched labels from GMP to Mshasho. More fuel was added to the fire when some music fans began taking sides between The Dogg and Gazza, Mshasho and GMP. Also after a while OmPuff who was affiliated with GMP, joined Mshasho.
The two labels are now reconciled and have done roadshows for the ruling party SWAPO together as well as performed some of their old collaborations at the Namibia Annual Music Awards.
See related articles
*
Mshasho Clothing
Mshasho Clothing is a Namibian clothing brand founded by Martin "The Dogg" Morrocky. The company is 100% owned by Mshasho closed corporation operating as a subsidiary. The name ''Mshasho'' is derived from its original name ''Omushasho'' which ...
*
List of Record Labels
File:Alvinoreyguitarboogie.jpg
File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg
File:Bingola1011b.jpg
Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, b ...
*
Yaziza Entertainment
Sunday Shipushu (born 13 March 1983), known as Sunny Boy is a Namibian rapper from Ongwediva. He performs a brand of music known as hikwa, which he engineered by fusing hip hop and Kwaito.
*
Gazza Music Productions
Lazarus Shiimi (born 10 March 1977), known by his stage name Gazza, is a Namibian musician.
Career
Born in Oshikuku,Tonchi, Victor, L.; Lindeke, William A.; Grotpeter, John J. (2012) ''Historical Dictionary of Namibia'', Scarecrow Press, , p. ...
References
Footnotes
Mshasho launches trust fundMshasho Opens Its own Stores!
{{Authority control
Namibian record labels
Companies of Namibia
Record labels established in 2003