1. How did the name Craze come about?

There’s no special story on how I got my name. In high school I was part of this rap crew called R.B.M. One of the MC’s didn’t like my name at the time and he suggested Craze… I wrote it down and thought it looked fresh so I kept it. That’s it.

2. How old were you when you laid your hands on turntables?

The first time I got my hands on some decks was when I was 14. I fell in love right there and then. The thing I remember the most was the smell of the 1200′s. They still smell good to me

3. Who or what is your musical inspiration?

People, music and art inspire me. The 2 humans that inspire me the most are Muhammad Ali and Kanye. They manifest what they say… They ARE the greatest.

4. What adversities did you face when starting out as a Dj and how did you overcome them?

When I started DJing I didn’t have anybody to learn from. I had no idea what I was doing but I knew I wanted it real bad. I overcame that by studying battle videos up and down. I would watch them in slow motion and copy all my idols and learn their routines.

5. How have your skills evolved overtime to get your to where you are today?

When I first started battling I was a clone of my idols… I didn’t have my own identity. Over the years I developed my own style and my own flavour, It took a lot of practice and time to find my own style.

6. Besides yourself, who is your favourite DJ currently?

I don’t have a favorite dj. I like different djs for different styles of music that I like. For turntablism I think Q-bert will always be the best when it comes to scratching. For Drum and Bass, Andy C will always be the greatest. For Hip Hop, J-Rocc is one of the illest … (I like how I spin hip hop too). For house music I think Mehdi and Fake Blood are awesome. For overall styles I think I’m my favorite

7. Who would you like to work with in future?

I would like to work with Joker, Eminem, Dillinja, Yelawolf  & Danjahandz. These guys are incredible at what they do.

8. Out of all your accomplishments, which one is the personal greatest for you?

Winning the DMCs 3x in a row is my greatest achievement so far. Nobody has been able to do that ever since and earned me my spot as one of the greatest djs ever. It also made my career and gave me the opportunity to travel the world and meet most of my idols and heroes.

9. Adidas encourages celebrating originality. How do you celebrate your originality?

I stay true to myself and I encourage people to do the same. When you stay true to yourself and do what you love and put your all into it that in it.

‘Stay true to yourself!’. With that said, there isn’t anymore.

Craze’s life is a legacy of rags to riches, geek to chic, no-name to world fame. He never had it easy from fleeing battle in Nicaragua at the age of 3 to a geeky adolescence, to Hurricane Andrew hitting Miami in 1992 nor did have ever have any coattails to ride; his is a story that’s an uphill battle, but a story that ends right at the top.

Craze’s life is a legacy of rags to riches, geek to chic, no-name to world fame. He never had it easy from fleeing battle in Nicaragua at the age of 3 to a geeky adolescence, to Hurricane Andrew hitting Miami in 1992 nor did have ever have any coattails to ride; his is a story that’s an uphill battle, but a story that ends right at the top.”My mom always taught me I could do anything I put my mind to. So when she asked what I wanted to do with my turntables, I told her, ‘Be the best DJ in the world,’” Craze casually laughs. And that he proved 3 times at the DMC World Championships, an unprecedented record, and a title that no other solo DJ has yet to match.

While Craze is regarded internationally and unquestionably as one of the best scratch DJs in the world, it’s still astonishing to see his overwhelming number of titles on paper: Craze has won first place for the USA DMC Championships in 1998, World ITF Scratch Off Championships in 1998, ITF Western Hemisphere Scratch Off Championships (1998, ’99), Winter Music Conference Scratch Off Champion (1996, ’97, ’98, ’99), East Coast DMC Championships (1997), East Coast Rap Sheet Championships (1996) and Zulu National Championships (1995, ’96), to name but a few. Additionally, DJ Craze claimed 2nd place in the first DMC Team Championship with his Allies’ crew (which included fellow champions A-Trak and Infamous) in 1999 and then in 2000, the Allies’ won the Team Championship title, taking it from the previous year’s winners the Scratch Perverts.

“I won the DMC’s when I was 20. I joined the Regionals, won that, Nationals, won that, and then won the Worlds. And I took it from A-Trak that’s right! But he was only like 15 when I beat him. I was still scared. Then in that year, in ’98 when I beat A-Trak in the [DMC] Worlds, I didn’t wanna battle no more and I thought he’d be the icing on the cake, so instead we formed the Allies and we kicked everybody’s butt. (laughs) Except the [Scratch] Perverts, they beat us once in the US, but then we came over here to London and we kicked their butt. So hey, payback’s a bitch, Tony!”

On top of his untouchable turntablist skills and scratch champion showmanship, the world has also recognised that Craze is a second to none club DJ he has toured the globe over, from Jamaica to Australia to Japan to Iceland to France to the country he was born, Nicaragua. All DJing aside, Craze is also a world- renowned producer, releasing wildly successful drum’n'bass records with labels such as Cartel Recordings, Breakbeat Kaos, and C.I.A and other hip hop inspired productions with the likes of DMC Records, Ninja Tune Records, OM Records and K7 Records.

It’s the respect from both DJs and audiences alike that has paved Craze’s seamless move between hip hop and turntablism to drum’n'bass both serious subzero clique/cult scenes the globe over demanding much of any artist trying to peddle their wares worldwide; to what now sounds like club-style Miami bass, formed with the technical love of hip hop with clean cuts and ridiculously dextrous scratching, but a mix up of straight up rap, ghettotech, raw booty house, old-school electro, Baltimore/Miami bass crossover and sweaty lo-end dancefloor music, making it all but impossible to keep still. This is Craze the man who arguably defined his hometown Miami turntablism scene, only to return now to reinvent this take on the Miami sound; a neo-genre of his own special blend of every which way club codes from the ghosts of discos past, present and future.

