The late multi-award-winning hip-hop rapper Mgcini Calvin Nhliziyo will be buried today at Lady Stanley Cemetery in Bulawayo.Cal_Vin died in a hit-and-run accident in Luveve, Bulawayo, last Sunday morning.He was 35.
BY SHARON SIBINDI/KENNEDY NYAVAYA/SINDISO DUBE
Before his burial, there was a Cal_Vin 8TA! ZKPN Take a Bow Tour, which saw artistes like Nceku, Mudiwa and Walter Wanyanya, who travelled on their bikes all the way from Harare to support the late musician.
The Cal_Vin 8TA! ZKPN Take a Bow Tour organisers included Simon Mambazo Phiri, Babongile Skhonjwa,T1nda, Mzoe7, Nkue Nkala and Boom City to name a few. The tour also gathered radio personalities including Memory Nkwe Ndlovu from Classic 263, Manurse Ndlovu and Pam Kelly from SkyzMetro FM and arts journalists — Brighton Ncube, Sindiso Dube and Bongani Ndlovu.
Sandra Ndebele-Sibindi, Asaph, Khuxxman, Madlela, Jeys Marabini, Sotja Moyo, Floppy, Skaiva, Bulawayo Arts Gallery director Butholezwe Nyathi and Clifford Zulu also graced the event.
Meanwhile, organisers of the Roil Bulawayo Arts Awards (RoilBAA) said they would honour the late rapper by naming this year Outstanding Hip Hop award after him.
The award will now be called The Calvin Mgcini Nhliziyo Hip-Hop Award.
Mudiwa, who was among artistes that travelled from Harare for the burial, said he was touched by Cal_Vin’s death especially at the time he was looking forward to working together with him.
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“I am happy to have had a collaboration with Cal_Vin called Konzeresa . I came all the way from Harare just to be part of the burial. He was very young, talented and he wasn’t sick,” Mudiwa said.
“We were working on the video together with Cal_Vin, unfortunately he is no more.”
“He was a talented and celebrated artiste. He was a brother that I always loved and we were about to do a video together.”
Another award-winning hip-hop artiste, Asaph, opened up about his grief over the death of Cal_Vin and how the loss should be an eye-opener on appreciation of local artistes.
Asaph (real name Tafadzwa Tarukwana) said the tragedy should be a chance to influence more appreciation of artistes when they are still alive.
“I did not believe it at first and it took a couple of people to confirm that indeed I had lost a brother which is something very hard for me, (but) I hope people now see that we could have celebrated and appreciated him more,” he said.
“Now we should look at those we have left so that they can become the stars they want to be before it is too late.”
Reflecting on their musical tiff over the years, which had virtually pitted them as major contenders for the hip-hop crown in Bulawayo, Asaph said the demise of Cal_Vin had left him searching for artistes to groom.
“This is sad and has brought a bit of pressure for me as I am now thinking of who else I can raise up because they cannot just be one or two kings, but it should be a whole community of recognised artistes in this city,” he said.
l Read Cal_Vin obituary on Page S5