Born in Soweto on 28 February 1983 to David Mothibe and Gloria Mahlaba, Lebogang “Shugasmakx” Mothibe has been on a steady hustle ever since having his first whiff of fresh air.

Born in Soweto on 28 February 1983 to David Mothibe and Gloria Mahlaba, Lebogang “Shugasmakx” Mothibe has been on a steady hustle ever since having his first whiff of fresh air.

The entertainment industry has always been a home for the young man who made his first television appearance at the tender age of nine. Acting seemed like the call that had been answered with a steady appearance record in various ads and television shows from 1991 till 1997 and his first two high school years at The National School of the Arts as a drama student but the world had more in store, the music industry was in need of an extreme makeover and Shugasmakx was a about to become a key player.

Moving from Soweto in 1994 and making his way to Leondale on the East Rand of Johannesburg, Shugasmakx found a new love in his life after meeting long time business partner and friend Siyabonga “Slikour’ Metane and that was Hip-Hop music. Since recording his first demo with his comrades under the alias of Exercizm at Zako Music (responsible for success stories such as Rebecca Malope) in 1996, the group has grown to become known to millions of people as Skwatta Kamp, South Africa’s leading hip-hop brand, living legends and trendsetters.

Shugasmakx still visits the screen from time to time for small cameo roles and carries on spearheading the South African Hip-Hop evolution, however his talents do not end in front of the camera or behind the mic as an emcee at various events or as a rapper, he is currently the director of:

1. Buttabing Entertainment, which has had a groundbreaking impact as management for Skwatta Kamp, Bonang Matheba, T’do and various other’s. Please visit www.buttabing.co.za .

And

1. Ventilation Productions, a music & entertainment agency specializing in youth lifestyle, strategy, activations, PR and an online magazine. The organization was started in 2005 and is steadily becoming a media powerhouse, www.ventilation.co.za.

Smakx, as he is affectionately called by many, can simply be described as a young man, driven by passion, no boundaries and the hunger to succeed.

Having worked with many local and international greats with Skwatta Kamp and the likes of Flabba and HHP as an individual, 2008 saw the release of Shugasmakx’s much anticipated and long overdue album “Numba 1”. The album was received well by the public and included 4 chart topping singles, namely, “Monate So”, “Imisebenzi Yakho”, “Callin Home” & “Shuga Shugela”.

2010 see’s Shugasmakx out and about with the release of Skwatta Kamp’s new album “Fair And Skwear” and the getting ready of his 2011 sophmore solo release.

Welcome to the ShugaFactory!!!!

Kanye premiers his next single at the MTV VMAs… Let’s have a toast to the douchebags!

It has been said that the man who is driven by passion can know no limits and be bound by nothing – if you need evidence of this look no further than the rising star of South African Hip Hop, JR. The surprisingly young and immensely talented rapper grew up surrounded by music and driven by an insatiable hunger for the next best beat, the perfect beat – that is his quest, and it is one he comes closer to with his every musical endeavour.

‘before I’m a rapper I’m a musician’

That quest, that drive, that passion for the music led JR through early collaborations with some of South Africa’s hottest acts, earning him a name in the industry as well as a reputation for a peerless talent. Diligence and dedication to his craft paid off for JR as doors began to open and he found himself receiving offers like he’d never previously imagined. JR quickly scooped a lucrative management deal, record deal and Renault endorsement all before the age of 22.

This all led to the eventual 2008 release of The Main Event: JR’s full length debut.

The Main Event featured mass hits So Hot, Gata Le Nna and Mathata. The album was an instant hit and JR found himself being nominated for Best Hip Hop Album at the 2008 Metro Awards and Best Rap at the 2009 SAMAS meanwhile he was fast becoming a household name as his rhymes and beats were being broadcast, by popular demand, into homes across the country.

JR has one of the most energetic stage performances, backed by an incredibly talented live band and often including an 8 piece string section. His live performances in the last year include sharing the stage with The Game in Swaziland, with T-Pain at the Macufe Festival in Bloemfontein, and with John Legend and Keri Hilson on their nationwide South African tour. Other special performances include the Old Mutual Sunset Concert at Kirstenbosch Gardens, the Boxing South Africa Awards and the Metro FM Awards in 2008.

This all led to JR being recognised at the 2008 MTN Hype Awards where he took the gong for Best Hip Hop Record.

Not forgetting his humble beginnings, JR is actively involved with HIV / Aids Awareness for the youth of today and is an ambassador for SCRUTINIZE. 2010 sees JR becoming even more active in socio conscious awareness and several other projects. 2010 also sees JR promoting his own footwear range of sneakers through Loxion Culture, and making a trip over the pond to New York to perform at the Summer Splash after party.

If nothing else is certain, we can be assured of one thing: JR will continue to pursue the perfect beat, and South African Hip Hop fans will continue to enjoy the beneficial results of his quest.

JR’s highly-anticipated sophomore album, Colourfull, is set for a November 2009 release through Electromode Music, and if early responses are anything to go by, JR is headed in the right direction for perfection.

The first single from the album, Aga Shame, is an upbeat infectious song destined to invade the airwaves over the ‘09/’10 Summer Season. Follow up single, “Show Dem” has got everyone in the country singing MAKE THE CIRCLE BIGGER!!

For PR enquiries, please contact Nomfundo Mncadi (nomfundo@electromode.co.za) or Morgan Kaye (Morgan@electromode.co.za) on 0114630248.
For Bookings, please contact Mpho (mpho@benteyrecords.co.za) on 082 824 5781